Mike Selinger, vice-president of sales and marketing at Cardel Homes, led his team on a mission to make beautiful homes Calgarians could afford within the limits of increasing land prices. What can you offer the consumer looking for more than a condominium or townhouse, but can’t buy into the current single-family market? What Cardel Homes came up with are creative designs that will forever change perception of what “semi-detached” means in homebuying, with the two new models in Chaparral Valley.

“They’re larger and upgraded beyond what we researched for an average semi-detached in Calgary,” says Selinger, noting most semi-detached properties on the market seemed more like the average apartment than house in terms of style and floor plans.

“Architecturally and character-wise, these houses are very exciting,” he says, adding they took inspiration from the nearby 18- and six-hole golf course in the community. They envisioned the homeowner who would appreciate being able to shoot a quick game of golf after work, close to a home they felt proud of with a low- maintenance lifestyle and no condo fees.

Introduced in July 2008, both homes are two-storey, three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom plans with double detached garages. Conscientious planning led to clever solutions in construction and layout to maximize privacy from the other property. The shared wall has an upgraded Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating of 65. In the back yard, the deck is partially inset and blocked from view of the other property. 

The money saved in reducing land costs allows for a larger home. Both the Bexley, at 1,521 square-feet, and the larger 1,615-square-foot Soho include the kind of touches you’d expect in high-end designs. “It allows you to get the same benefits of a single family home in terms of size and style,” says Selinger. Standard nine-foot ceilings on the main floor, kitchen islands and dining nooks, a fireplace in the great room, high-efficiency furnace and hot water heaters, walk-in closets in each bedroom and a master en-suite bathroom show that these are homes with comfort and beauty in mind.

Then there are unexpected touches such as larger, high-placed windows in the great room and basement to lighten spaces naturally; oak, maple, or lacquered trims on window jambs to match woodwork in the kitchen and bathroom cabinetry; wide staircases to the upper level; second-floor laundry rooms; and a flex/tech room for a home office or computer station at the front entrance.

Homeowners will work with professional designers at the Cardel Design Centre to select colour schemes, finishes, cabinet design and individual choices like built-in wine racks. A new promotion offers a 20 per cent discount on all Design Centre upgrades such as granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances.

The unfinished basement can also be custom developed to meet a homeowners’ individual needs. Outside, the front of the home has numerous upgrades such as front yard landscaping, extensive use of cultured stone and upgraded dark tone vinyl siding and sandlewood tinted window frames as well as a large, covered veranda. Cardel’s area manager Mark Endruhn also points to the “really well-built garage,” a double detached model included along with a full foundation. “It’s the semi-unit of the future,” adds Selinger.

The price for the Bexley is $356,900 and $366,900 for the Soho and includes the lot and GST. It’s a winning combination of size, style, and price all in the natural setting of the Bow River Valley with walking access to the Fish Creek Park and its pathway network. It’s all part of Cardel’s philosophy of building homes they’re proud to call their own—and it’s just the home you could be proud to call your own. CL