vol5issue29_new-homes

The Columbia Valley Pioneer • July 18, 2008

www.ResortatCastleRock.com

Your Guide to New Housing Developments in the Columbia Valley

PULLOUTNEW HOMES

Business Feature by Sandra Kelly

Th e Resort at CastleRock, an 84-unit condomin-ium resort with a proposed 6,000-square-foot recre-ation centre, is taking shape high above Invermere, ad-jacent to CastleRock Estates. Th e resort’s well-heeled new ownership group has grand plans.

Reign Developments Inc., a Calgary-based de-veloper with upscale projects across Western Canada, including the ultra-luxurious Renaissance in Th ree Sisters Mountain Village in Canmore, completed the purchase of the Resort at CastleRock property from Voisin Homes on July 15th, 2008.

Reign has been revamping the project since Febru-ary, and will soon release the new plans to the public. Th e proposed changes include a dramatic new build-ing elevation; a revised site plan to enhance the views from all units and improve the location of the rec-reation centre; a greater selection of fl oor plans with enhanced layouts, interior specifi cations and larger decks; enhanced building designs with more corner units; and a luxurious new rendition of the recreation centre with a larger outdoor pool, casual restaurant, retail space, meeting rooms and fi tness centre.

“We felt that the old plans for the resort, while adequate, didn’t fully refl ect the beauty of the site or the quality of resort property that Reign Develop-ments is associated with,” says company president Mi-chael Palmer. “After months of market analysis and a full-scale architectural design study, we are excited to present our changes to the public and the District of Invermere, changes that have already received rave re-views from existing clients (who purchased from Voisin Homes) and the CastleRock Estates developer.”

Continued on Page 3

Th e Resort at CastleRock

New developer elevates project plans

View of Lake Windermere, photographed from the road leading to Th e Resort at CastleRock .View of Lake Windermere, photographed from the road leading to Th e Resort at CastleRock .

2 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer – New Homes July 18, 2008

SUMMER SALE1/8 shares starting at $59,900 or $398.15/month* 1/4 shares starting at $99,900 or $664.39/month*

We pay the GST and No Maintenance/Strata fees for a year!

along the 9th fairway of the springs golf course

*Prices do not include applicable taxes and fees. Payments do include taxes and fees. Payments based on 15 year amortization, 2 year fi xed rate mortgage, OAE. This is not intended to be an offering or solicitation for sale in any jurisdiction where the project is not registered in accordance with applicable law or solicitation would otherwise be prohibited by law.

1 888 766 9637 www.bighornmeadows.ca

New Homes – The Columbia Valley Pioneer • 3July 18, 2008

Continued from Page 1

Reign plans to hold a public information session for all existing purchasers in the resort and owners within the CastleRock Estates community, to com-municate the exciting new changes in more detail.

“We are ecstatic about the acquisition of the proj-ect by Reign Developments as it brings added vision, fi nancial viability and construction experience to the development,” says Eric Watson, managing director of Ultimate Properties International Realty, the company marketing the project. “Th e new plans take the resort to a new level and clearly establish it as one of Western Canada’s most compelling condo hotel and fractional ownership opportunities,” adds Mr. Watson.

“With the improvements plus quarter-share pric-ing still starting at $89,900 for a fully-appointed two-bedroom suite, the resort off ers tremendous value even in today’s unsettled market.”

Th e fl oor plans now range from approximately 860 to 1,425 square feet and feature luxurious two and three-bedroom layouts with upscale fi nishing packages and luxurious hotel-quality furniture.

Construction begins this fall. Reign has enough pre-sales and the fi nancing is in place to break ground, but the company needs to get the appropriate permits. Once built, the resort will help to ease the shortage of quality short-term rental accommodation in the valley, through the optional rental pool off ered to owners.

For more information call1-888-678-9338, or vis-it www.ResortatCastleRock.com. Th e sales centre will open this August in downtown Invermere.

Reign Developments plans to create luxury accommodation, shown in this rendition of Th e Resort at CastleRock.


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r e s o r t s

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[email protected]

P R E C O N S T R U C T I O N P R I C I N G A V A I L A B L E F O R A L I M I T E D T I M E !

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from $119,000

Fully Serviced - Mature ForestArchitectural ControlsGeo-thermal Heating

PHASE I TOWNHOMES2 STOREY MOUNTAIN VISTASfrom $499,000

Alpine Architecture9 ft. Ceilings - 3 BedroomsRich Finishing

WORLD-CLASS RESORT LIVING NESTLED IN THE MOUNTAINSOF BEAUTIFUL BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

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PHASE I SOLD OUT!

PHASE II 50% SOLD

or RESERVED!


Invermere’s best-priced new home ownership opportunity!

Get more for your money, with beautifully finished three-bedroom homes starting at $359,900.

