15 hours Ago By Laura Severs
Article content They pivoted to Pivot. Initially looking for an acreage for their new home, Elyce Cartier and Jeff Topilko ended up in a completely different spot once they discovered Pivot , a small townhome-only enclave in Rutherford backed by rich, mature trees. “It was actually just like dumb luck, I guess, because there was just nothing that we liked,” said Topilko, who noted they were initially looking in Ardrossan and Strathcona County.
“And we just lived in Allard, a couple of subdivisions away ...
and we didn’t have a clue that this was here.” So one day, Topilko snuck into Pivot — as he describes it — to check it out and thought it felt and looks cool. But there was one problem, Cartier didn’t want to have anything to do with it.
That, however, changed when they checked out the townhomes. Once they walked through the property, they knew it was right. “And we loved it,” added Topilko.
“We wouldn’t have thought we would have loved, it but it’s pretty cool.” Cartier and Topilko moved in last April buying one of the already built Forest series townhome units. They needed a spec home when their Allard property sold much quicker than expected — in 48 hours — after it was put on the market.
Pivotal Decision Pivot, which sprang to life in 2017 with its first phase, is about to enter its last phase with just 20 new units to be built, in this smaller 7.5-acre southwest Edmonton development from Averton. What makes Pivot unique is its location, said Averton president and CEO Paul Lanni.
Not only are the townhomes each pivoted 65 degrees to add privacy, the area itself transports you away from the hustle and bustle of the city even though you’re still in an urban setting. “Nowhere else this close to the city can you live in the trees for such a good value, that’s part of the magic,” said Lanni. Both Cartier and Topilko love that forested feel.
Their unit, a three-storey, three-bedroom, 21⁄2 bathroom Presidio townhome (part of the Forest series — units that back onto the treed land), comes in at 1,787 square feet and includes a rooftop terrace. “I told Elyce one of first times we were up on the (rooftop) patio — because we go to Canmore quite a bit, it’s kind of our getaway — it feels kind of like Canmore and I was kind of joking and then Elyce looked at me and said it does have that feel,” said Topilko. “But without the mountains obviously,” added Cartier.
“It didn’t feel like we were in a townhouse. It didn’t feel like we’re in Edmonton.” It wasn’t just the exterior setting that sold them.
The openness of the townhouse units, the floor-to-ceiling windows, and that they were able to do some customizations even though their spec unit that was 90 per cent complete all played a factor in them deciding to buy. They were able to add a custom tile stone feature wall that wraps around and includes the area by the main floor bathroom, they had the nook off the kitchen transformed into a beverage centre/bar as opposed to turning it into a small office-type space with a desk, and as for that rooftop patio they love, they were able to extend the usable space and hope to turn that into an undulating putting green with multiple hole options to make the green more fun and challenging. They also selected Pivot based on extensive homebuilder research and Averton’s reputation, including awards it has won including for best customer experience for multi-family in greater Edmonton — Averton took the H.
O.M.E.
award in three of the last four years, an award based solely on the voice of the customer. “It was major pivot from what we were looking for,” said Cartier, emphasizing they love that Pivot brings the best of a new neighbourhood into an existing older, established part of the city. Final Phase At 85 per cent complete, and fully sold in new units at this point, Averton will be rolling out Pivot’s last 20 units, a bit later this year.
Averton is looking at a spring launch, and although pricing has not been released, the units — five buildings of four townhomes each — will be similar to the current Forest series but with some differences. Situated in the northwest corner of Pivot, Lanni said these new units could be seen as possibly saving the best for last. He points to their proximity to the adjacent forest, and the fact that these will be a bit deeper or larger with more square footage.
Further, the floor plans are being updated to current buyer demands including additional flex space on the ground floor and take into account buyer interest for features like private retreats, fitness or home office spaces..
