House hunting for a Saturday morning

It’s the newest house to be built in the city, has the latest in gizmos and esthetic pleasures and if you want you can check it all out on Saturday from 10-12. The showpiece home of a would be Rupert developer is located at 515 Fifth Avenue West, and if things go the way that the developer hopes it will be but the first of many homes of the same idea to be built in the city.

The newest construction project was previewed as part of a story in the Daily news on a sudden interest in new construction in the city, a topic that hasn’t been mentioned much since the Pulp Mill shut its gates a number of years ago. With the renewal of interest in the Prince Rupert economy spurred on by the container terminal, the thought is that there may soon be mini housing boom in the city, as developers return to increase the inventory of new houses to a market that is heavy on wartime and seventies housing but hasn’t seen much happen since the late nineties.

Should you find that the showcase property being presented on Saturday is to your liking, best make a trip to your local bank, asking price is going to be around the high 500,000 dollar range. It’s a price that Rupert residents probably didn’t expect to see in their real estate listings anytime soon.

DOOR OPENING TO NEW HOUSING ERA
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Friday, February 16, 2007
Page one

For years, housing starts in Prince Rupert have remained largely stagnant. However, with one high-end executive-style home just completed and plans in place for as many as 10 more from a single developer, the face of local real estate may be on the brink of big changes.

“Recognizing that the economic climate is about to go through a dramatic upswing, logically there’s going to be a huge shortage in quality housing in the future,” said developer Geoff Greenwell, 2G Holdings, who has worked in the area for more than a decade.

“Obviously, there’s some housing on the market, but you’re talking about people moving from larger cities like Calgary and Vancouver and they’re used to living in fairly high-end properties.
“Realistically, if you’ve got an executive or senior management moving to town, they’re going to expect certain types of places to live and it’s going to be a problem for the employers in Rupert to attract people if they don’t have that kind of place for them.”

With the likelihood that the container port and related spin-offs would be bringing people to town who had left behind million-dollar homes, Greenwell has finished his first property at the end of Fifth Avenue West, which is expected to list in the high $500,000 range.

The house includes the ‘latest and greatest’ in technology and creature comforts.
The three- or four-bedroom home — depending on the buyer’s preference for a study/computer room or not — has a master bedroom that includes an ensuite bathroom with jacuzzi tub and steam shower, designer toilets and sinks, and the floors are covered throughout the home with Italian tile, hard wood, and plush carpets.

The house is heated and cooled by a high-efficiency electric heat pump system that costs about 25 per cent of what it would to run a gas furnace.

It has high-quality windows and doors, is wired for all the latest technology, has Hardiplank fiber cement siding that resists algae and mildews, and has a sprinkler system.

The kitchen area is notable for its granite counter tops with built-in range and commercial-grade appliances. Decks are present both in the front and rear of the home and there is a detached garage.

“A lot of the stuff was brought up from down south,” said contractor Craig Movold, ADANAC Construction.

“We basically saved three walls on this house and the floor system, everything else is new — we ripped the roof off put all new trusses, blasted rock in back, put in the garage, the decks, everything — this is a really nice house.”

But the room that really sells the place is the main sitting room across from the kitchen, he said. It’s complete with maple hardwood floors, a fireplace, mile-high ceilings and a million dollar view of Mount Hays.

The developer has an option to purchase land next door to it where he hopes to build three more executive-style homes in 2007 and is on the hunt for several other key locations around town for the following year.

Anyone in town who would like to have a look the property located at 515 Fifth Avenue West is invited to drop by Saturday between 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

“Everybody watched this thing coming up, so I think people will be interested to see how it ended up,” said Greenwell.

“Everyone in town is welcome — as long as you take your shoes off.”