Best of both worlds

Sumeet and Shweta Singla were drawn to Shawnee Park by promise of a new community within an established area of the city

Sumeet and Shweta Singla lived in the southwest community of Evergreen for over 14 years. They loved the location, the schools and their friends in the neighbourhood, but the couple and their 14-year-old daughter were ready for a bigger home.

The new community of Shawnee Park offered the perfect solution. The new master-planned community was being built in an established area right next door to Evergreen, and it bordered one of the most beautiful green spaces in Alberta – Fish Creek Provincial Park.

The family built a 2,600-square-foot, two-storey home and took possession on Dec. 6.

CREB®Now: What attracted you to Shawnee Park?

Shweta Singla: It was the location that really attracted us. We wanted to stay close to the neighbourhood of Evergreen. All my daughter's friends and all our friends are in that area. She was able to stay at the same school and I work at Evergreen School. It is the same distance from my new home as it was from my previous home in Evergreen. I really love this area. It is so lively here.

CREB®Now: Can you describe your new house and some of its features?

Shweta Singla: We moved from a townhome, and this is the first home that we have ever built. We built the Sequoia model by Cardel Homes. It's a four-bedroom home with an open-to-above great room and a separate formal dining room. We would go to the showhomes on the weekends and we had this big list of things that we wanted in our home.
We wanted to make sure that there was lots of sunlight. The backyard is south facing and the front of the home is north facing. We made all the windows on the south side larger to bring in more sunlight. I just love it. It's so bright.

Sumeet Singla: We really wanted two master bedrooms – one for us and one for our daughter. She is so happy with her room now. She has her own bathroom and walk-in closet. We really researched what we wanted and we made lots of changes as the house was being built. We put in eight change orders through the process. We are really happy with how it turned out.

CREB®Now: Can you describe the feel of the community?

Sumeet Singla: The community has come up in the middle of an established community, so it has all the amenities in place. Shawnessy and the supermarkets are right there. Macleod Trail is only two minutes away as well.

Shweta Singla: Certainly, Fish Creek Park is a big draw. We moved in on Dec. 6 and it has been so cold since then that we really haven't had a chance to go to the park. But when the house was being built, we would come over every day to look at the house and then go for a walk in the park. And in the community, there are lots of old trees. That's really nice.