Perfect Timing for Duplex Dream

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SECTION H
RECREATION & INVESTMENT PROPERTIES
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EDITOR: BARB LIVINGSTONE 403-235-7339 BLIVINGSTONE@CALGARYHERALD.COM
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2011
Gavin Young, Calgary Herald
Jacqueline LaCasse and Ryan Hoover with their infant son in the kitchen of their new duplex in Altadore. The home was designed and built by Niro Developments.
Perfect timing
for duplex dream
Baby arrives just before couple
moves into inner-city Altadore home
ANDREA COX
CALGARY HERALD
F
or Ryan Hoover and Jacqueline LaCasse, life couldn’t
be more perfect.
With a brand-new baby and
a new duplex home, this young
couple is off to a fast-paced start.
It wasn’t all an easy sail, though.
“We had everything timed perfectly,” says LaCasse.
“The house was scheduled to
be completed in mid-September,
giving us six weeks to get organized and moved in before the
baby was born.”
But their baby boy arrived
seven weeks early. “Thank goodness, the house was finished
a week before schedule,” says
Hoover.
The couple had been living
in a 600-square-foot condo in a
heritage building close to 17th
Avenue and 8th Street S.W.
SEE DUPLEX, PAGE H2
CONDO OF THE WEEK H6 N CONDO LISTINGS H13
ONLINE:
INSIDE:
NEXT WEEK:
Whether it be the downtown lifestyle or
an affordable condo in the suburbs, let us
help you find your dream home with everything from photo galleries to our Condo
Xtra and Inside magazines. Visit
our website at www.calgaryherald.com/homes
Is columnist Richard White the only
one who’s wondering if the Beltline
boom is back? It seems like every week
since August, he has been getting e-mails
about condo projects resurfacing or being
launched in the trendy inner-city area. See page H9.
Everyone wants to live in their own
exclusive enclave where they can enjoy
a cosy refuge from the world. Something
of that dream has been realized at the
Enclave at Castle Keep by Avi Urban in
Calgary. Read about it next Saturday.
Online
Inside
Next Week
Developers buckle up for Beltline
Is the boom back within downtown area?
I
can’t be the only one wondering if
the Beltline boom is back?
It seems like every week since
August, I have been getting e-mails
about Beltline condo projects resurfacing, or new projects being
planned.
The Beltline is Calgary’s most populous community, with 18,341 people
as of 2009 calling it home.
It extends all the way from the
Elbow River on the east to 14th
Street on the west, and from 17th
Avenue on the south to the railway
tracks.
In reality, it is probably more like
three separate urban villages.
The old Victoria Park is Beltline
East, which is the area east of 2nd
Street S.W.; the Lower Mount Royal
is Beltline Central, which would be
from about 4th Street to 8th Street
between 17th and 13th Avenues; and
the old Connaught community is
Beltline West, which is from 8th
Street west.
Each of these communities has its
own charm — and as a result, its own
distinct market base.
The other projects I have been
reading about are the resurfacing of
developments that were put on hold
when the international financial
crisis first hit in late 2007 (let’s hope
history isn’t repeating itself just three
years later).
Lower Mount Royal
(Beltline Central)
First, it was Calla, Qualex-Landmark’s new condos on the edge of the
Lougheed House park and gardens in
the heart of the Beltline.
This is a new project by QualexLandmark, which perhaps has the
largest commitment in the Beltline of
any condo developer.
RICHARD
26
WHITE
nor. While this is its first condo project in Calgary, it does have another
site in the west end of downtown
(the area I would like to rename Mewata).
It is a major international developer. The site of Drake is also tucked
away off the busy corridors of 11th,
12th and 17th Avenues or the Macleod
Trail corridors, where most of the
condo developments have been happening.
The fact that both Qualex-Landmark and Grosvenor, which are
experienced and sophisticated developers, have looked at the Calgary
condo market — and, more specifically, the Beltline’s Lower Mount
Royal market — and determined
there is a strong demand for more
condos is a strong testimonial to
continued health and well-being of
the city's downtown.
