vol4issue26_homes

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • June 29, 2007

READ ALL THE PIONEER’S REAL ESTATE NEWS AT: www.columbiavalleypioneer.com

HOMESColumbia Valley

By Sandra KellyColumbia Valley Homes

Th e minute you step into the show suite at Park-side Place, you realize there’s something diff erent about the condominium apartment, something faintly wonderful.

Your overall impression is that the space is both at-tractive and generous. Th e walls are painted in sooth-ing sage green tones and the rooms are beautifully fur-nished.

Th e great room is a good size. Th e kitchen is func-tional. Th e French doors admit plenty of light and of-fer a pleasing view of the evergreens across the street.

Minutes pass before you realize that the suite is ut-terly silent. Given its location across from Pothole Park in busy downtown Invermere, it should be noisy. And, even though the French doors and all the windows are closed, the air inside is fresh. Th at’s because Quiniscoe Homes uses the latest technology to build homes that are both beautiful and healthy for living.

Like all Quiniscoe developments, Parkside Place is built to R-2000 standards. Every suite has Energy Star appliances, water-conserving plumbing fi xtures, energy-effi cient lighting and its own heat recovery ventilation system.

Th e show suite has 1,135 square feet of well-pro-portioned space, including the great room, two bed-rooms, two bathrooms, a laundry enclosure and a stor-age room. Th e master bedroom has generous his and hers closets.

In the kitchen you’ll fi nd darkly stained cabinets and stainless steel appliances. Th roughout the apart-ment there are brushed chrome accents that give it a clean, contemporary feel.

Th e Berber-style carpet and ceramic tile are in the warm mushroom tones. It’s a lovely living space that says “home.”

Parkside Place currently has a few suites that can be readied for occupancy in 30 days. Th e show suite is open daily from 12 noon to fi ve p.m.

Parkside Place:liveable luxury

New Homes • Developments • Resale Homes • Multi-Family • Interior Design

PULL OUT

June 29, 20072 • Columbia Valley Homes

Penners take pride in Parkside Place

Stroll to the Farmer’s Market or to the lake... enjoy a capuccino just steps from your front door... and live in the heart of BC’s recreational paradise. Move in for summer!

Come visit our new showhome this weekend, and see for yourself:

• the remarkable quality and attention to detail put into every Quiniscoe home.

• homes as healthy as Invermere’s mountain air, built to R-2000 EnviroHome standards and beyond.

parksideplacebc.com

Parkside Place is downtown living, Invermere style.

Visit our Sales Centre at Parkside Place at 901-7th Avenue (Main St.) for more information. Open Tuesday through Saturday (and Sunday, July 1st) from noon until 5:00 pm. Or call (250) 342-7561.


From early in construction, it was obvious that Parkside Place was going to be extraordinary.

For one thing, the construction ma-terials were top-drawer. For another, the fi rst of the three buildings comprising the combined residential/commercial complex was shaping up to be a stun-ner. Th at was three years ago.

“We take a lot of pride in Parkside Place,” says Dave Penner, co-owner of Quiniscoe Homes with his wife Doris. “We feel that it provides an excellent in-troduction to downtown Invermere.”

It certainly does. Visitors and locals alike are often spotted admiring the fi rst two phases of the beautiful development on 7th Avenue across from Pothole Park. With their dark cedar siding and stone and timber accents, the buildings blend beautifully with the streetscape and pay homage to their alpine environment.

Th at’s in keeping with the Penners’ lifelong convictions about what con-

temporary architecture should be. Th ey founded Quiniscoe Homes in 1980 as a builder of custom, energy-effi cient homes in the Whitehorse, Yukon Ter-ritory. In 1998 they relocated to Pan-orama.

Quiniscoe is now a national leader in energy effi ciency and long-term sus-tainability, and has won many design and innovation awards. “We are an R-2000 builder,” says Dave. “It’s what we believe in and it’s what we do.”

Th e Penners, who met in Austria, were married in 1981. Dave had experi-ence with building homes and wanted to start a company. Doris was eager to learn. Both had spent time in White-horse.

Dave says they founded Quiniscoe in that northern city with a “why not” attitude. “Th e economy was terrible. Interest rates were high and there were no jobs. We thought, ‘If we’re going to struggle, what does it matter where we are?’”

Continued on next pageTh e show home is beautifully furnished, and made with top-quality materials.

Columbia Valley Homes • 3June 29, 2007

Couple turned their vision into reality

Quiniscoe Homes is proud to introduce Carpenter’s Lane, Invermere’s newest community!

Enjoy walking distance to schools, parks and recreation. Two- and three-bedroom homes and townhomes featuring Craftsman-inspired architecture are pre-selling now. Priced from $410,000. You and your family will appreciate:

• the remarkable quality and attention to detail put into everyQuiniscoe home.

