Calgary is one of Canada’s fastest growing cities, and with that growth comes more housing with ever-changing styles and designs. All these homes are created by dedicated designers and architects, and of course Calgary is home to many of these gifted individuals. This month we are featuring a floor plan created by Michael Jacobson of Homes by Avi.

Michael is an M. Arch. with a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies. He has been working on a variety of projects the last seven years, everything from residential towers to different types of multi-family projects, and of course, single-family homes. His previous experience has been in Vancouver and Calgary, but Michael says he has been working for Homes by Avi for about three years now. He says his role as Avi's Product Development Manager is changing more and more and so, consequently, he is doing less designing these days. However, Michael still works on some projects and he is quite proud of one of his latest designs, the Princeton.

“This is a new plan which we have developed as a show home for Cooper’s Crossing in Airdrie,” says Michael. “This home will also appear in United Communities’ Silverado, scheduled to be built east of Spruce Meadows.”   The home in Silverado may not be ready for a while yet, but the Princeton at Cooper’s Crossing was just recently opened to the public. Michael says that the reason he has chosen the Princeton as his favorite is that it is one of a new line of homes that are being developed, which moves the upper floor family room from its traditional bonus location over the garage. “In this case of the Princeton, we have taken the idea of an upper floor family room and moved it to the rear of the home,” says Michael. “This makes it ideal for lots with rear-facing amenity spaces such as parks or lakes.”

Michael says that the main floor of the Princeton evolved from another floor-plan he designed called the Livingston. “The Princeton has a great kitchen with an eating nook, but in this newest design there is also a separate dining room which the Livingston didn’t have.” says Michael. This separate Dining room appears at the front of the home which allows easy access to the kitchen, but is separate enough to fulfill another function that a different lifestyle may dictate. The upper level of the Princeton is as well laid-out as the main floor, and unique from many other floor-plans.  “As I said, we really tweaked the upper floor with the placement of the upper floor living space, and the new model works very well with walk-out lots or view lots.” says Michael. He also mentions that this floor-plan offers a very generous ensuite, which is just off the equally generous master bedroom with its abundance of windows and large walk-in closet.  With all three bedrooms and the loft room on the upper level, this is sure to be a popular family gathering area. As a matter of fact, as well as being an aesthetically pleasing design, the Princeton is also a very functional family home.  With the different options and elevations, the Princeton ranges in size from 2,191 square feet to 2,337 square feet, offering lots of room for growing families or those who just like room to spread out.

It’s not hard to see why Michael Jacobson likes this particular floor-plan, and it’s good to know that his contributions to the industry will produce new and innovative homes for years to come.   NL