A castle sitting atop a hill on the west side of the city is the most expensive home ever listed for sale.
Priced at $12 million, the 14,500-square-foot French Country home built by Pacer Signature Homes is a picture of opulence and elegance.
Previously, the priciest home ever sold was one in Elbow Park owned by former Calgary Flames’ goaltender Mike Vernon. It sold for $10.3 million.
“This home will be sold to someone who appreciates the thoughtfulness that went into its design and construction,� says Norb Park, manager broker of Sotheby’s International Realty Canada in Calgary. “And within the city limits, it is the most expensive home ever listed.�
The house took a year to design and another 19 months to build, says Richard Pelletier, president of Pacer Signature Homes.
It was completed in November.
“It was built to sell,� says Pelletier. The house is in The Heights, an Aspen Estates’ enclave in the larger Aspen Woods area.
The exterior of both the main residence and a separate carriage house — both wrapped in Rundlestone from the Golden, B.C., region — took 14 months for stone masons to complete.
That same stone, along with Indiana limestone from Texas and marble from Brazil, is used extensively throughout the interior.
The main home has five bedrooms, five full baths and four half-baths.
It also has three laundry rooms, five fireplaces, and double flared staircases leading from the foyer to the upper and lower levels.
The main floor has a gourmet kitchen with commercial-grade appliances, along with a butler’s kitchen and a dining room.
The dining room has a heavily coffered ceiling and imported wallpaper.
Other features on the main floor include a cork-lined wine storage room with space for 500 bottles, a walk-through pantry, study and great room.
If that weren’t enough, the floor includes a games room with a wet bar and sitting area, fitness room, and a 200-square-foot front patio with built-in barbecue area.
There is also an 850-square-foot rear patio and five garages.
The upper floor has a foyer at the landing, a master bedroom with fireplace and a master sitting room.
It also has an ensuite, his-and-hers dressing rooms, and two children’s bedrooms separated by a jack-and-jill bathroom.
There’s also a guest bedroom with an ensuite, and a children’s playroom.
The lower level comes with a 10-seat home theatre, lounge, spa room (with four-person jetted tub, dry sauna, steam shower, rainfall shower, and massage room), wine-tasting room, and yoga/ballet studio.
“We sourced materials from around the world and built the home in the style of a French Country castle, so it truly is one of a kind,� says Pelletier.
As well as the Rundlestone from Golden, B.C., the limestone from Texas and the marble from Brazil, the home also has designer wallpaper from England and carpeting from Israel.
Other features include Swarovski crystal chandeliers from the Czech Republic and Poland, and custom marble backsplashes set in a harlequin pattern that were cut in California.
Electronics include a sound system with 110 speakers, 16 amplifiers, 11 flat-screen TVs and a security system with 21 cameras.
Park says he expects widespread interest in the house.
“We will list this home through the Sotheby chain so that potential purchasers in the local, national, and international markets will have an opportunity to consider it,� he says.
Pacer Signature Homes has built 75 homes in the Elbow Valley development just west of Calgary — along with the prestigious 44-unit West 17th Lofts, for which the company won a 2009 SAM Award for best multi-family design for a unit 1,500 square feet or larger.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Project: A 14,500-square-foot home completed in November.
Builder: Pacer Signature Homes.
Location: 44 Aspen Ridge Heights in southwest Calgary.
Price: The French Country-style residence is listed at $12 million.
Listing: The home is listed by Sotheby’s International Realty Canada with Norb Park as managing broker.
Information: Visit www.sothebysrealty.ca
mhope@calgaryherald.com