Calgary Herald Archive
An artist’s rendering of Calla, left, near the historic Lougheed House, right.
some reason, they seem like giant
Cove Properties is an established
chessmen — two bishops and two
Beltline condo developer that is
castles.
responsible for Sasso and Vetro, the
This project will add many more
twin cousins to the south of Nuera
condo units to the Beltline.
and Alura.
Personally, I like the futuristic
architecture of all four condos; for
SEE WHITE, PAGE H10
Victoria Park
(Beltline East)
Balboa Land Developments Inc.
has dusted off its plans for a second
residential tower at its Keynote development, which is at the corner of
11th Avenue and first St. S.E.
Balboa is one of Calgary’s leading
developers and if anyone understands the boom/bust Calgary market, it is these guys.
The company has dusted off its
plans for a 29-storey condo with 250
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and 30 yr amortization. Condo fees and taxes included. Individual suites may vary.
URBAN LIVING AT SUBURBAN PRICES
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Sales Centre Hours:
Mon.-Thurs. 2-7 pm
Sat. & Sun. 12-5 pm
Closed Fridays
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For more information on these or other great Cove projects visit us at
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Phone: 403.453.1797
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Sales Centre Hours:
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Fri.-Sun. 12-5 pm
www.coveproperties.ca
FOUNDATION I STRENGTH I HISTORY
CALCH064459_1_1
H2
NEW CONDOS
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Andrea Cox,
Calgary Herald
Breaking news at calgaryherald.com
UP AND COMING
The view from
the upstairs
bedroom of
the duplex in
Altadore near
downtown.
Altadore is an eclectic, vibrant and up and coming
neighbourhood in Calgary’s southwest.
Established in 1945, it is bordered by the Elbow
River and River Park to the south east and by 14th
Street on the east and Crowchild Trail on the west.
A myriad of coffee shops, mom and pop retailers,
and restaurants line the neighbourhood, making it
very walkable.
In 2006, the neighbourhood had a population of
8,175.
FROM PAGE H1
DUPLEX:
‘Growing
family’
“I was a little nervous moving
out of the (downtown) core,”
says LaCasse.
But 600 square feet just wasn’t
going to cut it with a new baby
and a dog. “We needed something that was going to work
for our growing family,” says
Hoover.
The couple wanted to stay as
close to downtown as possible;
LaCasse works downtown as a
lawyer and Hoover has a chiropractic clinic in Altadore. With
the help of Hoover’s friend,
Vince Niro, who owns Niro Developments — a niche inner-city
builder — the couple settled on
Altadore for their new home.
Although land in Altadore is
at a premium and very sought
after — seemingly every second
home is either under construction or is a new build — Hoover
and Niro were able to find two
side-by-side lots.
“Our advantage was that the
lots were being sold together,”
says Hoover. “We were only bidding against one other couple.”
It is tough to find a lot in this
area for a fair price right now, he
says. “Owners are definitely in
the driver’s seat.”
Hoover and LaCasse’s neighbour, Mohammed Nasser, would
know.
He lives three doors down in
one of the two original bungalows left on the street. He has
watched the area morph and
grow into an urban village that
encompasses a variety of home
vintages.
“I used to own their house,”
he says, referring to Hoover and
LaCasse. “I bought it in 1969 for
$18,300 and sold it in 1975 for
$35,000.”
Hoover and Niro purchased
the lot and bungalow for
$525,000 in the fall of 2010.
“Altadore is a great location,
close to stores and restaurants,”
says Niro, adding that the market is strong in Calgary, fuelling
big inner-city demand.
“The biggest thing about the
market right now is that most
people don’t want to bridge their
mortgages,” he says. “They are
buying, but they are playing it
smart and safe.”
The vision was to create a
duplex on the 50-foot by 124-foot
lot — one that would take advantage of the downtown views.
Hoover and LaCasse would
own the east home and lot, while
the west home would be sold.
Niro designed a two-storey
duplex consisting of a couple
of 2,000-square-foot homes,
replacing the vintage 1952 bungalow that had fallen into “a sad
state of repair,” he says.
