Finding the perfect home that ticks all the boxes on your wish list can seem like a fantasy, but that is precisely what you’ll get with Shane Homes in Hillcrest.
“I always tell people, ‘Hopefully we're your first home, but we're definitely your next home,’” said Jamie Ivey, area manager in Hillcrest. “You get what you want. I find, just by asking the questions, people stay in a Shane home a lot longer because we enable them to modify their plans – there's a lot we can do as long as it fits the lot coverages. If you want to widen your home, extend your home, add a veranda, move the wall, move your mechanical area, add a bedroom, customize your kitchen; elements of the process are customizable.”
Though many Shane Homes buyers will find the exact floorplan that suits their needs, others like to see a modification or two. The builder's Love It or Customize It advantage ensures buyers' dreams are fulfilled. And while "custom home" may have many expecting an out-of-reach cost, Shane Homes takes a different approach.
“Adding square footage is an added cost, but if you want to move walls around in your existing footprint, we don’t charge anything for that,” said Mark Albertin, drafting and design manager, on the Shane Homes website.
“We do multiple change orders, and we don't charge for the change orders,” Ivey said. “That takes the stress away of going, ‘I don't know exactly what I want, but I know I want to buy right now – I want to take advantage of an interest rate, or I want to get that last lot.”
He encouraged buyers to come in with ideas and elements that they like and then work with Shane Homes to create a home that meets their needs and wants.
“You're never going to be 100 per cent with a spec builder. You'll see lots of plans, but you're never going to get 100 per cent of what you want,” Ivey said. “I tell my clients, ‘We will deliver what you want, as long as you get it out of your brain and onto the paper for us.’”
He said buyers are given the opportunity to see which options are available at Kingswood Cabinets, Canyon Plumbing & Heating, Trail Appliances or Cartwright Lighting and Furniture.
“The nice thing that we do is send [homebuyers] to all the appointments. It allows them to move the drawers, move the cabinets or move the appliances,” Ivey said. “They can take two standard packages at zero cost, or they can upgrade. We let them add extra lighting, they can change their appliances with Trail Appliances, so they can go with the gas range or customize it.
“It's a few more appointments, yes, but you get to pick the exact items you want in your home.”
He said buyers appreciate having options, and this allows them to consider upgrades that would be more cost-effective to install before the home is completed.
“If you want to spend $2,000 and have speakers out to the garage, now's the time to do it when you're building a house from scratch. Some things are just cheaper to do when you're doing them with the builder,” Ivey said.
Of course, your dream home wouldn’t be quite right if it wasn’t in a desired community, and that is exactly what you will find in Hillcrest. A family-oriented community in Airdrie’s southwest, Hillcrest offers its residents a simple lifestyle and is conveniently located near all the necessary amenities.
“It's a great community,” Ivey said, adding it is within minutes of 10 schools, including a new public kindergarten to Grade 7 school on Hillcrest Drive. “That is a huge draw. I strongly feel my next 12 clients are all going to have kids wanting to go to that school. A school in a community still selling new homes? It's pretty unique, most of the time that comes years later.”
You will be welcomed home in Hillcrest by an impressive entrance feature that boasts the same extensive landscaping found throughout the community and an architectural style that is primarily traditional, with a strong prairie colour palette.
Situated within walking distance of Cooper's Crossing Promenade, residents have easy access to shopping and restaurants, such as Save-On-Foods, Highlander Wine & Spirits, Shoppers Drug Mart, Little Treasures Inc. daycare, Munchkin Academy preschool, Shell Canada gas station, Ripe Tomato Pizzeria, a coffee shop and dental/medical offices. Hillcrest is close to numerous parks, picnic areas and Nose Creek Park; is a short 10-minute drive to CrossIron Mills mall, Plainsmen Arena and Genesis Place Recreation Centre; and just a 15-minute drive to the Calgary International Airport.
