How We Built Our Newest Model Home

As trends change and our styles evolve, Quality Homes creates new and improved Sales Offices and Model Homes in order to showcase our most recent designs in all their glory. This time, we set out to transform our Sturgeon Falls office into a spectacular new showroom. But unlike our other sales offices, this one was at the heart of a very different story!

Quality Homes Building Consultant, Julie Armitage, made the big decision to build her sales office into her new home. She and her husband, Don, had purchased a modular home from a company in Quebec in 1993, so they were familiar with the benefits of prefab building for some time now and loved their home for many years before moving to Ontario. Of course once they started working for Quality Homes, they learned how much more prefab homes can offer, and decided to build their forever home with us.

The Vision

This past year, after the Armitages decided it was time to build their dream home, they began the process of designing their Quality Home. But what about the Sales Office? Well, during the design process, the team realized the model they had designed perfectly encapsulated everything homeowners are seeking, while simultaneously showing off some of the remarkable customizations and upgrades you can choose, like a barn door and a freestanding soaker tub. It also features a staircase into the basement right at the entry of the home, letting visitors step inside and down into the basement – where the Sales Office is located – without needing to walk through the whole home. Their new home needed to be a home first, and a model home second. the design was shaping up to be far more personal and intimate than other model homes but still had the functionality and high-quality as every other Quality Home.

The Process

With their beautiful property located right on the Sturgeon River, Julie and Don started their design with the priority of making the most of the riverside views. This goal led them to the Quality Homes Lakefield model: a 2-bedroom plus den design with spectacular floor-to-ceiling living room windows with a walk-out, inviting in the natural light, offering incredible views, and creating a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor living. But their dream isn’t just amazing views from the living room – Julie and Don wanted to wake up every morning and see the river outside their bedroom window and watch it flow past as they cooked dinner. The beauty of Quality Homes is in the customization. The Armitages were able to use the Lakefield as a starting point, and totally transform the layout to better suit their needs. Now, the primary suite, living room, and kitchen all aligned along the back of the house to make the most of the riverside views. A luxurious soaker tub made the ensuite into a peaceful retreat. A second bedroom and bathroom offer amazing flexibility, and a walk-in pantry added a new level of functionality. With the amount of time, attention, and care put into the customization of their home, Julie and Don wound up creating a brand new floorplan that they have allowed us to recreate for our clients – The Armitage!

Once their home was officially designed, Julie and Don got to enjoy the entire process of building a Quality Home. As Julie is one of our Building Consultants, she’s very familiar with the process, but getting to experience it herself was an experience on it’s own.

First came the selection of features and finishes, all designed around the beautiful modern farmhouse style. A magnificent barn door accented the pantry, matching the beautiful farmhouse sink in the kitchen. Sleek laminate flooring continues throughout the majority of the home for natural flow. Gleaming quartz countertops add a hint of luxury in the kitchen and both bathrooms, matching the neutral-toned cabinetry in each room. Getting to bring your design dreams to life is the most exciting step in building a brand new home – apart from moving in, that is! – and the Armitages had a fantastic time picking out their beautiful materials!

Design finalized and finishes selected, Julie and Don just had to sit back and wait for our factory to do what it does best – diligently build beautiful homes with precision and care. Within 10-12 weeks, they were able to watch their home be installed on their foundation, and finally move in! It was an exciting time for everyone, and we at Quality Homes were exceptionally proud to watch one of our own team experience so much joy in her new home.