Photos, Gavin Young,
Calgary Herald
Above, Ryan
Hoover and
Jacqueline
LaCasse’s new
home is on the
right side of this
duplex. Left,
the great room
includes a fireplace, cabinets
and large
windows to
let in the
surrounding
views.
SEE FINISHES, PAGE H4
Deck
Living/Dining
12’ x 15’4”
King
Bedroom
10’ x 11’
Tech
WTC
Linen
Kitchen
9’ x 9’6”
Pantry
W/D
Storage
Bridgeland
CHBA - Calgary Region
Downtown
2008
CALCH064440_1_1
H4
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Breaking news at calgaryherald.com
NEW CONDOS
LOVE OF DESIGN
Niro Developments has been building custom single-family and multi-family homes in
Calgary’s inner city for more than two years.
Owner and president Vince Niro and his wife,
Chantelle, are enamoured with the design
process.
Vince started in the homebuilding industry
as a framer at age 15 and then earned a degree
in construction management from SAIT, as
well as a degree in business from Mount Royal
University.
The company is currently building in Altadore, West Hillhurst, Parkdale and Killarney.
For more information, visit the website at
www.nirodevelopments.ca
— Andrea Cox
Here, we have a little neighbourhood, so you can walk and grab coffee. There is really
no need for me to complicate my life and go out of the area.
JACQUELINE LACASSE
THE
BUYERS
Gavin Young, Calgary Herald
Dark-stained wood in the cabinets and flooring contrast with the countertops in the kitchen of the duplex home.
FROM PAGE H2
FINISHES: Skylight
“The home had been a
rental for many years and
wasn’t maintained,” says Niro,
adding that even businesses
that buy such homes and
then move them on to other
properties, or
recycle their
components,
CALGARYHERALD.
didn’t want it.
“We try to do
that with all of
our projects,
but in this case,
it just couldn’t
HOMES
happen.”
Instead, Niro
NVisit our website
brought in varifor more photos.
ous groups to
salvage and
recycle what
they could —
everything
from kitchen
cabinets to furnaces and hot
water heaters.
Both homes have mirror
three-bedroom floor plans,
but are differentiated by the
interior finishes.
“I really needed this to feel
C M
/
like home,” says LaCasse, who
brought in the expertise of
Peridot on 11th Avenue
to help her with paint
colours, furniture and finishes. “I knew that I wanted
a rock fireplace and lighter
finishes.”
The couple also added a
skylight in the stairwell, along
with an open-glass, nine-foot
front door, to brighten up the
interior. The home’s open
design is quite functional. A
main floor office can double
as a dining room.
Downstairs in-slab heating and a guest bedroom and
bathroom make having overnight guests a snap.
“The floor plan squeezes
out as much space as possible to live,” says Hoover. A
large back deck and a two-car
detached garage complete the home.
“I am still adjusting to
having all of this space
and to being out of the
core,” says LaCasse.
But she says it is all
good. “Here, we have
Jacqueline LaCasse, a lawyer
with a downtown
law practice, and
Ryan Hoover, a
chiropractor with
a clinic in Altadore.
BACKGROUND:
The young couple
was living downtown in a trendy
600-square-foot
condominium in a
heritage building
close to 17th Ave
and 8th Street S.W.
With a baby on the
way, they needed
more space for
their growing family. They bought a
2,000-square-foot
duplex with city
views in Altadore.
BUILDER/DEVELOPER: Niro Developments.
PRICE: The adjoining duplex is for
sale and is selling
for $879,900.
LOCATION: 2024
37th Avenue S.W.
HOURS: The show
home is open
weekends 1 p.m. to
4 p.m.
Andrea Cox, Calgary Herald
Vince Niro of Niro Developments outside the show home.
a little neighbourhood, so
mapped out the running disyou can walk and grab coffee.
tance — it’s six kilometres.
There is really no need for me
That is what I am aiming for,
to complicate my life and go
but you never know,” she says,
out of the area.
laughing.
“We’ll see what it is like
when I go back to work. I’ve
ACOX@CALGARYHERALD.COM
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Gavin Young, Calgary Herald
The cosy bedroom of the couple’s baby.