• homes as healthy as Invermere’s mountain air, constructed to Built Green Gold standards and beyond.

in the heart of Invermere.

The location of Carpenter’s Lane is shown in the map at left. For more information, please visit Quiniscoe’s Sales Centre at Parkside Place, 901-7th Avenue (Main Street), open Tuesday through Satur-day (and Sunday July 1st) from noon until 5:00 pm.Or call (250) 342-7561.

Continued from previous page

He estimates that they have since built “somewhere between two and three hundred” energy-effi cient custom homes. All have been special, but the Parkside Place project brings them particular joy and satisfaction.

When it is fi nished, Parkside Place will consist of ten town homes, 18 condominium apartments and 13 street-level commercial spaces. Th e 1.35 acres on which they are built was owned by the District of Invermere. Th ree years ago, the district issued a call for development proposals. Quiniscoe’s concept was chosen.

“Th e district had a vision,” says Dave. “It had specifi c criteria and guidelines. Doris and I saw an empty fi eld and decided to build something there that no one had dreamed of building.” Specifi cally, combined commercial and residential spaces, built to the highest possible standard for energy effi ciency and healthy habitation, in a location that would off er a fabulous lifestyle to homeowners with discerning taste.

Says Dave: “Th e goal was to provide urban experiences in a small town. And I think we’ve achieved that. You can walk to shops and restaurants from Parkside. You can walk to the beach. People who work downtown can walk to their offi ces. It’s a lifestyle.”

Th e concept has been well received, he says. “We’ve had so many positive comments from our buyers. Th ey appreciate everything that we’ve tried to do at Parkside Place. Doris and I have been building homes for a long time. We know that people get a feeling from their homes. Our buyers feel good about Parkside Place.” Natural earth tones and jewel colours make this downtown Parkside Place show home glow.


Penners take pride in Parkside Place

Stroll to the Farmer’s Market or to the lake... enjoy a capuccino just steps from your front door... and live in the heart of BC’s recreational paradise. Move in for summer!

Come visit our new showhome this weekend, and see for yourself:

• the remarkable quality and attention to detail put into every Quiniscoe home.

• homes as healthy as Invermere’s mountain air, built to R-2000 EnviroHome standards and beyond.

parksideplacebc.com

Parkside Place is downtown living, Invermere style.

Visit our Sales Centre at Parkside Place at 901-7th Avenue (Main St.) for more information. Open Tuesday through Saturday (and Sunday, July 1st) from noon until 5:00 pm. Or call (250) 342-7561.


From early in construction, it was obvious that Parkside Place was going to be extraordinary.

For one thing, the construction ma-terials were top-drawer. For another, the fi rst of the three buildings comprising the combined residential/commercial complex was shaping up to be a stun-ner. Th at was three years ago.

“We take a lot of pride in Parkside Place,” says Dave Penner, co-owner of Quiniscoe Homes with his wife Doris. “We feel that it provides an excellent in-troduction to downtown Invermere.”

It certainly does. Visitors and locals alike are often spotted admiring the fi rst two phases of the beautiful development on 7th Avenue across from Pothole Park. With their dark cedar siding and stone and timber accents, the buildings blend beautifully with the streetscape and pay homage to their alpine environment.

Th at’s in keeping with the Penners’ lifelong convictions about what con-

temporary architecture should be. Th ey founded Quiniscoe Homes in 1980 as a builder of custom, energy-effi cient homes in the Whitehorse, Yukon Ter-ritory. In 1998 they relocated to Pan-orama.

Quiniscoe is now a national leader in energy effi ciency and long-term sus-tainability, and has won many design and innovation awards. “We are an R-2000 builder,” says Dave. “It’s what we believe in and it’s what we do.”

Th e Penners, who met in Austria, were married in 1981. Dave had experi-ence with building homes and wanted to start a company. Doris was eager to learn. Both had spent time in White-horse.

Dave says they founded Quiniscoe in that northern city with a “why not” attitude. “Th e economy was terrible. Interest rates were high and there were no jobs. We thought, ‘If we’re going to struggle, what does it matter where we are?’”

Continued on next pageTh e show home is beautifully furnished, and made with top-quality materials.


Condos more about lifestyle than costBy Sandra KellyColumbia Valley Homes

Until now it’s been widely assumed that most people choose a condo over a detached single-family home because of the lower price tag. Con-dos are thought to be starter homes, a way for young, fi rst-time buyers to get into the market.

According to a re-cent Ipsos Reid poll con-ducted in Calgary for To-ronto Dominion Bank, that’s still true in some cases, but more people are now choosing condos primarily for the maintenance-free lifestyle they off er. More-over, condos are increasingly viewed as luxury homes, thanks to on-site amenities such as gyms and spas.

