Space to grow

Kipp McGonigal and his family built their forever home at Cooper's Crossing

With a background in cabinetmaking and a flair for design, it's no wonder that Kipp McGonigal is passionate about architecture. So, when it came time to build his family's dream home, he turned to McKee Homes, an Airdrie-based design/build firm he had worked with previously to great success.

With four kids ages eight through 11 and a pet bunny, the McGonigals wanted to create a family-friendly space in a family-friendly neighbourhood. It also needed to be a home that could take McGonigal and his wife through their retirement years. They found the perfect lot, located on a park in the Airdrie community of Cooper's Crossing, and set their long-awaited plan into motion.

CREB®Now: Can you talk a little bit about the design of your home?

McGonigal: We built a 2,780-square-foot, custom designed, two-storey home that will take us through retirement. We wanted lots of early 1900s charm and character, and drew inspiration from the homes at Heritage Park, using fir mouldings, large baseboards, casings and door headers. The 1,650-square-foot main floor has the master bedroom, with an ensuite and walk-in closet. The closet has a washer and dryer.

Courtesy Kipp McGonigal

Upstairs we have four bedrooms for each of our kids (two boys and two girls) and two full bathrooms. The girls have an ensuite that is shared between their bedrooms, and the boys have their own bathroom as well. Each child has their own sink – that saves many fights over who made the mess.

We love to entertain and often host big family functions, so we wanted a large island and nook in the kitchen – ours has enough space for a table that seats 14 people.

CREB®Now: What attracted you to Cooper's Crossing and to the lot?

McGonigal: Lot size was really important to us, as well as a southwest-facing backyard. We back on to a green space where there is a playground, basketball hoop, toboggan hill and large fire pit.

The park was really appealing, but where we really were sold was on the size of our lot – 1,220 square metres. It's a massive pie lot that is 125 feet wide across the back. Both my wife and I really enjoy gardening, and with so much space, it is a labour of love.

CREB®Now: How was the building process?

McGonigal: I am a building junkie and I love the building process. Designing on paper and seeing the dreams come together is right up my alley. This is the fifth McKee home that I have built. I could go through the building process every few years if it wasn't for wanting to settle in to offer the kids a street to grow up on.