Each home features a thoughtful floor plan, designed for comfortable living. On the main floor entry, a den/bedroom/office and garage… on the second floor, a large kitchen with eating area, living room, bath and balcony… on the third floor, a master bedroom with full bath en-suite, laundry, and a second bedroom.

Cedarwood Glen is centrally located in the heart of the Columbia Valley. Imagine… just two blocks to downtown Invermere, and three blocks to the beach! Enjoy all the conveniences in a quiet and peaceful setting.

Some homes are ready for occupancy now! For details, call (250) 341-1182.

By Sandra KellyPioneer Columnist

If you’re shopping for a vacation home in the Co-lumbia Valley, be careful to choose something that will work for you and for the company you’re bound to get.

And then, get ready for the company.During our fi rst summer in Invermere, my hus-

band Bob and I entertained a steady stream of house-guests in a rented house that wasn’t designed for heavy traffi c.

From that experience, we learned what features make a house guest-friendly. We also learned how to cope with guests.

Here’s our best advice:• If you can aff ord the footage, choose a vacation

home with at least two guest bedrooms and a sitting room situated away from the main living area. One guest bedroom may seem adequate now, but it won’t be. You may even need a pullout sofa, for backup.

• Furnish the sitting room to serve as a mini-re-treat. Like you, guests sometimes need to get away and read a book, or watch a favorite TV show. And then there’s the kid-noise factor: who needs to hear those video games?

• If you’re considering a condo, read the bylaws before you sign on the dotted line. Most strata devel-opments prohibit the parking of recreational vehicles in the driveway. Hence your visitors can’t bring their mobile home along.

Bighorn Meadows Resort in Radium Hot Springs has a brilliant solution to that problem: some of the re-sort’s luxury condos contain a lock-off guest suite with a bed-sitting room, a bathroom and a fully stocked kitchen. Now, that is guest-friendly.

As for coping with the hordes, it’s easy if you set boundaries. A stressful year passed before Bob and I understood that our friends and family viewed our house as a hotel.

It wasn’t a defi ciency of character on their part: it was simply a diff erence in perception. Clearing it up called for some clever strategies.

• Th is one is critical: control the time and the du-ration of visits. Prior to vacation season, mark on a calendar the weeks or weekends during which you’ll be happy to receive guests. Th en let your friends and family pick their timeslots. If you don’t, people will show up on short notice and then overstay their wel-come.

• Schedule time without guests. People always promise to be “no trouble,” and some of them even

keep that promise. But, having bodies in your orbit every blessed weekend becomes oppressive. To spare their feelings, say you’re planning “a romantic week-end for two.” And then have one.

• Always ask who is coming. Believe it or not, some people will show up with friends and family of their own, without having cleared it with you. It’s shocking. You would never do such a thing, and you wouldn’t have thought your best friends capable of such behav-ior. With a vacation home, you learn new things about people.

• Don’t be shy about asking for help. Bob and I learned that some guests wouldn’t dream of lifting a fi nger. Why should they? It’s a hotel. Others will wash fl oors without being asked. People will help if you make it easy. For example, provide a set of clean sheets so they can make a fresh bed before leaving.

• Also, provide dietary staples, but encourage peo-ple to buy their own gourmet treats. Our snack tab that fi rst summer was about $1,200. Ouch. And, we now have a “no junk food in the house” rule.

If these strategies fail to work at your vacation home, just leave a copy of this New Homes supple-ment open to this page where the guests will notice it.

Th ey can always buy a hotel of their own.

Prepare for an onslaught of company


Take ownership of your escapeFinally, a luxury four-season real estate investment you and your family can enjoy, just three hours from

Calgary. Visit our Invermere sales office and reserve your whole or 1/4 ownership opportunities now.

Opening late summer 2008. 1-866-9LUXURY www.copperpoint.ca/pioneer

Windermere, BCOn-site Show Suite opening end of May


Take ownership of your escapeFinally, a luxury four-season real estate investment you and your family can enjoy, just three hours from

Calgary. Visit our Invermere sales office and reserve your whole or 1/4 ownership opportunities now.

Opening late summer 2008. 1-866-9LUXURY www.copperpoint.ca/pioneer

Windermere, BCOn-site Show Suite opening end of May


Don’t turn your dreaminto a nightmare

By Elinor FlorencePioneer Publisher

Building a new home is somewhat like planning a wedding – it can cause you to throw common sense to the winds and get caught up in a whirlwind of thinking that everything has to be “perfect.”

Even calling it your “dream home” creates panic, because you mistakenly think you’ll never get a second chance.

When we were building our house a few years ago, I read house design mag-azines voraciously, shopped incessantly and generally drove myself crazy search-ing for the perfect accessory.

“How many paint chips do you need, for heaven’s sake?” my husband asked as I pored over dozens of bits of paper spread out on the coff ee table, – and that was just the white trim!

Realizing that I couldn’t have both the giant walk-in closet that I had en-visioned, as well as the stunning large

window to take advantage of the view, almost drove me to tears.

