News

With Lake Huron as a backdrop, Reid's Heritage Homes is set to build detached bungalows and two-storey residences in a new community call Summerside in Port Elgin.

While not directly on the lake, the project will offer plenty of water-related activities, most prominently fishing and sailing, says Dan Murawsky, manager of the Bruce Region for Reid's.

Residents will be able enjoy the area's popular sand beaches, and, as Mr. Murawsky notes, there also are golf courses, and hiking and cycling trails.

Whatever the interest, the community will provide "a quieter, more relaxed pace of life," he adds.

The project is part of the builder's "Costal Living" series, which is a collection of fully serviced and year-round communities to be developed along the lake.

Port Elgin, which is about a 2½-hour drive northwest of Toronto, offers parks, shops and schools, as well as many cultural events. Summerside will be built on a 600-acre site spread across the northwest part of town, where tobacco fields once flourished in its sandy soils. It will eventually have 900 to 1,200 homes on 65- to 115-foot-wide lots.

Reid's, which took over the project from another developer last summer, will hold a grand opening in May, and open model homes at that time.

Two phases built by the previous builder have already opened.

Some homes will be custom built and back on to green space. These lots can also be purchased separately, starting at $109,000, and another builder brought in.

Mr. Murawsky says he expects buyers will include people relocating to Port Elgin to take advantage of jobs created when two nuclear reactors are refurbished at Bruce Power, the area's largest employer. But the scenic backdrop and diversity of outdoor amenities also will appeal to retirees.

Exteriors of the homes will feature a combination of brick, stone and siding, accented with columns, frieze boards and trims.

They also will have covered porches or balconies, and some will have lofts above the garage.

Houses will be built to meet Energy Star requirements, which translates into lower operating costs and a reduction in emissions of harmful gases.

There will be nine-foot ceilings on the main floor, and 50-ounce broadloom and ceramic flooring. Breakfast bars and pantries, main-floor laundry rooms and en suite bathrooms with separate shower stalls also will be included. Basements will feature cold cellars and roughed-in areas for a three-piece bathroom.

Purchasers can opt for gas fireplaces, back porches and great rooms with cathedral ceilings.

Summerside

Location: Port Elgin

Builder: Reid's Heritage Homes

Price: $283,000 to $338,000

Square footage: 1,260 to 2,808

Sales centre: 920 Goderich St., Port Elgin. Open Monday to Wednesday, 2 to 7 p.m.; weekends and holidays, noon to 5 p.m.

Contact: 1-866-389-7343, 519-389-4848 or http://www.reidsheritagehomes.com