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Ottawa-Gatineau New Home Design of the Month ReviewPinecrest Enclave by Olympia Homes
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The Magnolia Ultra : Front Elevation Source: Olympia |
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The Magnolia Ultra : Floor Plan Source: Olympia |
Only a mere handful of Ottawa home builders possess that affinity for a landscape or streetscape which inspires their imagination to envisage a haven at the sight of an undeveloped parcel of land. It might be a derelict infill or a row of dilapidated old houses that need tearing down to be replaced by much better ones. The creative instincts of a home builder like Olympia Homes and a uniquely imaginative architect can turn ordinary raw land into something extraordinary - an exclusive little community of the type that inspires happiness not only in the beholder but in the hearts and minds of those fortunate enough to live there.
Pinecrest Enclave is such an exclusive row of finely designed and custom built homes that provide their owners with a luxurious base for a superior quality of life. Well-designed enclaves create an aesthetic environment that is pleasing to live in and satisfying to admire when returning home.
Take a look at the fine details featured in the single detached 2-storey home named the Alpha Luxury, and the two semi-detached homes that fit neatly together with their choice of a one-car or a two-car garage. Architect David Blakely has been dedicated to designing elegant features in exclusive residential enclaves for thirty years.
The phenomenon of rare and well-designed custom homes in well-conceived enclaves is emphasized and elaborated on by specialist housing author Alain de Botton in his recent book The Architecture of Happiness. A point he repeatedly makes is that an artistically planned home is not merely a utilitarian "machine for living in", but a powerful everyday psychological influence on the home-owners' attitude towards life. Just as we influence our own home, so it influences us.
In societies where life has become routine and even predictable, some discriminating individuals who are only satisfied with the best, have a hunger to escape from the mundane and pursue the type of architecture that embodies qualities we identify as something beautiful. It is a quality we find lacking in most contemporary suburban communities.
Architectural aesthetics and styling play an important role in enhancing our lifestyle, in addition to mere utility. The harmonious balance between aesthetics and convenience is what the architect aspires to and Olympia Homes builds with the new owners' happiness in mind.
Olympia Homes presents three luxury custom-built home designs on a new infill of five lots at the northern end of Pinecrest Road, with easy access to west and east by way of Richmond Road, Carling Avenue or Highway 417, which are conveniently close by.
* Plus the bonus of a finished basement in each house.
All three designs include a full brick facade with special features like elegant soldier courses around windows and pre-cast masonry sills.
The Olympia and the Magnolia Ultra are built side by side, but their integrated design creates an appearance of one large detached home with a one-car garage for the Olympia and a two-car garage for the Magnolia Ultra. The Alpha Luxury possesses a single car garage.
The choice between those three distinguished new homes will depend on whether a buyer is searching for a luxury single or a luxury semi, and how much he or she wishes to pay.
Each home features 9ft high ceilings in rooms on the main level, and a finished basement which adds to the total finished square footage of the houses. An optional additional bathroom in the basement can be provided as an extra.
Due to the imaginative and impeccable layout of each floor plan, architect David Blakely has managed to provide unusually spacious rooms. The length of the adjoining living and dining rooms in the Alpha Luxury is approximately 28ft into the bay window. The sunken Great Room with fireplace is approximately 14ft x 14ft.
This luxury detached home includes an open kitchen with a breakfast room and also a convenient snack counter. Other appointments are a main floor laundry and a mudroom. The master bedroom upstairs is almost 20ft wide by 16'6", with a walk-in closet, a luxury en-suite bathroom featuring a corner Roman Tub, a separate toilet and a double sink. It has 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. Bedroom 2 features a cathedral ceiling.
The Magnolia is the larger of the two luxury semis. It features a 2-car garage, over which its roof-line, fascia and soffit extend to embrace the adjoining single garage of the Olympia Luxury semi which is its neighbour. Each of the coupled homes is dynamically characterized by its own Palladian window and a gable end at the upper level, so that both elevations blend harmoniously.
The larger of the two semi-detached homes features a curvaceous staircase, a large living/dining room, a spacious family room with a gas fire, and an open kitchen with an adjoining breakfast room. Upstairs is a large master bedroom with walk-in closet and an en-suite bathroom with Roman Tub and twin sinks. This distinctive 3-bedroom home includes a cathedral ceiling and a second walk-in closet in Bedroom 2.
