Historic inspiration
McBride Station homes in Fort Langley will speak to both the past and the present
McBride Station
Project location: 9235 McBride St., Fort Langley Project size: 52 homes on about five acres, some with masteron- the- main layouts, some with traditional layouts. Two- to four- bedroom homes from 2,293 to 3,037 sq. ft., including finished basements. Some homes with an elevator option. Prices: from $ 594,900 Monthly strata fees: $ 130 to $ 180 Developer: Lanstone Homes, Langley Architect: Focus Architecture Inc. Interior designer: show home designed by Gannon Ross Designs Sales centre: 9235 McBride St., Fort Langley Sales contacts: Tracy Burnett, sales manager Hours: noon to 5 p. m., Thursday to Sunday Telephone: 604- 888- 7172 Website: mcbridestation. com Occupancy: starting June 2014
MICHAEL BERNARD
SPECIAL TO THE SUN
For Gary and Noreen Brush, finding a home at McBride Station in historic Fort Langley was a years- long journey that took them through a kaleidoscope of home types.
“We spent four to five years looking at all kinds of homes, row homes, individual homes, homes on large lots, condos,” said Gary, who has lived in nearby Walnut Grove for 34 years. “We finally found what we wanted in this development.”
The Brush family, who count Fort Langley among their favourite local destinations, where a couple of hours “feels like a mini- vacation,” chose a three level, three- bedroom townhome just shy of 2,500 square feet, including a fully finished basement. They fall right into the classic demographic for McBride Station: between 50 and 70, downsizers or “cross- movers” looking to escape gardening and to enjoy more travel, to just turn the key and go south for six months at a time, says Michelle Taylor, director of marketing for Frontline Real Estate Services, which is marketing Lanstone Homes’ collection of 52 townhouses on five acres. Named after the old CN Railway station, the homes sit on a site that once formed part of the country estate of Charles Edward Hope, an early settler and prominent member of the local community.
Many of the former buildings on the site, including Hope’s classic Craftsman- style mansion, served as an inspiration for the current exterior home designs with shingled siding, dormers, extended rafters and granite gateway posts. Inside the homes is an amalgam of classic and modern design.
“The main thing that people notice and like is the quality,” Taylor says.
“When they walk around inside, they touch and feel the cabinets and the countertops, they look at the appliances, they look at the craftsmanship, and all of the details.”
Taylor says company president Lanson Foster started his career working for custom home- builder Wallmark Homes, which shows in his drive to ensure that people aren’t buying a cookie- cutter product. Details, such as mosaic- tile backsplashes in the kitchen, crown mouldings and coffered ceilings in the living rooms, are the stuff of made- to- order homes rather than spec housing.
Buyers have four distinct exterior designs in 12 colours and five floor plans in three different colour schemes from which to choose.
Plan E — Edward after Charles Edward Hope — is a traditional plan with up to three bedrooms upstairs and a total of 2,558 square feet on three floors. There is also an option with two bedrooms upstairs, leaving a portion and creating an 18- foot ceiling in the living area. A loft area allows for a quiet sitting room or desk. Another intriguing feature is a large walk- in linen closet, which can be converted into a shaft for elevator. That $ 30,000 option could prove handy down the road should owners find it more difficult to negotiate stairs.
Four of the five floor plans feature a popular, yet not- always- easy- to- find amenity: a master bedroom on the main floor. “Many developers are nervous about master on the main because it is lower density, while they still need to realize value for it,” Taylor said.
Of the floor plans that provide a master on the main, three are three-floor models, while one is contained on two floors. Plan A1, for instance, is a 2,343- square- foot two- floor, masteron- the- main rancher plan with a fully finished basement with one bedroom. The main floor features the master with ensuite and a den off the main entrance along with a covered patio for year- round use off the dining room. The laundry room is located just off the kitchen.
The other three master- on- the- main models — at 2,795, 2,903 and 3,037 square feet — provide good choices. The smallest two plans feature a bedroom and bathroom in the basement, perfect for visiting relatives; a large recreation room with optional bar and wine fridge, and a hobby room for yoga, pottery or other arts and crafts activity. The largest features an extra storage room at basement level.
All main floors have nine- foot ceilings with some models providing vaulted ceilings in the master bedroom on the top floor. Kitchens have the full stainless steel appliance packages, gas ranges with concealed fan in custom millwork and oversized islands with panelling and furniture kick. Lighting is decidedly modern with pendants hanging above the islands, under- cabinet puck lighting and recessed ceiling lighting.
The bathrooms and laundry include tile floors, with heated mosaic floors in all master ensuites, and large showers with frameless glass in the master ensuites. Some master ensuites include a separate soaker tub, some with a separate pedestal- style tub. Some of the models include a window in the laundry room to provide welcome daytime lighting, while others have the option to stack washer and dryer and install a laundry tub.
All models have roughed- in security, vacuum and heat- pump systems, the latter a $ 7,000 option that essentially uses the forced air gas furnace to circulate heat in the winter and serve as air conditioning in the summer.
Lanstone also offers optional design adaptations to accommodate wheelchair access. It suited one gentleman in a wheelchair who nodded his approval as he inspected one of the model homes. Garages come with room for two cars and include prewired electric car charging.
Outside, the shared amenities are thoughtful and modest, helping to keep the strata maintenance fees to between $ 130 and $ 180 a month. That fee covers landscaping, snow removal, window washing, a greenhouse with community gardening for McBride Station residents, an attractively designed fire pit with flagstones and a “grandchildren’s” play area.
The design and architecture of McBride Station has proven popular with history- conscious residents nearby, says Kurt Alberts, a three- time mayor of Fort Langley and art gallery owner who served as consultant to the developers.
“My involvement went back to the state of engaging the community,” said Alberts, who noted that some 100 neighbours participated in a roundtable focus group.
“One thing that came out is that they wanted a mix of housing there; they didn’t just want a gated community; they wanted an extension of the village atmosphere. We have had all sorts of positive feedback.”
In fact, it works both ways, with many of the buyers who have snapped up 31 of the 52 homes expressing their delight at being able to walk three minutes to restaurants, specialty shops and grocery store in the village.
Other popular amenities include the McBride Station trail, which is part of the 10- kilometre Fort- to- Fort Trail that runs to Derby Reach on the River, a favourite for walkers and bikers alike.