Love for the laned homes

Laned homes have often been referred to as the Goldilocks of homes. They’re not too small, they’re not too big – they are just right. No wonder it’s the home type that many first-time homebuyers, young families, and even those with changing lifestyles choose.
Laned homes are detached single-family homes with rear detached parking backing onto a laneway, and they are red hot in Calgary’s surging new home market.

Excel Homes’ Marketing Manager, Kristina Plank, says the laned home has been a perennial best-seller for them. “They offer a lot of great living space, have huge curb appeal with no shared wall, are more affordable than a front-drive home, and typically similar in size. You get it all,” she says.

Sam Hudson, Director of Marketing at Morrison Homes, says the adaptability of laned homes has made them a big favourite for single-family homebuyers at Morrison Homes.

“Homebuyers may have different reasons to consider purchasing a laned home, including factors like affordability or downsizing. Compared to duplex or townhomes, laned homes also tend to have more variety in terms of the range of square footage and floor plan options. So this housing type offers more adaptability and opportunity for personalization.

Trico Homes loves the laned home so much that they are marking their 30th Anniversary with the release of their latest laned home model, the Bravo. Trico Homes area manager, Ali Tahir, says their laned homes have everything that growing households need, including spacious living spaces as well as more privacy, but the Bravo adds the element of flexibility to the mix. “It’s something special,” he says.

Enduring appeal

The laned home is what most homebuyers imagine as the embodiment of the white-picket-fence dream home. A friendly front porch, and front windows that allows residents to view the world outside and lets more natural light in the home. That’s the enduring appeal of the laned home, but who says you can’t improve on perfection?

Plank says Excel is constantly tweaking their laned home designs to reflect ever-changing wants and needs of its buyers.

“We are continually redesigning and reimaging our laned model lineup to ensure that our homes provide ample space with just the right amount of style to fit your family’s needs,” she says. “We currently offer over six unique laned models to choose from, ranging from 1,493, up to 1,795 square feet in Calgary and area. We are also launching some brand-new models later this year.”

Excel Homes offers laned homes in almost all the areas they are active in across the Calgary region. Prices start from the $500,000s. New are their Windsor and Creston models that just opened showhomes in the southeast lake community of Mahogany.

“The Windsor is one of our most popular laned models. It is incredibly spacious, with a large kitchen opening up to the great room. Perfect for entertaining! While The Creston is also becoming very popular – it is a brand-new bi-level model released earlier this year. It features large ceiling heights, big windows and a ton of living space.”

Excel is committed to simplifying the homebuying journey through every step of the way. Plank says this includes online home personalization, a website available in 10 languages, free legal fees, a move-in concierge service included, and so much more. Go to excelhomes.ca for more.

Best of the best

Morrison Homes, which just won its 15th Builder of the Year trophy at the 2022 BILD Calgary Region Awards, knows a thing or two in coming up with home designs that fit their buyers’ needs.

“Morrison’s laned homes stand out for their versatility, quality craftsmanship, and standard inclusions - including the latest smart home features. They also often come with side entry plan options, which affords homebuyers the choice to build revenue generating legal basement suites,” Hudson says.

“We’re seeing a growing demand for more housing affordability, which is driving decisions that often favour laned homes,” he adds.

Their Arista and Arista II laned home models are popular. “They are very similar in layout featuring a stunning open to above great room in the front of the home, is open and spacious, has multiple floorplan personalization options including a four-bedroom option, and can accommodate a side entry for basement suite,” Hudson says. Showhomes can be found in Belmont, Livingston,and Rockland Park.

Morrison Homes is currently building laned homes in six Calgary communities; namely, Belmont in the southwest; Cornerstone in the northeast; Glacier Ridge, Livingston, and Rockland Park in the northwest; and Wolf Willow in the southeast.

Morrison’s two-storey laned homes mostly come standard with three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths, but Hudson says bungalow, four bedroom and two master bedroom options are also available. Laned homes start in the $500,000s. Check out morrisonhomes.ca for more.

Anniversary special

“Trico’s laned homes follow our unique design philosophy,” Tahir says. “We have very functional floor plans that come standard with large windows, wide hallways, wide staircases, and large bedrooms. Regardless of the size, our laned homes will feel spacious and have purposefully planned areas to enjoy.”

Tahir, Trico’s area manager in the northeast community of Homestead, where their laned homes have been a hit, says all their laned home models come with popular options to choose from. These include main floor flex rooms, spice kitchens, secondary suites with separate entrances in the basement, as well as developed basements, and even upper floor loft space.

Right now, Tahir says Trico’s most popular laned home model is the Raeya, whose main floor flex room has been its most popular feature. “Some buyers convert the flex room into a main floor bedroom, while others set it up as an office space or second living room. It also comes with a central bonus room and spacious bedrooms as a standard,” he points out.

“It is also very popular to choose our legal secondary suite option in the Raeya, since we can comfortably build a two-bedroom suite with kitchen, great room, and private laundry area. We can build this home anywhere we offer laned homes in the Calgary area. We have showhomes for the Raeya in Homestead, Cornerbrook, and Chelsea.”

Most of Trico’s laned homes have three bedrooms with two-and-a-half baths, but Tahir says they also have bungalow models for buyers who prefer a single-level lifestyle.

“We also have models that can be personalized to include 4 bedrooms on the upper floor, and a main floor bedroom. We offer laned homes that range from 1 bed and 1.5 bath up to five bedrooms and three baths all above grade. We can also build up to two bedrooms in the basement so have the possibility to build a seven bedroom laned home.”

For more of what Trico Homes offers, go to tricohomes.com.