“We built our first home without either of our families knowing — we sent out Christmas cards with us out in front of our house,” recalls Margaret with a grin.

The couple, originally from Vancouver Island, wanted their secret kept until things had firmed up on the home front. Now settled in their sophomore Sabal Crafted home in Copperfield, Phil and Margaret this time let their families in on their purchase sooner, when they began the building process again a couple of Christmases past.

Spanning 2,000 square feet, and housing many of the wish list items missing from their 1,300-square-foot inaugural address in Saddle Crest, it’s no wonder the Walker family — about to grow by one with their first child due in May — was bursting with enthusiasm over the move to their current move-up digs last August.

While the first taste of ownership will always be sweetest, Phil and Margaret admit their second abode is better sized to meet their changing needs.

“The first one took that feeling away from us, even though we love this home more, and we bought it really with plans for kids in mind,” says Phil, a bindery specialist with a local printing company.

Though the pair has nothing but rave reviews for their salespeople, one thing the process taught them is they, as novice buyers, may have missed a few design details.

“It was just minor things — when we moved into our last house we put in doors at the back so we could come in from outside, but there was no switch to turn on the light when you came in,” says Margaret.

“Yeah, you should almost picture yourself living in the house when you build. We hated that light,” adds Phil. Space was also becoming an issue, especially with the household about to expand.

Now, in addition to a front-drive double garage to house both vehicles, extra square footage in their kitchen and nook area houses visiting family and is poised for their own changing household at mealtime, says Phil.
 “We wanted to make sure the kids had enough room to run around. Now four people can cook at the same time, and in the last place we couldn’t even open the cupboard and dishwasher at the same time.”

And thanks an anniversary promotion by the builder, that switch at the back door is not all they improved on — the soon-to-be-parents netted about $15,000 in extras, including upgraded cabinets and hardwood on the main floor at no extra cost.

There were a few other must-haves, such as an upgraded fireplace mantle in the great room, the gathering hub of the home, and a developed staircase to the basement — should their burgeoning family require the space.
Their second home seems a good reflection of the couple — from the “wedding corner” of gifts and mementoes and Chinese etchings by a friend of Margaret’s family tree (“She’s going to have to add two names,” notes Phil, adding Margaret’s sister is also expecting), to framed prints of water scenes perhaps reminiscent of their coastal origins.

When asked where they spend their time, Phil answers “everywhere,” though arguably the film buff is most at home in the bonus room that’s perfectly decked out to screen the latest DVDs — complete with 50-inch flat screen and full surround sound.

While Margaret shares her husband’s affinity for film, she also appreciates the space for freeing up the main floor of television noise. “We don’t want a TV that anyone can turn on when we have people over,” she explains.
And having a laundry and mud room, the benefit of a front-attached garage, is also a plus, sure to be appreciated in the not-too-distant future when Margaret has an infant in tow full-time while on maternity leave from her post at a major grocery chain.

“You can come in and set the groceries down and not worry about tracking in mud through the house,” she says, adding a walkthrough pantry from the space is a “godsend.”

And while they haven’t learned the gender of their unborn child, Phil jokes about how the upstairs suits a pair of kids — especially daughters — with a bathroom square in the middle of two identically-sized rooms with walk-in closets.

Backing onto path and green space, the lot in the Hopewell-designed community was also a big selling point. “It’s planned out with pathways so well — our kids will be able to take it all the way around the neighbourhood on bikes,” says Phil.

And after moving seven times in eight years, Margaret and Phil’s nomadic lifestyle may just be winding down. But can their families finally etch in the soon-to-be family of three’s address in ink, or should they wait for another Christmas card?

 “We may get into other real estate adventures, but for the most part this is the house we wanted and we’re happy here,” says Phil.  NL