The homebuilding industry is one of the largest in the city, and year after year more talented individuals choose to make a career out of designing new homes. For every newcomer there are also a few experienced veterans making their mark in the industry for years. One such dedicated professional is Lyle Faas, drafting and design manager with Shane Homes.

Lyle started with Shane Homes 21 years ago, at a time when the company built about 40 to 60 homes a year. That’s quite a difference from the volume of addresses the popular builder now produces. He says his interest in design started when he was young. “Growing up, my father was a carpenter-type person who built our family home here in Calgary, way back in the late ’50s,” he says. “I went through school always drawing, and being handy with my hands, however, I think I liked the thought of seeing my ideas built.”

Lyle graduated in 1977 from SAIT’s architectural technology program and he has been in the industry ever since. With 24 to 25 years of recognition with CHBA-CR (formerly CRHBA), Lyle is probably among the association's longest-standing members.

One of his more recent designs is a show home, The Capilano VII in Airdrie’s King’s Heights. A beautiful 2,579-square-foot two-storey, this amazing home is as attractive on the outside as it is on the inside, with its steep peaked gables and high stone archway entrance. “This particular showhome offers a Tudor ele­vation,” says Lyle. “It has very good curb appeal which is almost as important as the floor plan itself.” Once you enter this luxurious home you will find that it definitely meets the expectations that the exterior elicits.

While it is a mid-sized home, Lyle notes you would never know it when you enter the spacious foyer with its soaring ceiling, attractive decorative niches and expansive stairway climb-ing to the loft-style level above. With beautiful hardwood flooring leading from the foyer into the gorgeous great room and kitchen, this home offers a natural look punctuated by a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace in the great room and luxurious wood cabinetry and granite countertops in the kitchen. One of the unique features of this floor plan is the impressive wine rack with storage for glasses, flanked by the great room and the entrance to the kitchen.

This open-concept design is perfect for entertaining and social gatherings, but is also generous with practicality. “The kitchen has lots of tall upper cabinets in the kitchen, with nine-foot ceilings on the main floor,” says Lyle. “The large island in the kitchen has a raised eating bar, and there is a huge 13-foot by 12-foot nook as well.” One of the more unique main-floor design features is the home management centre between the kitchen and the mudroom.

“This area offers a desktop with cabinets and mail slots, docking stations and an upright freezer,” he says. “Also in this area is a large separate walk-in pantry.” This innovative space, including the mudroom and half-bathroom, can be completely closed off from the rest of the home, ensuring that the main floor keeps an uncluttered appearance.

The rest of the home’s design is just as attractive, and counts among its clever features inked in from a huge family room—complete with an IT centre and angle-sloped walls, to second-floor laundry and an incredible master suite. This bedroom’s design is both practical and pretty, boasting vaulted ceilings with skylights in a luxurious ensuite, which also includes access to the spacious walk-in closet and laundry room. This layout seems to have been drawn to purposely cut the appearance of clutter, and with the bonus room on the other side of the second level, it also offers optimum privacy.

To see a version of this beautiful home plan in person, visit the Capilano VII in1460 King’s Heights Boulevard S.E. in Airdrie, just a short drive north of Calgary.  NL