Winning luxury by the Riverside

With its million-dollar view along the banks of the gently flowing Bow River, Calbridge Homes’ $2.6 million Foothills Hospital Home Lottery grand prize show home is already a knockout. Add to that the meticulous craftsmanship, unique estate finish and the fabulous cause it is supporting and it’s really no wonder why it’s one of the biggest charity events in the city.

For the past 12 years, Calbridge Homes has topped itself time and again with their twice-a-year lottery home grand prize creations in support of the Calgary Health Trust. Its latest is a nearly 6,000-square-foot residential marvel that puts a new spin on riverside estate living.

Eelco Kleinleugenmors, Architectural Planning & Development at Calbridge Homes, has been responsible for coming up with these singular, multi-million dollar custom home creations. Like many of his designs, this latest grand prize lottery home draws its inspiration from its location. And its exquisite spot on a bend along the Bow River in Cranston’s Riverstone in the southeast provides plenty of inspiration indeed.

“The Calbridge Home was designed to be wider, with more open spaces in the main floor and plenty of big windows that give room to panoramic views of the Bow Valley vista before them,” Kleinleugenmors tells New Home + Condo Guide.

He says the home is his take on a Mountain Modern design that borrows from the classic Craftsman style with a healthy dose of contemporary elements, and – as always – taking its cue from the surrounding natural landscape. “It’s a home that reflects the mountains, the river and the valley it inhabits.”

It has 4,300 square-feet of beautifully crafted living space on the main floor and upper level, plus another 1,400 square-feet in the fully developed lower level that walks out to the banks of the Bow River just a few metres behind.

The fantastic kitchen with its enormous island and miles of counter space proved its stylish practicality during the grand opening celebrations on February 20, as it handled party hosting duties quite admirably.

The awe-inspiring living room featured dramatic vistas of the unfolding nature just beyond it from almost any vantage point, and the covered deck with an automated screen system to keep the bugs out extends the living space to almost the river bank.

One of the most eye-catching details of the home is the hand-laid El Dorado stonewall that is used through most of the main floor, including in the impressive sunken, glass-enclosed wine room below the open-riser stairwell.

“Using a lighter grout serves to break up the mass of the wall as it lays the foundation of the design and gives a visual appeal to the home,” Kleinleugenmors says.
The visual pleasure continues upstairs in the vaulted bonus room, wet bar and sunroom. While the lower level development also features a tricked out home theatre that gives owners the full cinema experience in the comfort of their own home.

Kleinleugenmors says that the lasting value that building these one-of-a-kind lottery homes is the inspiration that it can give in the design of Calbridge’s own line of single-family homes. “These lottery homes give us an insight in telling a story that prove invaluable in the design for our own show homes and how we can craft a lifestyle that people would want,” he says.

This year’s FHHL Grand Prize lottery home is located at 181 Cranbrook Point S.E. It is open to the public Wedesdays to Fridays 2 to 7 p.m., and weekends and Holidays noon to 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the show home or at www.foothillshospitalhomelottery.com. Early bird deadline is on May 1; final deadline is May 22.