Home:    The Bayview II by Cardel Homes
Designer:    Richard Bukarewicz

Good home designers and architects are definitely a commodity here in the stampede city. However, it’s not just plain housing that’s needed; buyers want homes that incorporate new and innovative designs that reflect today’s lifestyles and tomorrow’s needs. With that in mind, it’s not every day that you find someone that designs homes for several different cities, especially with styles and needs being different from one city to the next. However there are those people who do just that and Richard Bukarewicz with Cardel Homes is one of those talented individuals.

Richard graduated from SAIT’s Technology Program and two years later he started out in the drafting department with Cardel Homes. Initially he customized standard floor plans for Cardel customers, then he became the Design Manager and now, 14 years after starting with the company, Richard is Cardel’s Corporate Design Manager. Originally Richard began designing homes here in Calgary, but now he designs homes for Cardel in Calgary, Ottawa, Tampa and Denver. Richard says that design needs are a little different from city to city, but that one of the biggest differences is between Calgary and Ottawa. “In Calgary it is becoming more popular to have larger eating nooks rather than a separate dining room,” says Richard. “In Ottawa, which is much older than Calgary, more families are handed down furniture from generation to generation, so they want a traditional dining room in their floor plans.” 

It’s obviously very important to take different lifestyles into consideration when designing a home and Richard is very good at it; wherever the home may be. One of his newer designs here in Calgary is the Bayview II in our city’s NW community of Tuscany. This beautiful two-storey home has a front attached garage with nine-foot main floor ceilings and some really great features. “The Bayview II is a current showhome model and it has a lot to offer,” says Richard. “The two-storey family/great room adds that extra something to the plan, as well as the bonus room and the contemporary decorating in the show home.” As you enter the Bayview II you are greeted with the flex room, and in the showhome it is shown as a den, but could easily be a dining room or library. Basically the flex room offers you just that; flexibility. In the case of the showhome there are two archways that open from the flex room to the front entrance and into the interior of the main floor. Richard says that this can be easily customized to include French-doors instead. He adds that there are various options that can be added or changed throughout this particular floor plan.

One of the unique features that Richard has included on the main floor is a walk-in closet off the garage entrance. It is more and more popular to have the laundry room off the garage, (which the Bayview II has) but this closet area can serve as additional storage or a mini-mudroom to place shoes, boots and coats; a great family feature. Another great family feature is the upper bonus room above the garage. It’s not unusual to have a bonus room, especially with growing families, but Richard has placed the main bathroom so that it is easily accessed from the bonus room, and the secondary bedrooms. Of course the master ensuite in this showhome is fabulous and shows the same attention to detail as the rest of the home. The separate tub and the oversized shower with the tiled niche detail as well as the optional mirrors on all three sides contribute to the luxurious atmosphere of the master bedroom and ensuite.

Richard works hard to ensure that all his floor plans can incorporate different lifestyles and remain functional while being aesthetically pleasing at the same time. It’s this ability to build with unique lifestyles and needs in mind that makes Richard one of the industry’s natural resources.   NL