Only 26 percent of the respondents said they would choose a condo over a detached home for rea-sons of aff ordability. By contrast, 36 percent said they didn’t want the yard work and repairs that come with a house. Most of the latter respondents were second and third-time buyers more concerned about lifestyle than cost.

Andy Smith, a realtor with Re/Max in Invermere, said that’s defi nitely true of the Calgarians who buy a recreation condo in the Windermere Valley rather than a detached home. “Th ese buyers are called ame-nity migrants now. Th ey come here strictly for the amenities. Whether it be golfi ng or boating or hiking, or even just the mountains, they’re here for something and it’s defi nitely not yard work. Th ey have grass to cut back home. Th ey don’t want to cut it here as well.”

It helps to explain the popularity of resorts, he said. “With a single-family home, there’s no caretaker. Today’s recreational buyers want to be able to lock up and leave. And they take comfort in the fact that

someone is caring for their investment when they’re not around.”

Not surprisingly, only 25 percent of the survey re-spondents said they would consider raising a family in a condo. A similar poll conducted last year in Van-couver revealed that 34 percent of buyers in that more expensive city would consider doing so. Most of the Calgarians polled, even the fi rst-time buyers, said they wouldn’t buy into a complex that allowed children.

Proximity to public transit used to be a key sell-ing point for condo buyers. Th e poll revealed that it is now less of a selling point for car-crazy Calgarians than for residents of Vancouver, Montreal and Toron-to, especially commuters living far away from their workplaces.

Most of the Calgarians who said they would choose a condo over a detached home stipulated that they would not spend more than $400,000 regardless of their reason for buying it. Roughly 23 percent said they would be comfortable only with a selling price below $200,000. However, the average selling price of condos in Calgary was $332,257 in May. Th at’s up $60,000 from the same month last year.

Only four percent said they would spend between $400,000 and $600,000. About 68 percent said they would want a minimum of two bedrooms. Th e poll didn’t question how much people were willing to pay for monthly condo fees.

Lack of yard work is still the number one reason for buying a condo.


• Dramatic entry framing views of the Purcell Range

• Bright formal dining room with views of the Rockies and Lake Windermere

• Unique open plan layout with two bedrooms on the main floor, and a full walkout basement with billiard room, family room and guest bedroom

• A clean, bright kitchen with skylights and adjoining pantry

• A short walk to Kinsmen Beach

Offered for sale at $849,000. Please visit our Open Houseon Saturday from 11:00 to 3:00, at 1716 Second Avenue. For more information, call (250) 341-5808.

Who says the prairies have better

sunsets?

Th is recent photo-graph taken by noted lo-cal photographer Jill Un-ger shows the beauty of a mountain sunset. Cloudy June skies lifted just long enough for the setting sun to peep through.


After an almost ten-year run, Canada’s housing market fi nally appears to be taking a breather.

A recent study shows that housing starts through the fi rst four months of 2007 are down eight percent compared with the same period a year earlier.

Existing home sales actually picked up through April, and could set a new record this year. But better balanced supply conditions overall have fi nally pushed average price increases into single-digit territory.

A period of more moderate activity appears in store over the next several years. Each of the three major housing cycles (in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s) were followed by a slowdown, typically lasting six years and resulting in an average price decline of 14 percent.

However, the report says the current cycle should outperform the average, given continued buoyant con-ditions in the Western provinces, and little evidence of signifi cant overbuilding or speculative buying.

Over the coming decade, the country’s average an-nual rate of population growth is projected to slow to just 0.8 percent. However, household income growth and the level of interest rates have a statistically greater infl uence on housing sales and price appreciation.

Th e report was prepared by Scotia Economics as a re-source for the clients of Scotiabank and Scotia Capital.

When you’re home, you know it. cedarwoodglen.com

Your last chance at affordable living in Invermere!

Finally, a place you can call home–or your home-away-from-home–in the heart of the beautiful Columbia Valley! Phase One of Cedarwood Glen Estates is now selling. Eighteen two-bedroom condominiums are now offered for sale, from only $145,000 to $165,000.

Arrange a viewing or request more information by calling

(250) 341-1182, or emailing [email protected].

Act quickly - these units are selling fast!

Priced from only $145,000 to $165,000for a limited time.

Housing market slower, but strong

THE PIONEERWORKS HARDER!

THE PIONEERWORKS HARDER!


Cathy’s Workshop: making more storage

PAUL ROGGEMAN341-5300

Invermere Offi ce – 526B – 13th StreetFairmont Offi ce – #4, Fairmont Village Mall

Phone (250) 345-4000Fax (250) 345-4001

[email protected]

Dedicated to all your real estate needs.

