One of those innovators, Jayman Master Builder, is a finalist in four categories for one house in Edmonton, two homes in Calgary, plus a multi-family site. The Calgary finalists are The Verve (Innovation by Jayman) for single-detached home under 1,500 square feet and The Foothills for single-detached home 1,500 to 2,200 square feet.

Jayman executive vice president of program development Ed Nordlund elaborates, “It envelopes the band of the market that we cover. The Verve is an entry-level, first-time buyer type of product. The Foothills is a very high-end custom quality home. They’re at two ends of the scale.”

The Verve
“About three years ago, we went into the entry-level marketplace to do some focus group research. We were looking for what people wanted in their homes. Interesting, there was a remarkable similarity between all buyers.

We incorporated this research into our design. We had the opportunity to create a complete portfolio of plans for the entry-level division. The Verve was one of those plans and probably the bestseller out of those we came up with.

“The research revealed they like openness, lots of natural light, a feeling of warmth and comfort. We talked to people about the styles they liked, whether they wanted country decorating or a contemporary look. It was interesting that the people who liked country, talked about openness and natural light, whereas you’d think of country as being comfy and cozy. We heard people who were into contemporary talking about warm colors. Regardless of what the style was, there were factors that were common to everybody.”

The Verve is a two-storey, rear-garage product. The whole main floor is very wide open, so you can feel the space. The front and back windows are large to let in an abundance of natural light. When Jayman decided on the rear-entry garage, they looked at the main entrance of the house and opened up the foyer area.  As a sample of the small details that Jayman considered when designing this home, they hid the half-bath off the stair landing, giving it an accessible, but discreet location. They added hardwood throughout the main floor to give this home a special appeal.

The home’s exterior is quite eye pleasing. It’s a shingles style and sits on a corner lot with a front porch. It has a Heritage feel to it and has exceptional street appeal.

The Foothills
The Foothills is a bungalow on a high-amenity walkout lot. This home was designed to be very open but it also takes advantage of the mountain view out back. When you enter the house, you can see right through to the windows at the rear of the home.

This home with its French estate architecture with steep pitched roof and stucco exterior, was designed to fit the lot to maximize the view potential.

The management center tucked off the kitchen is a working space that is very accessible to day-to-day activities, like having bills and cookbooks at the fingertips. Between the formal dining room and kitchen, there is a butler’s pantry that acts as a servery with a counter, wine fridge, second dishwasher, bar sink, and a place for storing wine glasses.

In the rear great room, there is a two-sided indoor-outdoor fireplace that can be enjoyed from the deck and inside the house at the same time. Other features include cherry cabinets, granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, and walnut flooring throughout the whole main activity area of the home. The Foothills has a very warm, rich feeling.

As the home is on a walkout lot with a lower level development, when you descend the stairs, there is a large den with a vestibule circling the area and large windows on three sides. It also features an entertainment center and wet bar.

Nordlund adds that Jayman also added some energy efficient features. “One of the factors they look for in the judging is planning and design effectiveness and curb appeal – construction technology. We included a 94 per cent high-efficiency furnace with programmable thermostats. The home is 100 per cent electricity, but during its first year of occupancy, it was generated by wind power as supplied by Enmax.”