Parade of Homes

>> although there are many places in and around Winnipeg to custom-build a new home, andrew Koop of irwin homes contends that Pritchard Farm Southlands Village offers quality of life that's hard to beat. Located in East St. Paul, Pritchard Farm South- lands Village is a luxurious neighbourhood of condominium bungalows, a concept that Koop takes care to explain. "First of all, these condos are houses," Koop states. "Our clients in Pritchard Farm South- lands Village want to downsize but they still want a home with a garage and a yard. They just don't want to have to look after it. instead, they'd rather go to Phoenix or Florida and not worry about snow-blowing, which is all i've been doing for the past two months. Well, they don't have to worry about that or about yard care in the summer. a property manager does all that work. They still have a patio off their walkout and green grass for the grandkids to play on. it's carefree living and they can build a pretty good- sized home. it's lifestyle; it's huge!" he stresses again that these are not townhomes but detached bungalows. "They're all beautiful, high-end homes that average 1,500 to 1,900 square feet with two-car garages," he states and adds, "Several of the remain- ing lots are walkouts. Some people will choose to finish the lower level and some won't." its location in East St. Paul places Pritchard Farm Southlands Village just a 20-minute drive from Por- tage and Main. Pretty much everything is in easy reach, from Seven Oaks General hospital to Jets' games at the MTS centre to shopping at regent and Lagimodiere. irwin's show home at 4 Pilgrims Point offers sweep- ing views of the sculpted dry creek bed from the dining room and deck. it includes several dramatic touches such as a feature wall of cascading tile in the foyer, a custom tile and glass shower and a su- perb family room/games area in the fully finished, walkout lower level. There are three custom builders at work in Pritchard Farm Southlands Village: Maric, irwin and arlt homes. homebuyers can choose their builder, design their home and select a professional land- scaping package for the yard. Dan rolfe of Maric homes is not aware of anything similar to Pritchard Farm Southlands Village. "The uniqueness of the area is its strongest selling point. you can choose all the amenities you could ever want in a single-family home but with less respon- sibility and less maintenance." The Village's Property Management fee is about $180 per month. rolfe also believes that the lots will soon be gone. "The neighbourhood is coming to a quick close. With only 20 lots left and a recent surge in sales, the opportunity to get into the de- velopment is running out." Maric's show home at 3 Shadowwood is a spacious 1,629 square feet with an impressive entrance, sleek kitchen and an elegant master en suite. The lower level is finished with a great room, gym, bed and bath and extra storage. rolfe says Maric homes sees a blend of people choosing to live in Pritchard Farm Southlands Vil- lage: Single, young professionals, working couples with grown kids, semi-retired folks and retirees. Koop describes them generally as seasoned home- owners who "no longer want or need all the space but are not going to sacrifice any of the features: heated floors, glass railings, tiled showers, granite, quartz; you name it." he reveals that his parents will build in Pritchard Farm Southlands Village. "Lifestyle again. it's sim- ple. if it snows, the property management com- pany cleans it up. Sell your snowblower and all of your yard maintenance equipment and you're done. carefree for $180 per month!" A BETTER liFE yES, ThESE cONDOS arE hOuSES! by lynne Mustard for Qualico communities 38 Parade of Homes Spring 2014

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