DOWNSIZING THAT STILL FEELS ROOMY ENOUGH
Efficient layouts, natural light add volume to bungalow semis
If you grew up in a 1950s bungalow, you likely remember a gaggle of small, barely functional rooms connected by pointless hallways. If you’re now looking to downsize, Longwood Building Corporation’s new model in Richmond Gate will show you just how much bungalows have evolved.
Richmond Gate is a development of 18 adult-lifestyle semi-detached bungalows in Richmond less than 20 minutes south of Kanata. Prices start at $329,900 for 1,253 square feet. And as the Thornhill, Longwood’s 1,565-square-foot model home, makes clear, builders can pack a lot of features into a relatively modest space.
Before we get to the model, a quick update on Richmond Gate. Launched in 2014 during Longwood’s 25th anniversary year, it’s the company’s eighth adult-lifestyle development. It also hearkens back to Longwood’s beginnings: the company’s first two projects were in Rockland and Russell, both of them also small towns and, like Richmond, within easy commuting distance of Ottawa.
A major advantage of building in smaller centres is price, thanks to lower land and other costs. The Thornhill, for example, starts at $393,000.
“It’s $50,000 less than the same model in Kanata,” says Longwood’s sales and marketing manager, Darice Greene.
Less expensive land also means roomier lots, she adds, so “you’re not always looking into your neighbours’ windows.”
Other builders, including Talos and Cardel Homes, are either currently building or preparing to do so in Richmond.
FLOOR PLANS
Longwood has five floor plans in Richmond Gate. All are two bedrooms with two baths, and all include an optional finished basement with a recreation room, den/third bedroom and full bath. Covered entryways are standard, although the Thornhill has two possible elevations: one, like the model, with a covered porch and one without.
Longwood has simplified the homes to keep base prices down. Rather than hardwood, for example, carpet is standard in the main living area. “It’s all about affordability,” says Greene. However, as the model makes clear, multiple upgrades are available, from hardwood in the main living area to stairways boasting wrought iron and maple.
Lots range from a sprawling 200 feet deep at six of the homes to half that depth for others. Several of the properties back onto green space with a storm-water management pond beyond that.
THE MODEL
With its open-concept, cathedralceilinged living/dining/kitchen area, the Thornhill creates a sense of spaciousness and ease: big pluses when you’re downsizing from a larger home with its heavy maintenance requirements. Greene has underscored that openness and relaxed feel by furnishing the main living area in neutral tones and keeping accessories to a minimum.
The living room fireplace is standard, but the maple mantel is an upgrade from oak. The flooring is also a light, space-enhancing maple.
Two vertical windows and a horizontal one frame the fireplace, giving the living room both a focus, as well as upping the natural daylight — an important factor in semis, where there are no windows on the common wall.
The main living area includes a 10-by-10-foot breakfast area next to the patio doors, although Greene has furnished it as a comfy sitting space with a couple of colourful easy chairs. “You can create separate areas with furnishings,” she says.
The dining area, between the foyer and living room, is slightly offset so while it feels part of the main living area, it’s simultaneously its own space.
The kitchen boasts cupboards galore and a generous L-shaped counter for cooking enthusiasts. The countertop includes a breakfast bar with room for four or five stools and wooden brackets, the latter an attractive flourish.
Kitchen cabinetry, upgraded from oak to birch, is a simple Shaker style. Combined with contemporary, brushed-chrome hardware, it suggests a bit of country and a touch of city.
Greene also points out the kitchen’s accessibility from the garage. “You park the car, walk through the laundry area and into the kitchen. It’s really convenient.”
There’s lots more to like about the Thornhill, from the his-andhers closets and walk-in shower serving the master bedroom at the rear of the home to the bay window in the second bedroom at the front of the house.
Longwood has also made a virtue of necessity with occasional angled walls: they’re required by the home’s layout, but wind up adding visual interest.
IN THE AREA
Founded almost two centuries ago as a military settlement, Richmond combines the modern (an active community association, for example) and the traditional, including some admirable 19thcentury architecture. The town is busily preparing for its 200th anniversary in 2018. When you visit, make a stop at the Abby Farms produce stand on Perth Street near Nixon Farm Drive: the sweet corn is fabulous.