great46

Hi all,

We are in Calgary on a research trip and have to say find the houses to be very close together and have postage stamp size gardens, are we looking in the wrong places or are they all like that? we have looked inside a few and you can see what your neighbour is watching on his telly! the houses are lovely but we like a bit of privacy, we would like to get a dog so would like enough room for him to stretch his legs! plus our 13ft trampoline etc. All the areas we have looked at seem to be quite new can anyone recommend some older areas for us to check out.

Any help really appreciated.

Cheers!

Cowtown

You need to be looking somewhere a bit older.

In the south that would be anywhere towards the city from and including Shawnessy in the SW and Sundance in the SE. The trick to some of these communities in the deep south is to know that they were built over a period of up to 20 years - the older houses have nice big gardens and the newer ones have postage stamps.

You need to decide how important a school is to your family. Millrise for example has a Catholic school but no public school - that could be important for you. Shawnessy has both Catholic and public (plus a public middle school that has been promised for many many years). Sundance has a senior high and a couple of elementaries (including a French immersion). Resolve your school requirements and your choices will be much more limited (unless you dont mind a school bus). That will help a bit.

Then take a look at your budget. Large lots cost more. Closer to the city or in a lake community they can be quite pricy - think 7 digits! Once you know your budget it will probably restrict your options a bit too.

If you look on the city property tax assessment you can browse the map and it will show you visually (and in sq ft if you drill down) the size of plots in various bits of the city. It will give you a rough idea if you have the time to spare on the web. If you have an address it will give you lots of detail about the property.

CalgaryBlade

Agreed.

The problem with larger lots for sale (if you could find one) in the areas closer in, is that you will probably be bidding against a developer who will only be too happy to knock a house down, divide the lot and build two houses.

There's a house near us with a 30 ft wide garden next to it. In the garden there is a sizeable vegetable patch, with 30ft lots going for $350K they must be the most expensive vegetables in Calgary

I was talking to a developer last evening (while T or T'ing), apparently there is a serious shortage of ready-mixed concrete in Calgary right now due to the sheer numbers of foundations needing to be poured (especially with winter just about here). He also mentioned that a standard finished house is running about $400 per sq ft now (plus land cost).

frankieforehead

Come just outside of Calgary...on the highway 1A and have a look around bearspaw...I'm sure your trampoline will fit nicely....If you don't like that area come to beautiful Cochrane...where it is snowing at the moment..
Good luck

CalgaryBlade

Show time on the Deerfoot and Crowchild on Wednesday morning

Steve_P

It will all have melted by the morning rush.

Just got home in Dalhousie from Tuscany.

It's mostly slush on the side roads and Crowchild Trail is just wet at the moment.

dbd

56 degrees this morning and we have a trampoline in the backyard.

I can't say I love Toronto but these posts from Calgary make it look a whole lot better.

CalgaryBlade

What a waste not living somehwere you "love".

As for the unpredictable weather, it is what it is.

I'll take the clean air, high annual hours of sunshine and being an hour's drive from the mountains anyday.

Steve_P

Absolutely agree.

Posidrive

As CalgaryBlade said, developers will probably get to any larger inner city lots first. Last year on our research visit we had the grande tour of some custom build homes by a developer. One overlooking the Bow River and city was a $2,000,000 (we are not that rich, but custom builders only show their top of the range stuff) redevelopment in which an old house was demolished and replaced by a 7000 ft2 montrosity that you could only just walk around. No garden at all.

As Frankie said, Bearspaw (2 acre+ lots) and also Lynxs Ridge (0.5 acre lots)which is to the South of 1A in the same area might fit the bill. Your are talking entry level of $600,000 here though.

Further out is beautiful Cochrane where we will live. Just North along highway 22 is a new development around 2 lakes and a wetland. Lots range from 0.3 to 0.67 acre and are priced from $115,000. There are strict architectural constrains such as minimum house size, tripple garage, no vinyl, etc which mean an entry level of about $450,000 including lot and GST for a 2000 ft2 2 storey. It will be a beautiful area when finished though

MikeUK

Me.... I'll settle for an imperfect city and being able to stand outside without my nose hairs freezing up and falling out

Steve_P

And what makes you think that Brampton is any better than Calgary in that regard?

flashman

It does seem that many modern homes are big but on small lots. My theory is that modern yuppies who don't even have enough time to bring up their kids so they outsource to nannies and daycare simply don't have any time at all for yardwork.

Steve_P

Actually it is the cost of land, plain and simple.

dbd

I don't think that holds. People used to choose houses in proportion to the lots, now they choose as much house as can be crammed on the lot. People used to want bricks and plaster, now they make do with wood frames, dry wall and siding. There's been a shift in taste from quality to quantity.

My friends, the Young Republicans, exemplify the trend, several thousand square feet of fragile walls. A "gourmet" kitchen with an electric stove and no draining board. Not a problem to them, of course, as food comes from McDonalds, Subway or Chick-Fil-A.