On a lazy day, you can pretty much enjoy it without even leaving home if you live in a Mount Royal V in Cochrane—a stunning home in which you can take in all the soothing serenity offered by the landscape simply by peering out the windows, and lots of them.

At first glance it’s easy to mistake a view from almost any window as a watercolour painting. But the scene of green hills stretching out to a mountain backdrop is the real deal in this stunning design by Mapeland Homes, in the community of West Pointe Estates.

And the first thing visitors will notice is it isn’t false advertising when they say the 2,863-square-foot, three-bedroom home features ample room and a sunny disposition.

“People like the openness,” says Mapeland sales manager, Joseph Tse.

And with high ceilings and plenty of windows, the lure of open space inside competes with the attractiveness of the view of the Bow River flowing behind the home along with easy access to bike paths. While there is no doubt attractiveness to living in smaller communities, close enough to commute to Calgary, area manager, Bob Renwick, says most people interested in the two-storey Mount Royal V actually live in Cochrane.

“Most of the people who bought are living in Cochrane and giving themselves an upgrade,” Renwick says. “I’ve had nothing but great reaction.”

Walking in the front door, the two-storey foyer has more of a ballroom feel than your conventional entry with its beautiful, gothic-inspired chandelier and a massive floor-to-ceiling windows.

Glance ahead and the kitchen and great room are breathtaking with gleaming hardwood floors. An entryway to the hallway leads to a two-piece bathroom with granite countertops, then down a short hallway to the oversized garage and through a walk-through pantry back to the kitchen.

The kitchen is, of course, open concept and overlooks the great room with its gas fireplace and built-in maple bookshelves. Renwick says the culinary space is a huge selling feature, perhaps a comforting reminder of the simple pleasure of friends and family gathering for a meal. “This is kitchen country,” he says.

Overlooking the rear of the house is a dining room area with what pretty much amounts to a picture window offering one of many vantage points of the river and the nature preserve beyond.

To get a closer look at the beauty outside, or perhaps to take in some fresh air, off the dining room is a maintenance-free deck.

An elegant spiral staircase leads to the second floor where a built-in computer desk and shelves are in the open loft area overlooking the foyer.

Renwick says many people are impressed by the fact the woodwork— namely shelving built into the great room, study area and a shelving unit in the master bedroom—are the finest in workmanship, all built on site as in days gone by, rather than pre-manufactured.

Two good-sized bedrooms with built-in closet organizers flank a stylish bathroom upstairs. And adding to the theme of the spacious and sunny home, there is a built-in panel of frosted glass adjacent to the door going into the master bedroom—to allow light in but to ensure privacy is not compromised.

“Isn’t this nice?” Renwick asks while walking into the master bedroom with its massive window and built-in bookshelves. In the adjacent bathroom there are two vanities, a corner tub complemented with large windows to offer a dreamy soak, a private toilet area and a transparent shower as well as in-floor heating.

Just between the bathroom and bedroom sits a large walk-in closet on one side and a linen closet on the other.

There are no doors between the rooms, only an arched entryway, something Renwick notes people can alter if they choose, by adding a door for privacy. “Some people don’t want to sit in the bathtub in plain sight.”

Tse says the show home is priced at $998,000, including lot and GST, and the home’s many gorgeous features—cherry hardwood floors, a spiral staircase, granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms, a walk-out basement and stucco exterior, to name a few.
If there isn’t already plenty of room on the main and second level, the Mount Royal V has a walk-out basement full of potential.

Extra-wide stairs lead to the lower level which some transform into a large family room with a storage area or into bedrooms and a bathroom. The basement can be completed at the building stage, from about $55,000 and up.

The home has a built-in security system, high-efficiency furnace and water heaters as well as central air.

The show home boasts 1,543 square-feet on the main floor, 1,320 square-feet on the upper floor and oodles of room in the unfinished basement.

“It’s absolute great value compared with what is offered in the neighbourhood,” Tse says.

In addition to the scores of space within the Mount Royal V, the home sits on an expansive 114-foot by 48 ½-foot lot—grand by Calgary standards. For those who prefer a scaled-down version of the luxurious address or perhaps a pared pricetag, the Mount Royal VI is a smaller version which can be built across the street and not backing on to the river, starting at $549,000. NL

The Mount Royal V show home, at 67 West Pointe Manor, is open Friday to Sunday in Cochrane’s West Pointe Estates from noon to 5 p.m. and Monday through Wednesday 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.