Your Local COLUMBIA VALLEY REAL ESTATE

Professionals

Mountain Creek Properties Ltd.Strata, Rental & Commercial Property Management; Real Estate Sales & Leasing

For professional management of your strata corporation or rental property, overseen by a Certi ed Property Manager (CPM®), Certi ed Professional Residential Property Manager (CPRPM) and Power Engineer, with the accounting done by a Certi ed General Accountant, please contact Bill Weissig by phone at 341-4178, or by email at [email protected].

Our property managers are licensed under the Real Estate Services Act of B.C. For more information regarding their extensive quali cations and experience please go our web site at http://www.mountaincreek.ca.

Bernie RavenRepresentative

(250) [email protected]

It’s the Experience!Of ce: (250) 342-6505 Fax: (250) 342-9611

INVERMERE1022B-7th Ave.Independently Owned and Operated

Ed English(250) 342-1194

[email protected]

Jan Klimek(250) 342-1195

[email protected]

INVERMEREIndependently Owned and Operated

Main Street, Invermere

(250) 342-6505www.ReMaxInvermere.com

www.edandjanslistings.com

Ron MaciborskiSALES REPRESENTATIVE

RockiesWest Realty Ltd.INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED

230 Laurier StreetInvermere, B.C. V0A 1K0

(250) 342-5704 (Cell)(250) 342-5599 (Offi ce)(250) 342-5559 (Fax)e-mail: [email protected]

INVERMERE1022B-7th Ave.

Independently Owned and Operated

Of ce: (250) 342-6505Fax: (250) 342-9611

Paul GlassfordRepresentative

(250) [email protected]

By Cathy Dalrymple

It has been my ex-perience that no matter what shop I have worked in, there never seems to be enough space.

You can, however, try to utilize the space avail-able by being creative with storage and work benches.

Most of us with a workshop have some kind of wall storage for hanging tools and of course, the beauty of the shop, a big red shiny tool caddy.

Beyond that it’s pretty much shop-made storage ideas. I have a few to share with you.

For some time I had my wood clamps just leaning in a corner or clamped to the side of a cabinet, but when I fi nally got around to attaching a couple of six-foot 2x2s securely to the wall, I found inner peace. Well, that is to say I found more fl oor space.

Simply hang the clamps and tighten to the 2x2. Th is makes it easy to locate the required size and when you are ready for a glue up you’re not scram-bling and untangling your mess of clamps.

One of my favorite shop ideas is to have ev-erything possible on cast-

ers. I have my outfeed table on four-inch casters with locks.

I can turn it sideways for cross-cut-ting or turn it long for running lengths of wood.

It also allows me to move the table out of the way when I have a large proj-ect being assembled in the shop.

I have casters on three machines, as well as a working platform that I can roll around on when working under a table or on lower portions of a project. It is similar to something a mechanic would use.

Working with wood will always re-

quire a saw horse or workbench at some point.

It can be used for support during a cut, gluing up and clamping a project, or staining and fi nishing.

Although I have a workbench with a vise and drawers and storage space, it is typically covered with something I’m working on and I have always got more than one thing on the go, so like a spare pair of hands, an extra work surface is also helpful.

See the drawing for a simple work station you can build in no time. Th e great thing about this design is that you have a choice of three heights to work with. You merely fl ip the box to the de-sired height and work away.

As a tip, you could paint three of the sides of diff erent heights and call them the bottoms - this way you will never use a dirty side for your projects.

If you had two of these you could span a sheet of plywood across for a larger workbench. I used six-inch strips of plywood and biscuit-joined and

screwed the box together.Th is is only a guideline so go ahead

and make yours to suit your needs and use whatever wood is available to you.

Cathy Dalrymple owns Toby Creek Custom Woodworking in Invermere. She also writes regularly for Canadi-an Home Workshop magazine.

Call her at 342-3022 or e-mail [email protected].


At Spirits Reach, life is lived gazing over the peaceful waters of Columbia Lake. Private lake access with lakehouse and a breathtaking 250-acre ranch

surround you in the bounty of the great outdoors. Indoors, the estate finished 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom homes are grounded in environmentally sustainable

design, energy-efficient and maintenance-free construction, and enduring architecture. Homes with stunning lake views are available.

Our newest phase of lakeside homes is now available from $499,000.

Visit our Discovery Centre and rst completed homes, just 10 minutes south of Fairmont Hot Springs, BC.

Call 1.877.349.7575 or visit www.spiritsreach.com. Discover a true getaway from the hustle and bustle.

Tour our first completed homes!

vol4issue26_homes

Documents

th e kitchen

th e walls

th e great room

th e french doors

th ats

th roughout

th e master bedroom

th e berberstyle carpet