Creekside Estates in Hope boasts prairie styling mixed with a modern West Coast feel

Kathleen Freimond
The Vancouver Sun

Creekside Estates

Project address: 63650 Flood Hope Road, Hope

Developer: RDG Management Ltd.

Architect: Cutstone Home Designs

Interior designer: Creative Design Works

Project size: 30 single family homes

Bedrooms: two and three

Unit size: 1,453 to 1,967 square feet

Price: From $369,900

Sales centre: 63650 Flood Hope Road

Sales centre hours: Thursday to Sunday, noon – 5 pm

Phone: 604-750-0281

Website: creeksideliving.ca

When Ignacio Lara-Faure, owner and lead architectural designer for Cutstone Home Designs, was creating his vision for Creekside Estates in Hope, he turned to the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous Prairie style for inspiration.

While Lara-Faure says he couldn’t use the flat roofs often associated with that architecture because of the area’s snow and rainfall, he believes the designs for the 30-home subdivision on Flood Hope Road present a unique and modern take on the style.

“It’s something different, something a little more unique than the same-old same-old that keeps going up in row housing,” he says.

Panelling and shakes on the front elevations add some warmth and a West Coast feel, Lara-Faure adds.

On the exterior, all 30 houses have similar finishes to present a cohesive look for the subdivision. The materials on the front elevations – Hardie siding and panel with vinyl shakes – is easy to clean and maintain, he says.

“The homes all have the same size and style front door and same garage door and windows. Each detail, whether it’s the trim board around the windows or the shake in the front boxes, they’re all similar,” he says. “[But] they look different because of the different shape of the homes.”

The homes have cedar-fenced rear yards and buyers can look forward to professionally landscaped front and backyards.

The two- and three-bedroom homes are on lots of about 4,000 square feet and buyers can choose from four floor plans, including a rancher and two-storey options ranging in size from 1,453 to 1,967 square feet.

The show home at 63650 Flood Hope Road is the Fraser plan and has three bedrooms, den, a flex space and two-and-a-half bathrooms. The Hope plan, at 1,771 square feet, has an additional 512 square feet of unfinished space. John Rempel, president of Creekside Estates’ developer RDG Management, says this space has a roughed in bathroom and could be finished as a convenient in-law suite or be used as a rec/TV room.

Only one of the plans — the Thompson — has an upstairs master bedroom, Rempel says. The placement of the master ensuite on the main floor in three of the four floor plans takes into account the target market for the homes, which are expected to be popular among downsizers.

“[Creekside Estates] is oriented to the move-down buyer – someone who wants a nice affordable home. They can sell their existing home, move here and put some money in their pocket. It’s fairly central without being too expensive,” he says, referring to the starting price of $369,900.

Buyers can choose from two colour palettes: grey and taupe. The Fraser plan show home features the grey scheme with its white Shaker-style cabinetry and Bianco Snow quartz countertops in the kitchen. The same quartz tops the island, which houses a Whirlpool dishwasher and a stainless steel double-bowl sink and a contemporary Grohe faucet with a pullout spray. The full-height backsplash of stacked four-by-16-inch ceramic tiles has an eye-catching accent band of contrasting tiles.

The built-in Panasonic microwave and wall-mounted stainless steel canopy hood fan are standard features, but buyers can choose their own range and other major appliances as optional extras.

“Some people like a dual-fuel range with a gas cooktop and electric oven, others like all gas or all electric, this way they can choose whichever appliance they prefer,” Rempel says.

The 7.5-inch wide-plank laminate floor runs throughout the living areas, including the kitchen, while a neutral carpet is soft underfoot in the bedrooms. Nine-foot-high ceilings on the main level make the open-plan space feel light and airy, Rempel adds.

Other interior features include double-glazed white vinyl-frame windows, five-inch baseboards, wood casings on all doors and closets and light fixtures with chrome/satin nickel finishes.

In the living room, a Napoleon gas fireplace with modern ceramic tile surround and a stained wood mantel anchors the space.

The ensuite bathrooms have a spa-like ambience says interior designer Mae Suffron of Creative DesignWorks.

“We chose a large-format 12-by 24-inch porcelain tile for the floor and walls for a consistent feel. It looks like marble but is more durable [than marble] in terms of maintenance,” she says.

Like the kitchen, Grohe is the faucet of choice in the bathroom where the modern, polished chrome Eurosmart Cosmopolitan fittings add a contemporary flair to the space. The ensuite bathroom in the show house includes a shower with semi-frameless glass enclosure and double sinks with a floating mirror while the second bathroom has a soaker tub.

Downtown Hope, with its artisan shops, grocery stores, pubs and restaurants, is less than a five-minute drive from Creekside Estates, says Rempel, who also notes the easy access to Highway 1. Chilliwack is a 25-minute drive, while getting to Abbotsford takes just a little longer.

Hope is also conveniently located to the many natural attractions in the area, including several provincial parks, walking and hiking trails, and golfers can tee off at the par 72 Hope Golf and Country Club.

Several homes in Creekside Estates are currently under construction, says Rempel, with the first homeowners scheduled to move in at the end of June.

The show home is open from noon to 5 p.m. from Thursday to Sunday.

Creekside Estates

Project address: 63650 Flood Hope Road, Hope

Developer: RDG Management Ltd.