Th ere were hundreds of decisions to make. Should the microwave be at eye height or below the counter? Should the colour of the grout match or con-trast with the tile? Which end of the tub should the faucet be installed?

Home-planners, lighten up. Th e very thing that you fretted about dur-ing those sleepless nights will cease to matter within a few days of moving into your new home.

I never did get that walk-in closet, and I can’t say I’ve missed it for a min-ute. Nor have I ever thought again (un-til writing this article) about the angst I suff ered over the location of the mi-crowave. As with most things, you will become used to it very quickly and it will cease to matter.

If it’s really that important, then you can always renovate. I’m already planning what colour to repaint the bathroom!

8 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer - New Homes July 18, 2008

NOW SELLINGMOUNTAIN ESTATE HOMESITESIn the hear t of the prest igious Copper Point Golf Resor t

Cal l (250) 341-1976 or email r mason@copper pointgolf .com for more infor mation or to ar range a s i te tour.

Copper Point Estates an exclusive community featuring large, unique homesites with stunning, panoramic mountain and golf course views.

• Secluded estate homesites f rom ¼ acre to ½ acre

• Golf Course frontage si tes avai lable

• Architectural ly control led

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From $239,000

8 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer - New Homes July 18, 2008

NOW SELLINGMOUNTAIN ESTATE HOMESITESIn the hear t of the prest igious Copper Point Golf Resor t

Cal l (250) 341-1976 or email r mason@copper pointgolf .com for more infor mation or to ar range a s i te tour.

Copper Point Estates an exclusive community featuring large, unique homesites with stunning, panoramic mountain and golf course views.

• Secluded estate homesites f rom ¼ acre to ½ acre

• Golf Course frontage si tes avai lable

• Architectural ly control led

• Gated private community

From $239,000


For All Your Real Estate Needs

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Fairmont Frontage Mall250 345-4000

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13th Street Invermere250 342-6911

100 Spokane St. Kimberley250 427-7755

www.rockymtnrealty.com

[email protected]

Fairmont Frontage Mall250 345-4000

Main St. Radium250 347-0003

13th Street Invermere250 342-6911

100 Spokane St. Kimberley250 427-7755

www.rockymtnrealty.com

[email protected]

For All Your Real Estate Needs

Custom Home Builders

Valley TurnKeyHomes

The Gated Community of Riverside Estates offers Waterfront and Fairway Home Sites for your Retirement or Vacation Home.

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The Gated Community of Riverside Estates offers Waterfront and Fairway Home Sites for your Retirement or Vacation Home.

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O V E R L A K E W I N D E R M E R EBy Elinor FlorencePioneer Publisher

Cathedral ceilings are a common feature in many homes Columbia Val-ley homes today. Height gives a sense of grandeur and spaciousness that an eight-foot ceiling just can’t provide. And high-er walls allow for larger windows, or a combination of windows, to take advan-tage of the stunning mountain views.

Cathedral ceilings add interest to a house, and create more options for lighting and connecting upper and low-er fl oors, such as lofts and catwalks.

However, impressive spaces aren’t always the most comfortable. A soaring ceiling may not provide a comfortable place to read or have a conversation. Dining under an eight-foot ceiling seems more intimate than under a 25-foot ceil-ing. And your furniture may seem dis-proportionately small.

Construction costs for a room with a cathedral ceiling can be twice as high

as a room with a conventional ceiling, especially if your ceiling involves odd corners, because the framers and dry-wallers have to fi t everything together properly, including the crown mould-ing. If any ceiling cracks are to develop, it will probably be here.

Th ere will be ongoing costs, too, since the volume of air circulating in a room with a high ceiling makes it harder to heat in winter, and harder to cool in summer.

Finally, dust and cobwebs get every-where. If your ceilings are 12 feet higher or higher, you’ll have to use a rag tied to the end of a broom and stand on a stepladder to clean them. Ditto goes for windows that are mounted high above the fl oor, skylights, and ceiling fans. And you will have to drag out the ladder every time you change the light bulbs.

You may want to consider a home with nine-foot or 10-foot ceilings that will give you a sense of spaciousness without the high-altitude headaches.

Th e lowdownon high ceilings


Starter Homesin the Columbia Valley

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This growing and vibrant community offers the only public access to Columbia Lake, beautiful views, golf courses, hiking, skiing, shing, hunting, hockey, curling and playgrounds all just outside your front door.

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Starter Homesin the Columbia Valley


It’s not about the journey to your destination, but how you feel when you arrive. Experience this feeling in one of the inviting alpine styled townhomes or luxury bungalow villas of Borrego Ridge in Radium Hot Springs, BC—North America’s most sought after recreational mountain resort. Choose from a villa or

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RICH COLOUR – Th e red stucco, golden trim and dark stone wall creates a beautiful eff ect, especially when set off by the blooming shrubs at this Lakeview Meadows home.


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