Downsizing to New Homes in Ottawa

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Those realtors were right about projecting demographic trends - the greying of Canada has influenced life-styles and caused a shift in housing market trends. But they were unable to predict the historic drop in the bank rate that triggered the massive exodus by tenants to their own homes, now that they could afford to buy, and the thriving move-up market. So, while boomers are moving into smaller, more manageable homes, their older ones are being snapped up as soon as they enter the market. One of the first developers to open up their sales centre downtown this year was Claridge in LeBreton Flats. Phase 1 includes about 120 new low-rise apartments scheduled to be ready for occupancy from the Fall of 2007. And Uniform Developments have opened their new MacKay House downtown too - just off Sussex Drive. A large proportion of Ottawa residents have already begun to reach that certain age when their families have left home and there's no rational reason for continuing to live in a large house with empty rooms to heat, when a smaller one would be more comfortable and practical. And developers have been quick to provide a remarkable range of well-designed apartment buildings to suit their needs - from smaller "boutique" apartments downtown like Ashcroft's Opus to larger luxurious ones like Urbandale's Riverside South. It's no accident that many of the new high, medium and low-rise apartment buildings are either in the core or close to downtown Ottawa neighbourhoods, because it means less need to use the car and there are far more amenities. But the choice is far wider than settling for an apartment. In fact, the culture shock of moving straight from a huge family house on a large lot to a multi-family building of much smaller apartments into which your furniture doesn't fit can be frustrating and sometimes discouraging. So perhaps, rather than a condo apartment, moving into a bungalow is preferable After all, the purpose of downsizing is not to sacrifice comfort or preference, but to avoid the high cost and hard work of maintaining a property that may have already served its purpose, which was to provide a home in which the kids could be raised. A considerable number of boomers have recognized this, and already chosen to buy a bungalow instead of a condo apartment. Practically speaking, a well-designed bungalow can easily be viewed as an "apartment" but with exclusive use, built on its own piece of land. And, depending on whether one chooses to finish the basement, or select a design featuring an upstairs space in a loft (for when the kids or grand-kids visit) - it can be regarded almost like a one-floor suite or a 2-storey penthouse with a private garden. It's all a matter of perception and personalized interior decoration. If a 1,000 Sq Ft apartment seems far too small after living in a 3,000 Sq Ft house, there are plenty of available bungalow designs that are just that much bigger - so fitting in one's furniture need not be such a problem after all! For example, we recommended two bungalow designs built by Muirfield Homes and awarded both of them with our HomesExplorer™ 5-Star Design Award. The Charleston is 1,652 Sq Ft., and The Cameron is 1,444 Sq Ft. The bigger bungalow has a 2-car garage, the smaller one an oversize 1-car garage. Other details, including prices, can be studied in the article on our New Homes Review pages as well as through our search system. And now Valecraft Homes have come up with another unusual new design for a bungalow which is 1,800 Sq Ft. It's named The Montebello and they plan to build it on a 44ft wide lot in Bradley Estates. This brand new community is situated in unspoilt rolling hills and gulleys off of Navan Road, south of Blackburn Hamlet. (Features and price can be found by clicking on to our HomesExplorer™ search system in a price category including $334,000). It has a separate dining room with vaulted ceiling and a Home Office with a 9ft ceiling. And a 2-car garage. Bradley Estates is a joint venture of Monarch Homes and Valecraft Homes. Phoenix Homes has planned a community to open virtually next door. In fact, the range of bungalow designs currently available - both detached and attached - has never been so varied and imaginative. For example, there are designs with rear entry garages from a back lane, by Campale Homes and Tartan Homes, and those built in adult communities. Just as some greying home buyers choose to move closer to the downtown core in order to drive less, some want to get away from the crowds, the noise, the traffic and exhaust fumes. They may decide to move out to the untainted air on the outer fringes of the city - beyond Stittsville in the west, Orleans in the east, Barrhaven in the south-west, or Leitrim in the south. Custom homes builder Metric Homes is building bigger ranch-style bungalows with walk-out basements on 2-acre lots in Arbourbrook, between Stittsville and Carp. In Phoenix Ridge south-west of Ottawa in Manotick, Phoenix Homes sells 2-acre Estate Lots. Due south Tamarack Homes and Tartan Homes build more modest homes in the community of Findlay Creek off Bank Street South & Leitrim. And east of Orleans in Camelot Estates, Tamarack Homes build luxury homes on 2-acre Estate Lots. All present opportunities to get away from it all - now that one no longer has to be close to downtown to work. If you have already decided to downsize, another option is to simply find a smaller townhouse or apartment in the same area you already live in and have felt comfortable in for years. It's the neighbourhood in which you've already made friends, after all. If you live in Ottawa West, for example, there are still a few apartment and townhome possibilities in Ashcroft's Central Park near Merivale & Baseline. Or, across the other side of Baseline, tucked away in a small cul-de-sac, there's a new Larco enclave of semi-detached homes called Encore. Their prices start in the low $300,000s. You can find more about Larco in our article on Smaller Home Builders. If you are seriously looking right now, your timing may be just right for a planned new mixed-use community between Prince of Wales Road and Merivale, on Colonade North. Also by Ashcroft Homes, CitiPlace is intended to combine residential Townhomes, Terrace Homes and Lofts in a cozy little neighbourhood on its own, with commercial space for small local shops and boutiques, cafes and restaurants, pubs and health centres. The convenience for greying baby-boomers is clearly evident. Downsizing is both a science and an art. It involves economics and statistics on one hand, but, for it to work as well as one would wish, downsizers need to be sure to choose the right style of home, because this choice will affect their entire quality of life. And because HomesExplorer™ is so comprehensive and easy to use, it's the ideal tool to help make that choice - for oneself, or when helping parents research what's available for them. At most times we will have analyzed approximately 2,000 different home designs, plus variable features and options, and all the comparables and analyses and conclusions have already been undertaken for you and them.

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