HIGH-END DESIGN
At Bella Terra by the Lake, the touches will be decidedly upscale
The luxury homes Tony Barone is building in the village of Anmore range from 5,800 to 7,620 square feet with prices starting at $3.35 million. But, suggests Barone, if you compare them to similar single-family houses in some major North American cities, they are something of a bargain.
“I think if you compare Vancouver to New York or Los Angeles, Vancouver is still a good deal,” Barone says. “If you are looking to buy a half acre with a house in these two metropolitan cities 35 minutes from the downtown, I think you would be challenged to find homes at the price with the features we are offering.”
Anmore, located just north of Port Moody and along the shores of Indian Arm, has been populated for more than 120 years, but is probably unknown to many Vancouverites. Yet in 1905, the tiny community played an important role in the development of Vancouver. That year, the village’s 4.8-kilometre Buntzen Lake, about three blocks from Bella Terra by the Lake, became part of the first hydroelectric project to feed the growing region’s power needs. In fact, the Buntzen Lake waters still spin B.C. Hydro’s powerhouse turbines on Indian Arm.
Back then, Anmore homesteaders could pick up several acres for just a few dollars and build a modest shack a stone’s throw from the village’s cedar mills and timber operations. Today, Bella Terra is offering eight upscale home models, based on houses built nearby by Christen Luxury Homes, of which Barone is owner. They range from the modern-style with floor-toceiling windows and low pitch roofs, to a more traditional European château-style with vaulted ceilings, and a Craftsman design with dormers.
“I think Bella Terra will cater to a mix of young families and also those in middle life, as well as extended families,” Barone said reflecting on previous buyers. “We expect a mix of all types of people.”
Bella Terra, which is being developed by Bella Terra Investments Inc., part of the Amron/Catara Group of real estate companies, aimed for what Barone called manageably sized lots of up to half an acre. “There are some people that just don’t have the means or the time to take care of one acre, two acres, or three acre parcels anymore,” he said.
“But there are a lot more people who want to have a nice yard, but want something larger than a city lot.”
The builder offers a range of finishings in all of the new homes, Barone said.
The four- to five-bedroom home layouts will have extensive wood millwork throughout and engineered wide-plank floors and staircases, and glass and wrought iron railings.
Fireplaces are available in limestone or a contemporary walnut model with marble facade and hearth.
Each bedroom will have its own ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet. The master bedroom will include a steam shower, and marble floor with in-laid tile. Many of the homes will include a media room, fitness room and a wine cellar.
Kitchens will be equipped with German-made Miele dishwasher, wall oven and cooktop and refrigerator, extensive granite countertops and mosaic tiling, all lit by designer lights, Barone said.
Mechanical systems will include air conditioning and a heat recovery ventilation system, and luxuries such as in-floor radiant heating.
Some templates, such as the 7,590-square-foot ‘Empress’, will have one feature that’s growing in popularity in higher-end homes: a three-floor elevator.
That model also has a prep or wok kitchen with a walk-in pantry that accesses a formal dining room, he said. The large main kitchen will have three-inch thick granite countertops with mosaic tile backsplashes, Kohler plumbing fixtures, an integrated dishwasher and custom maple cabinets.
On the exterior of the Empress, buyers can have a stone veneer contrasted by tongue and groove cedar siding offset by customcoloured acrylic stucco and a 50year asphalt roof. The plan also includes a three-car garage with glass panels.
“Anmore is a place where people like to spend a lot of time outdoors so we will provide covered outdoor kitchens with barbecues, and patio heaters to warm up seating areas,” he said. The builder will even provide a flat-screen television outside with advanced sound systems throughout the home.
Reflecting the latest developments in technology, homeowners will also have the benefit of a climate-control system, security with high-resolution video cameras, and even power blinds, all controlled by smartphones.
The village of Anmore has a general store, a village hall and an elementary school that serves about 165 pupils from kindergarten to Grade 5.
One of the area’s prize assets is an extensive network of trails threaded throughout the subdivision and connecting with longer hike trails around the popular Buntzen Lake.