Home:     Willow, Environ Custom Homes
Designer: Craig Bischke

It’s always a good thing when a home designer is able to create something completely unique. Sometimes architects and designers work within very rigid guidelines and have little opportunity to truly exercise their creative muscles. However, when a little leeway is given, it is then that these creative individuals really shine. Some new home designers are lucky enough to experience a greater degree of this freedom every time they design a floor plan, such as with custom-home designers. In the case of Enviro Custom Homes, every home is uniquely designed for each homeowner.

Craig Bischke, a principal and designer for Enviro Custom Homes, has created some truly unique homes in the five years since the company’s inception. Craig says that although he’s been designing homes for over 18 years, his interest in the topic started even earlier. “Architecture has always been a passion,” says Craig. “When I was 15 years old my Mom got me into drawing my dream bedroom and I’ve been playing with spaces ever since.” A graduate from SAIT’s Architectural Technologies Program, Craig later got together with a fellow graduate and together they created Enviro Custom Homes. “We were both working with builders in town when we got together,” says Craig. “And with him being more on the construction end and me being more on the design side, we both kind of bridged and approached the environmental components of home building.” With the building industry at the time starting to look towards some of the environmental issues facing new home construction, the two entrepreneurs decided to give it a try — and Enviro Custom Homes was born. Obviously it was a good idea, because the company continues to offer a service that many buyers still want.

Craig says they offer clients various environmentally-friendly features to choose from in the designing of their new custom home — without coming across as too pushy. “What we really wanted to do is provide the consumer with an opportunity to pursue the environmental side of home building that the traditional builder group wasn’t making available,” says Craig. “We wanted them to be able to pursue that course to whatever extent that they wanted.” In order to do this, the company has taken and categorized three different components, and it addresses those individually to whatever level the buyer wants to pursue based on their ideals and needs. Air quality, alternative energy and recycled and reclaimed materials are the three main categories that consumers can choose from when building their new Enviro home.

One home Craig has designed is called the Willow. This amazing home has been custom designed with the site, the environment and the owners’ needs all in mind. This gorgeous sprawling bungalow is 3,638-square-feet on the main level, and another 2,500-square-feet with the lower development. “We found this to be a really interesting project because it was site specific; being built on protected wetlands, first and foremost was integration to the site,” says Craig. “This was not your conventional cookie-cutter lot.”

One of the most notable features of this home is the screened and covered viewing gallery spanning a good portion of the back of the home. With a natural wetland setting there are sure to be a great many insects and mosquitoes about, but the viewing gallery offers a great view without being bugged. “When you’re in the screening gallery, you’re maybe 50 yards away from the wetland itself,” says Craig. “It’s completely nestled in trees, and just slightly to the left of that is a wonderful mountain view.”

Craig explains that with the Willow they were really working on severely minimizing the energy usage of the house itself. The design uses passive solar energy as well as geothermal heating and cooling.  Additionally, between the dining and gathering areas there is a two-way high-efficiency wood-burning fireplace that can heat up to about 2,200-square-feet during a cold winter.

But the energy saving features aren’t the only great design features of this home. With one of the owners being an artist, the studio is an important addition. This huge room is surrounded on three sides by floor-to-ceiling windows, affording a fantastic view of the woods behind the home and the mountains to the side. Next to the studio is the solarium, similarly offering a great view, while bridging the two separate sections of the home. Actually, the entire back of the Willow incorporates floor-to-ceiling windows, which offer a spectacular view from any room, including the master bedroom and ensuite.

In keeping with an artist’s perspective, the front foyer is both an entry hall and a gallery, designed to showcase art at the main entrance of the home. The entire main floor is designed to suit the needs of the owners; from the spacious kitchen and the huge pantry, to the pet retreat designed for their two Rottweilers, this home is a beautiful reflection of their lifestyle.

However, the lower development was designed with teenagers in mind. Most of the lower level is designed as a walkout, with access to the hot tub out back, a change-room and steam shower inside, and the large recreation room with built-in entertainment unit. As well, there are two bedrooms — each with its own ensuite and walk-in closet, and what Craig likes to call the flop room, offering a great place for friends to stay over. The nice thing about the lower development is it is completely separate from the main level and has its own separate entrance at the back of the home. This affords the teenagers of the house a little bit of privacy, and their parents a little bit of peace and quiet.

This is just one of Craig’s great designs, but if you’re interested in finding out more about Enviro’s upcoming showhome or more about the company, visit their website at http://www.envirocustomhomes.ca NL