JULIE’S PERSONAL DESIGN SELECTIONS

Flooring & Stairs

• Laminate Flooring by Centura – Studio Series – Colour: Stratus
• Maple Stairs with Ebony Wood Finish

Kitchen

• Gourmet Custom Kitchen Design by Woodland Horizon featuring Maple Flat Slab Square Doors – Colour: Chantilly Lace
• Blackrock Series Cabinetry Hardware by Amerock
• Quartz Countertop by Cambria – Colour: Blackbrook
• White Ceramic Tile Backsplash by Centura – Urban Max Series
• Sleek Matte Black Faucet by Moen
• White Fireclay Farmhouse Sink
• Stainless Steel Range Hood in Black

Bathroom 1

• Vanity & Mirror by LUKX
• Matte Black One-Handle High Arc Bathroom Faucet by Moen
• 60” x 36” Tiled Shower with Acrylic Base With Sliding Glass Door
• Matte Black Showerhead & Valve by Moen
• Ultra Ceramic Vinyl Tile Flooring by Centura

Ensuite Bathroom

• Vanity & Mirror by LUKX
• Matte Black One-Handle High Arc Bathroom Faucet by Moen
• 24” Matte Black Towel Bar by Moen
• Matte Black Toilet Paper Holder by Moen
• Acrylic Alcove Soaker Tub in White by MAAX
• Dark Porcelain Tile Tub Surround by Centura – York Series – Colour: Smoke – With Black Grout
• Ultra Ceramic Vinyl Tile Flooring by Centura

Doors & Trim

• White Interior Doors by Metrie – Heritage Series & Lincoln Series – With Black Hinges
• Black Hardware by Weiser – Aspen Series
• Custom Pantry Barn Door with Ebony Finish and Matte Black Door Hardware
• Standard Trim Package – Painted White

Exterior Finishes

• Vinyl Siding by Gentek – Sequoia Series – Colour: Iron Ore
• Estate Stone by Shouldice – Colour: Mixture of Wiarton & Norton, capped with Executive Grey
• Roof Shingles by Owens Corning – Colour: Estate Grey
• Concrete Front Porch with White Vinyl Wrapped Posts
• Pressure Treated Rear Wood Deck

Next Steps

Reflecting on the process as a homebuyer, Julie shared her enthusiasm of the last few months.

“One of the biggest appeals was that you don’t have to do anything pertaining to the home yourself, which relieves a lot of the stress of building a traditional site-built home, where you need to get the contractors and materials all lined up yourself.”

With Quality Homes, it is a turnkey process, so you get to spend more time enjoying the journey instead of trying to organize all of the moving parts.

Her favourite part of the process however was the delivery itself.

“Seeing my home on a transport truck, all built and being lifted by a crane onto the foundation was so fascinating and rewarding.” 

Like most Quality Homeowners, Julie’s excitement about this process highlights one of the biggest differences between a Quality Home and other modular homebuilders – with their other builder, “it was rolled onto the foundation instead of being lifted with a crane, which was very scary to watch.”

Unlike typical prefab homes, our designs were made to have a basement unless homeowners decide against it, which is the exact reason we were able to create this unique new Sales Office in the first place. For even more convenience, Quality Homes will dig and build before installing the home safely on top of it with a crane. Check out our time lapse video to see what a Quality Homes installation looks like.

Now that Julie and Don have moved in and gotten settled in their beautiful new home, the Sales Office and Model home is now open! As it is a part of their home, this office will be available to visit only by appointment. But once you arrive for a visit, you can experience an incredibly personal consultation like any other Quality Homes location! Julie is looking forward to welcoming you into her home, and showing off the beautiful Sales Office we’ve created.

We’re so excited to have taken this journey together with Julie and Don, now a wonderful part of the Quality Family. A huge thank-you goes out to everybody who helped design, build, and install this brand new home and Sales Office, and to Julie and Don for choosing to not only build a Quality Home, but open their doors to our clients to welcome them.

As a final piece of advice after their experience with the building process, Julie recommends that people who are interested should “come and see a house being set up, and see how quick and professional Quality were.”

Our Sturgeon Falls Sales Office is now open in The Armitage, so contact us today to book your private appointment.

CONTACT US:

1. Send us a message online: click here
2. Give us a call: 1-800-265-2648
3. Send us an email: info@qualityhomes.ca