Rod Nutt. The Vancouver Sun Vancouver, B.C.: Mar 23, 2002. p. G1 / FRONT
(Copyright The Vancouver Sun 2002)
Courtyards at Terra Nova in Richmond offers high-end, west side Vancouver-style living at a far lower cost.
The Townline Group of Companies, which developed the 11 single- family homes at Courtyards at Terra Nova, also decided to keep the project simple — just two plans, no options, and just one price.
“The concept behind Courtyards was to keep everything basic,” says Townline sales and marketing manager Shannon Vrlak. “We didn’t want to offer a lot of options so that we could offer just one price.”
Both plans are 2,280 square feet and the homes are priced at $469,000, excluding GST. (A similar home on the west side of Vancouver would cost around $800,000 to $850,000.)
Both plan A and plan B offer four bedrooms and den plus a family room on two storeys; plan A has 2 1/2 bathrooms and plan B three full bathrooms.
The only differing styles — which are pre-selected by Townline – - are the exteriors with either rock dash or slope dash stucco finishing, and two interior colour schemes. Everything else in the heritage-style homes is standard, such as hardwood floors on the first floor, Berber carpets and slate entry tile.
Key selling points — apart from the price — for Courtyards at Terra Nova are the developer and architect.
Since 1980, Townline has specialized in building custom residential homes and has established an enviable reputation in the West Coast housing market.
The company has successfully completed over 500 single and multi- family homes in Richmond, Vancouver, Burnaby and North Delta.
Townline homes have won numerous awards, including two Gold Georgies for the Garry Corner seaside homes development, also in Terra Nova.
Townline principal Rick Ilich is a stickler for detail, according to Vrlak.
“Rick is very hands-on and comes out and meets the buyers personally,” she says. “He’s a detailed type of person.”
David Thompson and Rick Thomas attest to the quality and attention to detail by Townline. They have just bought in Courtyards at Terra Nova, making them second-time Townline buyers.
“We’re already living in a Townline townhouse a couple of minutes drive from Courtyards,” says Thompson. “We’re familiar with the quality of Townline homes.”
Thompson also says they like the customer serviced provided by Townline, which includes a follow-up after a year to make any necessary adjustments.
Courtyards at Terra Nova architect — Formwerks Architectural Inc. — also has an excellent reputation.
“Homes designed by Formwerks over on the west side [of Vancouver] sell out very quickly,” says Vrlak. “The firm is very well known.”
Architect Howard Airey says the courtyard offers privacy as well as a sense of entry.
“You enter twice, first through the courtyard and then into the house itself,” he says. “We wanted to put more emphasis on the entry as well as security.”
Hence the name Courtyards at Terra Nova that is derived from the European-style courtyard at the entrance to each home.
“The courtyards give a lot of privacy,” says Vrlak. “They are paved with small cement squares. The only lawn is at the back of the house.”
Other features that set Courtyards at Terra Nova apart are the wrought-iron gate accessing the courtyard, and a mail slot on the outside wall — many new houses in Terra Nova don’t have home delivery by Canada Post but rely on boxes located a little distance away.
Standard features of the homes are ornamental wrought-iron and wood window boxes, video entry security system, and garage-door opener.
The interiors feature nine-foot ceilings on the main floor with dramatic vaulted ceilings in the family room, kitchen and eating nook; cosy gas fireplaces in the living room and family room; birch or hickory-coloured laminate flooring in kitchen, nook and lower hallway; decorative high wood baseboards, custom window casing and door mouldings with full gloss finish; and horizontal blinds on all windows, some of which are over-sized.
The dens offer semi-ensuite bathrooms and can be converted into a bedroom for an older dependent, says Vrlak.
“Rick (Ilich) is especially proud of the second-floor computer station,” she adds.
There are telephone outlets at the kitchen desk, computer station and in all the bedrooms.
The kitchens are functional and feature a work island with breakfast counter, built-in food pantry, convenient cabinets including spacious pot draws, built-in microwave shelf, wine rack, and cutlery and spice draws.
The family room, which is open to the kitchen, is large and comes with built in shelving; the main and ensuite bathrooms have a walk- in shower stall; the main bathroom has a unique multiple-user, partitioned feature.
The homes have a roughed-in central vacuum system, spacious laundry area complete with laundry sink, and exterior hose bibs.
Courtyards at Terra Nova has state-of-the-art security and technology, including built-in security system, deadbolt in both front entry and rear door, smoke detectors, high-speed Internet with access provided by Shaw Cable, and insulated garage doors with window lights and “whisper drive” opener.
Construction features include concrete shake tiles with 50-year manufacturers’ guarantee, v-joint soffits and exposed rafter tails, energy-efficient double-glazed vinyl windows, 50 U.S. gallon gas- fired hot water tank, and R40 roof insulation and R14 exterior-wall insulation.
The 2/5/10 year home warranty is provided by London Guarantee as specified by the Homeowners Protection Office.
The sales centre, at 3675 Granville Avenue, Richmond, is open daily from noon to 5 p.m. except Friday.
For more information, call sales manager Ev Norris or sales coordinator Susan Farmer at 604-231- 0911; the e-mail address is court-yards@shaw.ca
rnutt@pacpress.southam.ca