The Olympia is the slightly smaller of the two. It too features a curved staircase. It also possesses a sizeable separate dining room that is over 13ft long, and a living room of almost 23ft.
Choosing only one of these homes for a design award for excellence is difficult when all are designed by the same fine architect... since they are all excellent! There is only one luxurious detached 2-storey home and four luxury semi-detached homes in Pinecrest Enclave, so numbers are limited. This may make it far easier for prospective purchasers to choose, since they will already know whether they want a detached home or a semi, and how much they are willing to budget.
We, however, were obliged to choose only one winner for our HomesExplorer ™ Design Award for excellence, and finally selected the Magnolia Ultra, chiefly because is also includes a convenient double garage. However, the thought did not escape us that there is ample room in all five driveways to accommodate a second vehicle.
Check availability with the builder - Contact Olympia
Check availability with the builder - Contact Olympia
Check availability with the builder - Contact Olympia
No reproduction whatsoever is permitted, in any form, without permission. All dimensions, prices, materials and other specifications are based on the most accurate information available at the time of collection. They should be considered approximate and subject to change without notice. E&OE. |
Why buy an Ottawa new home from an Ottawa home builder, rather than a Resale
:
FAVORABLE PRICING
Competition among Ottawa home builder's makes new homes less likely to to overpriced. Ottawa New homes are easy to compare with others in the market equating apples to apples. The homes are the same age and options are declared up front with a breakdown of prices for comparative shopping.
NEW HOME WARRANTIES
Ottawa New home buyers are assured of a warranty on the home itself and on major appliances, including air conditioning and heating systems. Today's Ottawa home builder's extend the Tarion warrenty, which includes structural elements.
HOMESITE SELECTION
Location, location, location. Being able to select just the right new home community and lot is almost as important as choosing the right home for your life-style. Ottawa home builders offer a wide selection of lots including golf course locations, waterfront, rural, estate lots and more.
LATEST MATERIALS
Low maintenance is one of the most important features of new homes being built today in Ottawa. New technologies and building materials are virtually maintenance free, especially on the exterior. Homeowners no longer have to worry about painting every 3 to 5 years.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
A new home built today is required by law to meet stricter energy codes than homes built in the past, when codes either didn't exist or were much more lenient. Many Ottawa home builder's use materials that are designed to exceed the strict limits to produce future savings for home owners.
COMPATIBLE NEIGHBORS
In most new Ottawa communities buyers will be moving in with neighbors that, in general, have similar circumstances. In older communities, new-comers may have more difficulty fitting-in to the already established social setting.
SIMPLIFIED FINANCING
Securing financing is the major obstacle to home ownership. Most Ottawa home builder's have done the leg work for you. They have researched the best rates for their specific type of Housing, with established lenders that know the products.
Why buy an Ottawa new home from an Ottawa home builder, rather than a Resale
:
FAVORABLE PRICING
Competition among Ottawa home builder's makes new homes less likely to to overpriced. Ottawa New homes are easy to compare with others in the market equating apples to apples. The homes are the same age and options are declared up front with a breakdown of prices for comparative shopping.
NEW HOME WARRANTIES
Ottawa New home buyers are assured of a warranty on the home itself and on major appliances, including air conditioning and heating systems. Today's Ottawa home builder's extend the Tarion warrenty, which includes structural elements.
HOMESITE SELECTION
Location, location, location. Being able to select just the right new home community and lot is almost as important as choosing the right home for your life-style. Ottawa home builders offer a wide selection of lots including golf course locations, waterfront, rural, estate lots and more.
LATEST MATERIALS
Low maintenance is one of the most important features of new homes being built today in Ottawa. New technologies and building materials are virtually maintenance free, especially on the exterior. Homeowners no longer have to worry about painting every 3 to 5 years.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
A new home built today is required by law to meet stricter energy codes than homes built in the past, when codes either didn't exist or were much more lenient. Many Ottawa home builder's use materials that are designed to exceed the strict limits to produce future savings for home owners.
COMPATIBLE NEIGHBORS
In most new Ottawa communities buyers will be moving in with neighbors that, in general, have similar circumstances. In older communities, new-comers may have more difficulty fitting-in to the already established social setting.
SIMPLIFIED FINANCING
Securing financing is the major obstacle to home ownership. Most Ottawa home builder's have done the leg work for you. They have researched the best rates for their specific type of Housing, with established lenders that know the products.
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