Aspen forest is perfect setting for couple's dream home

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Mariya Stvolina and Oleh Stvolin had been considering a move for a few years, a decision driven by their desire to live closer to their grandchildren. They had built a bungalow-style home in Cranston’s Riverstone, but five years ago, when their daughter and her husband purchased a home in the community of Legacy, they tagged along for the community tour and fell in love with the trees and the wide-open spaces.

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It took some time before they plunged in (they purchased in the summer of 2021 and moved in a year later), the final impetus triggered by the release of lots in a select sub-community of Legacy aptly named the Woods of Legacy, a collection of extra-wide lots in the midst of an established aspen forest.

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“There are so many places to walk and the trees are just wonderful,” says Mariya, who loves to cook for her family and hang out with her two grandchildren, who are four and six. Legacy offers plenty of opportunity to roam — a 300-acre environmental reserve is at the core of the community’s design, while playgrounds and 15 kilometres of walking paths add to the mix.

Initially the couple toured all of the show homes by the expansive builder group in Legacy, but was attracted to WestCreek Homes (its sister company WestCreek Developments is the developer behind Legacy) because of the company’s openness.

“They were flexible and really listened to us and what we wanted,” says Mariya, who notes that they were able to really personalize their home and make it their own by shifting some walls and curating the windows and the exterior deck.

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“We really wanted to build a home the way we wanted,” says Oleh. “We had built three homes in the past — two in Evergreen and one in Riverstone — so we had quite a bit of experience and we really wanted to apply everything that we had learned to this home.”

The couple chose the Maplewood bungalow. The 1,492-square-foot home features a state-of-the-art kitchen, a lovely gas fireplace in the vaulted great room, large windows with views of the forest, a main floor master suite with walk-in closet and ensuite and plenty of space on the lower level to add bedrooms and more entertaining space.

Rachel Mattock, area sales manager for WestCreek Homes in Legacy says that the home’s vaulted ceiling, which stretches the entire span of the open concept living space, along with the triple-car, attached front-garage really sets this bungalow design apart from the rest.

For Oleh, 62, and Mariya, 52, the bungalow design works perfectly for their lifestyle.

“A bungalow is just so much easier to walk around in,” says Mariya, noting that the couple had built a bungalow-style home in Cranston’s Riverstone and had lived in it for eight years before building in Legacy. “We really liked the bungalow style, we knew how it worked for us,” she says, adding that because of that, they were able to narrow down the selection of home plans easily and quickly when it came time to choose from the options in The Woods in Legacy.

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Designed specifically for the Woods of Legacy, the Maplewood bungalow’s design maximizes the community’s generous lot widths, which range from 44 to 50 feet wide. The triple-car garage was a big plus for Oleh who owns a home renovation and painting company. He uses the third bay in the garage as a work space and to store his tools and paints.

Mariya fell in love with the kitchen — she hosts big family dinners every Sunday night — as well as the great room. “It’s just so light and open and airy.”

“Most of our buyers personalize their bungalows — they know what they need and what they don’t need, so each home is unique,” says WestCreek’s Mattock.

For Oleh and Mariya that meant focusing in on the details and finishing the home’s walk-out basement to a high level with two bedrooms and an entertainment area, as their youngest daughter is still at home.

“It works out perfectly,” says Mariya. “She has her level and we have ours.”

A bevy of amenities — Legacy boasts more than 1.7 million square feet of commercial space, including restaurants, an anchor grocery store, coffee shops and medical — as well as easy access to Macleod Trail contributes to ease of living.

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“Legacy has traffic circles, rather than lights, so there is really good flow. It’s so easy to get to the mountains and for me to get to work,” says Mariya.

The community is also very connected. “Everywhere you look there are kids playing, families walking, couples biking. It’s a very welcoming community; newcomers to Legacy feel right at home as soon as they move in,” says Mattock.

Certainly, that was the case for Oleh and Mariya. “You never know what is going to happen in five days or even tomorrow, but we love it here very much and we are hoping that this will be our forever home,” says Mariya.

THE DETAILS

HOME: The Maplewood, a 1,492-square-foot bungalow with a state-of-the-art kitchen, a vaulted ceiling in the great room, a stunning main floor owners’ suite and a triple-car, front-attached garage.

COMMUNITY: The Woods of Legacy.

BUILDER: WestCreek Homes.

DEVELOPER: WestCreek Developments.

PRICE: The Maplewood Bungalow starts at $828,560, including home, lot and GST.

SHOW HOMES: WestCreek’s Legacy sales centre and show homes are located at 308 and 312 Legacy Circle. They are open Mondays through Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from noon to 5 p.m.

INFORMATION: westcreekhomes.ca, legacylife.ca

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