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The 2003 Rotary Stampede Dream Home, located in Panorama Hills. Courtesy Homes by Avi

June 30, 2020 | Barb Livingstone

What dreams are made of: the genesis of the Stampede Rotary Dream Home

It takes a lot of work to build a dream.

Over the span of 12 months, Homes by Avi teams work to develop designs that "wow" and intricate, jigsaw-puzzle construction to make the Stampede Rotary Dream Home a winner.

This year's two-storey, 2,438-square-foot, three-bedroom lottery home is mid-century modern with glamourous black and gold accents, and sits fully assembled on the Stampede grounds.

Julie Punter, Homes by Avi's manager of showhome selections and presentation, says the theme has changed in each of the 23 years the homebuilder has overseen the creation of the dream home: from rustic Alberta in 2015 (complete with sliding barn doors and a chairlift bench) to classic elegance and romance in 2016 (white and gold kitchen accents, including a chandelier above the island) to the simplicity and serenity of Scandinavian elements (think fancy IKEA) last year.

"Each year it is about dreaming, but we also have to keep the size of the home, and what can fit on the trucks, in mind." - Julie Punter, Homes by Avi manager of showhome selections and presentation

"Each year it is about dreaming, but we also have to keep the size of the home, and what can fit on the trucks, in mind," said Punter.

Homes by Avi undertakes a unique process of assembling and re-assembling a home that is first transported to the Stampede site, and then, once the winner is announced, taken apart and reassembled at its permanent location. This year, that location will be the southeast community of Walden.

Over the years, the company has learned a few lessons. These have included switching from bungalows (1995 to 2001) to two-storey homes in most years since, and an increased mindfulness about certain design features, after a dream home with soaring, 10-foot ceilings created some challenges.

"We almost lost half a house trying to go through the underpass on Macleod Trail," said Christian Orme, Homes by Avi corporate marketing manager.

Bev Cuckow, a REALTOR® with Seller Direct Real Estate, listed last year's dream home for winners who did not want to move into Calgary from their rural home (lottery home sales are not subject to capital gains tax).

He says dream-home status – and the fact that the home is new with high-end design elements – helps market the house to people who may have already visited the home and liked it. However, in the end, the main selling point is still how the home's design, size, lot and community location works for the buyer.

"Like any home, it gets down to the right person for the right home in the right location," said Cuckow.