Families today are worrying about more than just the number of bathrooms in a potential house. They want an environmentally friendly home that helps to reduce their carbon footprint, without sacrificing comfort or style.
Located off Purcell’s Cove Road, the new community of Ravenscraig at Fleming Park is offering up eco-friendly homes on a silver — and probably recyclable — platter.
These single-family homes are built using insulated concrete form (ICF) technology, which helps to lower energy bills. The special material that forms the walls helps the home maintain an even temperature, and blocks out unwanted noise.
The planet-loving “community within a community” has been sparking interest with both young families and empty-nesters. The development even features two different model homes — one that shows mom and dad how to arrange the space for their tots, and another model that highlights the ways that older potential owners could age comfortably in their own home.
Denise Hermanson of Denise Hermanson Design tackled the interior design of the model homes. For the home targeted to young families, she took her inspiration from the kitchen.
“I based my colour scheme around the beautiful aqua backsplash,” Hermanson said. “I wanted to add shots of this colour throughout the home — in different tones and shades — to unify the space.”
From deep turquoise goblets on the dining room table to chocolate brown-and-aqua throw pillows in the living room, Hermanson created a home that’s not only uniform, but truly homey. Woven stools are pulled up to the kitchen counter, ready for a quick before-school breakfast. A little girls’ room is all set up for a tea party. A colourful, sports-themed boys room has a jean jacket casually tossed over the bed. It’s the kind of home a young couple could easily picture themselves settling into.
But when you walk down the street at Ravenscraig, don’t expect to see nothing but a parade of strollers. Ravenscraig is also making quite an impression on couples whose children are all grown up. Its close proximity to parks and lakes is making it an inviting place to spend those golden years. There is even dedicated space for a future elevator, so homeowners don’t need to worry about stairs as they age.
Homes at Ravenscraig at Fleming Park range from 2,007 to 3,579 square feet, and cost between $379,000 and $619,900. www.polycorp.ca/ravenscraig
– Heather Clarke is a Halifax-based writer with a penchant for pretty things.