Architect: Cutstone Home Designs

Interior designer: Creative DesignWorks

Project size: 30 single-family homes

Bedrooms: two and three

Unit size: 1,453 to 1,967 square feet

Price: From $369,900

Sales centre: 63650 Flood Hope Road

Sales centre hours: Thursday to Sunday, noon – 5 p.m.

Phone: 604-750-0281

Website: creeksideliving.ca

© 2017 Postmedia Network Inc.

Pelican Cove the latest offering at Aquilini?s master-planned Tsawwassen Shores

Simon Briault
The Vancouver Sun

Pelican Cove at Tsawwassen Shores

Project location: 1875 Tsawwassen Drive

Project size: 42 townhomes and 20 duplexes; two to four bedrooms; homes range in size from 1,270 to 1,700 square feet and prices start at $599,900.

Developer: Aquilini

Interior designer: First Impression Designs

Architect: Rositch Hemphill Architects

Hours: noon — 5 p.m., Sat — Thurs 

Sales phone: 604-943-6677

Website: tsawwassenshores.com

With homes starting at under $600,000 in an established, master-planned community, the people behind Pelican Cove in Tsawwassen are confident about the value of their offering: 42 townhomes and 20 duplexes at Tsawwassen Shores.

“I think the value and the quality of the homes is unprecedented,” said Kevin Hoffman, president of Aquilini, the developers of the project. “I would challenge anyone to find a better deal in the market. We’re only 25 minutes drive into Vancouver, there’s easy access to the airport and the ferry is only five minutes away, so it really is a great location.”

“We have a number of two-level townhouses, as well as the more typical three-level versions,” Hoffman added. “And I really think the price is very attractive. This is a leasehold development and that creates big savings, especially when you consider that there’s no GST to pay either.”

Pelican Cove is Aquilini’s fifth project in the master-planned community of Tsawwassen Shores, a 270-acre site within walking distance of the ocean, nature trails, a two-kilometre boardwalk, and the new Tsawwassen Commons and Tsawwassen Mills shopping malls. As a result, shops and stores within striking distance include Aritzia, Saks off 5th, Lululemon, Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart, Canadian Tire, Pet Smart and Rona. Local dining options include Milestones, Nando’s and Boston Pizza.

“The main appeal of Pelican Cove is the location,” said Hoffman. “This is one of the last large waterfront communities available for development and that makes it pretty unique. It’s also close to a whole range of amenities. We have the Tsawwassen Springs golf course directly across Highway 17 and the boardwalk really is an amazing place to be. It’s a nesting ground for a lot of migrating birds, so the birdwatching is phenomenal.”

Hoffman said Pelican Cove has attracted interest from all kinds of buyers from all kinds of places.

“It’s a great entry point into the market for a lot of young families and it’s also very attractive for downsizers who are selling their homes and putting some cash in their pockets for retirement or travel,” he added. “Single-family homes have just become unaffordable for a lot of people. Townhouses are a great alternative because you’ve got a garage and your own front door. That’s different from a condo, where you might have a locker in a basement somewhere and perhaps an underground parkade.”

At Pelican Cove, the developers have gone for contemporary West Coast design by Rositch Hemphill Architects. The homes have two to four bedrooms and range in size from 1,270 to 1,700 square feet. Buyers will get an insulated tandem or double-car garage and a professionally landscaped yard. There are also built-in gas connections on the decks ready for a barbecue, outdoor fireplace or heater.

Indoors, there are nine-foot-high ceilings, laminate wood floors in the main living areas and full-sized front-loading washers and dryers. Homes are roughed-in for security and central vacuum systems; there are fire sprinklers and smoke/CO2 detectors on all floors and heating is provided with energy-efficient forced air. Telephone and cable TV outlets are available in all bedrooms and dens, with rooms wired for high-speed Internet. The developers are also throwing in complimentary one-year subscriptions to TELUS services, including TELUS Optik TV, PVR rental, and TELUS high-speed Internet.

“We’ve been getting rave reviews about the kitchens from people who are looking at these homes or who have purchased already,” said Hoffman. “They’ve been a huge selling point for us.”

They feature Shaker-style or flat-panel cabinet doors and quartz countertops with stainless steel, double-bowl under-mounted kitchen sinks. There’s under-cabinet lighting with pendant lighting at the eating bars or islands. The appliance packages are stainless steel and include fridges, slide-in gas stoves, dishwashers, built-in microwaves and canopy-style hood fans.

Bathrooms have contemporary tile and tempered-glass shower enclosures with chrome finishes. There are bevelled mirrors in all bathrooms, with oversized mirrors in all ensuites and quartz countertops in the master ensuites, second bathrooms and main floor powder rooms.

Pressed to name three key selling points for Pelican Cove, Hoffman picks the value, the quality of the homes and the location.

“The fact that it’s so close to the ocean and at the same time so close to a whole range of amenities is what makes it so special,” he said. “We now have an established waterfront Tsawwassen Shores community. In the early days, that was hard to sell because it was a big field. But there’s lots of activity now, not only on our site, but with the other developers too. People can see now that this community is really well established.”

The Pelican Cove sales centre, located at 1875 Tsawwassen Drive (take the last right before the ferry terminal), is open between noon and 5 p.m. every day except Friday.

© 2017 Postmedia Network Inc.