Finding a family home

Inner-city lovers build new in an old community

Gerald Proctor and Katrina Tashlikowich are inner-city people. Gerald was born and raised in Calgary and Katrina grew up in Vancouver, but work has taken them across the country. When they moved to Calgary from Regina five years ago, they drew a circle around the core and began their home search.

They landed in the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Killarney where they first rented a townhome to get a feel for the area. With the addition of son Declan, who is now five-years-old, the couple wanted more space, which they then purchased a 3,000-square-foot new build duplex in the heart of Killarney.

CREB®Now: What attracted you to the home design and plan that you purchased?

Katrina Tashlikowich: We wanted the best of both worlds. We wanted something that had a yard, but also a home that was centralized. We didn't want to fix up an old house and infills were the best option, given our price range.

We really feel a tremendous sense of belonging. People take care of each other here and help each other out. - Katrina Tashlikowich

The home has a double garage, a nice little yard with a back deck and the exterior is pretty – California modern with rock detailing. We toured over 60 homes in our house hunting adventure and this home had the type of finishing that you would see in a custom home. All of the storage is so accessible and there are drawers and cupboards literally everywhere. It is not just functional; it also looks great.

Gerald Proctor: Finding this home was a process. We really educated ourselves, looking at different types of homes in a variety of areas in the city and in a wide swath of price ranges. But we kept coming back to Killarney. We liked the area – the way the streets were laid out with new construction, along with quirky older homes. It was eclectic and had lots of kids.

CREB®Now: People have this conception that the inner-city isn't family centric. What is your view on that?

Katrina Tashlikowich: I would absolutely disagree because Killarney is such a great community. We really feel a tremendous sense of belonging. People take care of each other here and help each other out. That has been my first experience with that for sure. At Halloween there are kids everywhere. We know our neighbours – in fact we have become really good friends – people here hang out together regardless of age. It is very multi-generational, united by proximity and anchored by the Killarney Recreation Centre, the playground, dog park and the schools.

CREB®Now: How does the location work for you?

Gerald Proctor: It works really well for us here. The Shaganappi LRT station is six blocks away, a ten-minute walk, so it is great. I work from home – the house has an upstairs office with a skylight – and most of my meetings are downtown, so rather than pay the parking, I just take the train.

Katrina Tashlikowich: I am a ten-minute drive from work – I've never had that before. We are actually thinking of going to one vehicle, because we are so close to the LRT. People might think that buying in the inner-city is more expensive, but you can actually eliminate a lot of expenses from your life.

Tagged: Buyer Profile | Calgary | Calgary Community | homes | Killarney