Another draw is the 40 Avenue extension that made accessing the Sierra Springs shopping centre a breeze, allowing hassle-free access to Walmart, numerous dining options, Michaels, London Drugs and much more. If that wasn’t already a ton of convenience, the provincial government has announced another huge benefit for the community.
“The biggest news recently is the $20-million-plus project to create an overpass onto the Queen Elizabeth II Highway right out the back door of Hillcrest on 40 Avenue,” Ivey said. “You get new shopping, you get the 40 Avenue extension, you get an overpass and a school; it created a nice vibe here.”
As a bonus, he said the elevation in Hillcrest – said to include one of the highest points for elevation in Western Canada – offers great views you won’t find in other communities.
Shane Homes’ more than 40 years of experience means the home builder knows the business well and anticipates homeowners’ needs.
“The average lots have about 30- to 35-foot backyards from the house to the garage,” Ivey said. “We don't have any zero-lot-line product in here, so it's still the traditional. There's probably not too many communities out there now that you'll ever see again that won't have zero-lot-line.”
Along with a nice-sized backyard, Shane Homes has provided double-car garages for its homes in Hillcrest.
“Everybody has a minimum 20-by-22 garage, which is plenty for a truck,” Ivey said, adding the laned rear-detached products in Hillcrest all have paved lanes.
Models available in the community include what Ivey called Shane Homes' "go-to plan," the Aries II.
“With just over 1,400 sq. ft., starting in around the $359,000 mark, it's an incredible three-bedroom plan, and very spacious,” he said.
“We have bungalows in here, we'll probably have about eight or 10 of the bungalows built by the time we sell out. That's unique because we do them starting in the mid $300s, so a very nice price point for the downsizers that want to focus on retirement.”
The Vilano is a longer home with three-bedroom and a bonus room upstairs. At 1,624 sq. ft. the model offers a ton of living space, second-floor laundry, an L-shaped kitchen with a spacious walk-in pantry, a front owner's suite with a large walk-in closet and private three-piece ensuite and more.
“And then we go to our Vidora, which is your main floor bedroom,” Ivey said. “In Airdrie, we'll use it a lot as a flexible office: home office, massage therapy, psychologists etc. And then three bedrooms upstairs or you can have an option with a three-bedroom and then a bonus upstairs or four bedrooms upstairs, making it a five-bedroom home.”
For a complete list of models available in Hillcrest, visit shanehomes.com/hillcrest
“With those plans alone, and then modifying them, we can create most things for what the clients want,” Ivey said. “We do a lot of side entrances; most of our staircases are on the side of the home so we can pop a door into the side and then create a second dwelling.”
A Shane Home purchase is sure to delight with its extensive standards package. Desired features such as granite or quartz countertops included in the kitchen and bathrooms, double undermount stainless steel sink and four-by-12-inch subway tile backsplash all come standard, as does the stainless-steel appliance package with a self-cleaning smooth top range, over the range microwave with vented hood fan (as per plan), three-cycle dishwasher and 22.1 cu. ft. fridge with top-mount freezer installed and white side-by-side or stacking front-load washer and dryer (as per plan).
“Standards have all been increased this year,” Ivey said. “We normally lead the way in the standard specification category. We have luxury vinyl plank we're using now for the main floor – living, dining kitchen, mudroom, foyer. It's a little bit more water-resistant and keeps the house nice and warm. Something we add into our lane homes is knockdown ceiling, so I wouldn't call it standard spec, but it's something that I built into the price. Pot lights in the kitchen. We use the wider baseboards, headers over the doors and nine-foot main floors.”
With everything Shane Homes has to offer and its 40-plus year experience of building quality homes, it is no wonder Hillcrest is selling quickly.
“Hurry up, this is your last chance to build in here,” Ivey said. “I just had a couple of people that are renting in the area, and they can see the houses going up. And you know, they have kids going to that school and they know they're not going to have another chance to be in here.”
Shane Homes’ Laned Homes in Hillcrest start in the mid $300s. For more information, visit shanehomes.com/hillcrest
