Even on the greyest days of winter, Main Street is lively, with people up and about. Past the town towards Heritage Hills, one can see the majestically snow-capped Rocky Mountains. Higher up in Heritage Hills is the Kingston, the 2,320-square-foot custom show home by Assured Developments. It’s a perfect stop after the 30-minute drive from Calgary. “The Kingston is a really well-designed home. As you can see, the layout is pretty amazing,” says Rod Fleck, Assured Developments’ Heritage Hills new home sales consultant. One can only nod in agreement. Assured Developments is, after all, known for the quality of their interior and exterior home elements.

The expanse of the ceramic tiled foyer meets the warm hardwood floors of the living area, but we make a small detour into the generous spaces of the mud room, with its sitting bench and open coat closet. Doors open to reveal the powder room, while yet another door leads into the brightly lit pantry space, where there is enough wire shelving for stocking groceries. Though there is a door from the pantry into the kitchen, we step back onto the foyer, all the more to appreciate the visuals of the great room, the nook and the luxury of the Kingston kitchen, with its warm maple cabinets and granite countertops juxtaposed against the sleek stainless steel appliances.

Lots of extra windows along the great room and the nook reveal an openness that lends itself well with the outside scenery. Glass doors from the nook also open into the deck so that one gets uninterrupted vistas of the outdoors. Other extras in the Kingston include nine-foot knockdown ceilings, a ceramic tile fireplace surround, soft-close doors, and the full-height fieldstone layout used in the kitchen’s backsplash. “We get a lot of compliments on this house, especially the layout of the kitchen,” says Fleck.

The wood banister, extra windows and plush carpeting along the stairwell assure safety as one goes to the upper floor of the Kingston. Upstairs is a flex room that can be converted into a family room, office, library or playroom. Elegant touches include doorways framed with four-and-a-half-inch crown moulding.

There are three generous bedrooms in the Kingston, one of which has been transformed into a den to show options on how to use the space. The main bathroom has a pocket door for privacy for those using the tub or the water closet. The laundry area has overhead cabinets, windows, and a laminate countertop. “Laminate countertops are better for the machines so that they don’t vibrate as much,” explains Fleck.

The master bedroom’s features include oversized windows, a soaker tub, a shower with a sitting bench, his-and-hers sinks, and an open closet with wire shelves. “What is unique about the closet is that it has an opening window so you can see the colour of the clothes that you’re wearing,” says Fleck.

It’s easy to conjure living the Cochrane lifestyle, a little gem of a town with a different personality from Calgary. People seem friendlier, less harried. Picturesque and Western style stores still have old fashioned doorbells that announce that someone has arrived. And homebuyers are flocking to Cochrane. Buyer profiles, according to Fleck, vary from empty nesters that are getting away from busy Calgary to young families. “You will see mothers at three o’clock waiting for their kids to get off the bus,” says Fleck. Amenities around Cochrane abound as well: schools, commuter bus stops, health, leisure and library centres. The presence of the Calgary-Banff recreation corridor also draws winter sports loving people into Cochrane. Themed streetscapes and stores are also in the works. And for those craving a bit of big city shopping, Calgary is just 30 minutes away.

In addition to what the Kingston and the Heritage Hills areas have to offer, Assured Developments offers homebuyers incentives. “We’re flexible. We offer customized buy plans that address the situation of different buyers,” says Fleck. The Kingston, with all its functional elements, upgrades and attractive small town location can be built for $419,000 including lot and GST.

For more information visit http://www.assuredhomes.com