VIEW ALL SPRING 2017 ARTICLES

Feature: Westman Premier Homes

More often than not, the style and design of a home often reflects the individuality of the homeowner. If you have the opportunity to build a home, literally from the ground up, there are many decisions to make that influence the look, the flow and the function of the home.

A project recently completed by Westman Premier Homes is just that – a customized home that elegantly showcases the individual preferences of the new homeowners. Located in Oakridge Estates, one of the city’s newer developments on Brandon’s North Hill, this 1538 square foot home was built with features that took into consideration the lifestyle choices of the young family that is going to reside there.

The new homeowners, Michelle and Joe have been very hands-on in planning and making decisions to customize this home to meet the needs of their family and their own design preferences. As a family of five, they were drawn to Oakridge Estates primarily because of the spacious backyard the lot provided for their children.

“This is going to be our oasis, this is where we’re going to be 365 days of the year. We wanted to have the space for a soccer pitch in the summer and a hockey rink in the winter. We decided to invest in this house and we’ve incorporated a lot of things that we’ve seen in other places. Little things like unique lighting, solid surface countertops and the butcher block, are all features we chose specifically since our plan is for this to be our forever home,” said Michelle.

The open concept living room, dining room and kitchen will provide a comfortable space for entertaining family and friends with plenty of natural lighting from the All Weather PVC windows from South End Lumber in Brandon. A well-designed, functional kitchen, which features a large island with a stunning walnut butcher block finish the space elegantly.

The high energy efficient wood fireplace that is part of the living room area is adorned with Stone Rox (Snow White) and porcelain tile (Salerno Taw Silk Series Olive) installed by Brooks Masonry and Acrylics. The fireplace, along with the sound proof floating cork flooring, will provide just the right amount of heat for the family to stay cozy and warm during our long Manitoba winters.

On the feature wall in this great space, the homeowner chose to incorporate accent pieces to add even more comfort and ambiance. Two translucent, backlit DesignerStone®Panels give the room a warm feel and a touch of elegance as they contrast with the dark grey colour of the walls (Sherwin Williams- Cyberspace, SW7076).

Scott Bromley, General Manager of Westman Premier Homes, said this home was showcased recently in the 2017 Spring Parade of Homes, sponsored by the Manitoba Home Builder’s Association.

“This entire house is done to the homeowner’s tastes. I think it makes for a better show home because it’s not just a generic spec house. When you come to see a house like this, you’re either going to love it or you’re going to hate it. Either way, we’re going to get a reaction,” said Scott.

The bungalow at 56 Outback Drive has two bedrooms and two bathrooms on the main floor. For now, the upstairs bedroom will accommodate the couples third infant child, but was designed so that it could eventually be converted into an office as the children grow up. And, as a great deal of thought and planning went into the design of the home, the bedroom closet can also be converted into an upper level laundry suite for added convenience.

The second bedroom on the main floor is a spacious master bedroom that has a walk-in closet, ensuite bathroom and outdoor access to a wrap around deck.

The ensuite features a walk-in shower and floating double vanity with carefully chosen, unique his and hers sinks and lighting on a stylish Cobalt Corian countertop.

The homeowners were selective in choosing a variety of styles and colours for the doors in their home as well, which add to the distinctive features of the home. The kitchen pantry has double pocket doors to maximize access and space, and the mudroom off the garage entrance can be hidden with a beautiful custom painted barn door.
The front door was coated with a brilliant Sapphire Blue and the large three-car garage doors in Charcoal offset the coloured stucco. The stone work, installed by Brooks Masonry and Acrylics, and siding combination finishes the exterior of the house.

While this designer home has a number of unique characteristics to enhance the living space and highlight the homeowners’ eye for design, it was also built for efficiency and consideration of the environment.

“The exterior walls were built to avoid any thermal bridges and the R-value is way higher than what is required. With infloor heat in areas on the main floor, in the basement and in the garage, extra insulation, LED lighting, a heat pump and future plans to incorporate solar panels, this home was built to be energy efficient,” said Scott.

The family will take possession in May once the full basement is completely finished and landscaping can begin with installations of underground sprinklers and exterior accent lighting from D&B Sprinklers. While they’ve enjoyed the process of building a home, they are also excited to move to their new abode.

“Just seeing it come together from literally an empty lot to this beautiful creation that all of these skilled craftsmen have worked on has been a pleasure. It’s really nice to have an idea and see it come to fruition right before your very own eyes. This has been an incredibly smooth process and very enjoyable, but we all can’t wait to move in,” said Michelle.

Westman Premier Homes has been in business since 2009; they focus on residential and commercial building projects. Scott says as the housing market has fluctuated and changed in the last few years, so have the trends.

“We started out putting up spec homes, but now we’re building more custom homes, working with the customers and building to their exact tastes. When you’re building fully custom, quality homes, as opposed spec houses, they are more detailed and we’re more involved with the customer. We’re also noticing that the homes people are building are getting bigger and more elaborate and fancier, so they tend to take a bit longer to build,” said Scott.

This is the second home that Westman Premier Homes has ever entered into the Parade of Homes, which wrapped up near the end of March. If you missed your chance to see the home at that time, it is also be available for viewing during the Brandon Home & Leisure Show.

Wanda Kurchaba
Photos By Sarah Sobry & Westman Premier Homes

OTHER ARTICLES