Pilothouse designed with downsizers in mind

Credit to Author: Barbara Gunn| Date: Sat, 31 Aug 2019 12:20:40 +0000

When the Polygon development group set about designing the homes at its Pilothouse apartment project in the master-planned Hampton Cove community, it had one main buyer group in mind: the downsizer.

And those individuals are reflected in a number of ways in the boutique 87-unit, three-level, riverfront building, now under construction in Ladner.

The project, the only apartment building in what is primarily a townhome community, reflects a keen awareness of the individuals who will likely be relocating from single-family homes — and in possession of a good number of belongings.

To that end, the homes, most of which have two bedrooms, have ample storage. Many will have laundry rooms with sinks, and some bedrooms will have not only a walk-in closet, but a secondary closet as well.

Then there are the kitchens, with their enormous islands and ceiling-height cabinets.

“We spent a lot of time designing these kitchens,” says Goldie Alam, Polygon’s senior vice-president of marketing.

“Most of the kitchens have huge, generous islands. We did a bit of research and found that was very important to people, especially when they’re downsizing.

“They have so much kitchen stuff, and they want the space they’re used to having. They’re used to entertaining, cooking and hosting friends.”

On display at the Pilothouse sales centre is such a kitchen, which includes shelving in the island — perfect for storing cookbooks or displaying knick-knacks — and a wine fridge, an optional upgrade. The decorative hood fan, which fronts a full-height tile backsplash, is also an upgrade. “If you don’t want that, you have cabinets and a built-in hood fan,” Alam notes.

Bruce Kaduhr no doubt typifies the type of buyer who will call Pilothouse home.

A kitchen vignette is on display in the Pilothouse sales centre. [PNG Merlin Archive] Ami Sanyal / PNG

In 2000, Kaduhr built a 4,850-square-foot home on an acre of property in Surrey he’d lived on for 51 years, and is now poised to move into a ground-level unit at Pilothouse.

He says he never thought he would move — that is, until wife Patti showed him the Pilothouse display.

“I was sold,” says Kaduhr, who is semi retired from his work in the movie industry. “We are world travellers, so love the idea of moving into a luxurious two-bedroom-and-den apartment facing the Fraser River (where we) can enjoy the sunset each night from our wrap-around balcony.”

Some 21 of the Pilothouse homes have been sold, with occupancy expected in mid to late 2020. “That’s a good time for people if they’re planning to downsize,” Alam says. “They have time to sell their house and get their ducks in a row to move here.”

Pilothouse, the second-to-last phase at Hampton Cove — a final townhome component is still to come, bringing the total number of residences to about 600 — will have plenty of green space at its doorstep, and be fronted by the 16-kilometre Millennium Trail and a marina. Adjacent to the building will be a small commercial space, which may be home to a pub.

Like the other homes at Hampton Cove, Pilothouse will reflect what Polygon calls “iconic seaside architecture”, with touches that include board and batten siding, stone detailing and cedar shingles. Exteriors colours will be soft blues, beiges and greys — hues that provide what Alam calls “a seaside-y feel” — while white accents and decorative cross bracing on the balconies enhance the charm.

The spacious decks will have gas outlets for barbecues or heaters, making them ideal for entertaining.

Inside, buyers have a choice of two colour palettes: Moonlight and Sunlight. Four different sets of plans are on offer for the residences, which will have overheight ceilings and engineered hardwood flooring throughout the main living areas.

Kitchens will be fitted with engineered stone countertops, soft-close hardware on doors and cabinets, undermount stainless steel double sinks and recessed pot lighting.

An artist’s rendering of a living area at Pilothouse showcases an image of the actual outlooks that will be on offer. [PNG Merlin Archive] PNG

Master ensuites will have showers with frameless glass doors and integrated seating. All bathrooms will have engineered stone counters, flat-panel cabinetry and porcelain tile flooring.

Residents of Pilothouse will find themselves within strolling distance to a golf course, a jaunt from the character shops, services and eateries in Ladner and a short drive from the myriad amenities at Tsawwassen Mills and Tsawwassen Commons.

While at home, however, they’ll no doubt want to make use of the 12,000-square-foot Hampton Club, an amenity centre with an outdoor pool and hot tub, enormous great room, children’s play area, fitness centre, gymnasium and guest suites.

“Sometimes,” Alam says, “it takes a while for that sense of community to build, but here, that’s not the case. You walk in there (to the Hampton Club) and you feel like you are walking into a resort — except everyone knows each other.”

Residences of Pilothouse will be able to make use of The Hampton Club, a 12,000-square-foot amenity building that has, among other things, an outdoor pool, hot tub and sizable great room. [PNG Merlin Archive] Liu, Vicky / PNG

She says the project is attracting attention from people in South Delta and beyond — “there are a lot of people looking to downside in the area” — and says there’s become something of an inter-generational aspect to some of the residency at Hampton Cove.

“Perhaps they (the downsizers) have had kids who moved into a townhome, so they’ve got their kids and their grandkids right here in the neighbourhood.

“And vice-versa, we see people coming here to look at the townhomes who get excited and think ‘oh, my parents could move here too.’ There’s a lot of talk about that.”

Bruce Kaduhr, meantime, appreciates the proximity to the marina, given that he has a boat, and says he and Patti are already enjoying their walks in the area.

“We have fallen in love with the small-town feel of Ladner, a town that provides all of the amenities,” he says. “Can’t wait to move in.”

Pilothouse at Hampton Cove

Address: 5535 Admiral Way, Delta

Developer: Polygon Pilothouse Ltd.

Architect: Rositch Hemphill Architects

Interior design: Polygon Interior Design Ltd.

Project size: 87 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, some with flex rooms

Unit size: approx. 755 — 1,543 sq. ft.

Price: two-beds from $668,000

Sales centre: 5551 Admiral Way, Delta

Hours: By appointment

Telephone: 604-228-8530

Website:pilothouse@polyhomes.com

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