Until four years ago, Jeremy Sparks enjoyed the turnkey lifestyle that came with condo living in southwest Edmonton. But his passion for cooking and for tinkering on his Harley-Davidson motorbikes had him longing for more entertainment space and for a “man cave� garage.
Sparks enlisted a real estate agent to find him a house, but he has very definite feelings about what he likes. “I looked at other homes, and every home I looked at, I thought, ‘I would do that differently.’ �
Then he heard about a new subdivision being developed just down the road from his workplace in Acheson, an industrial area outside Edmonton’s western city limits and minutes from the city’s ring road, Anthony Henday Drive. He did some investigating and jumped at the chance to purchase the one-acre lot and have a house built to his own preferences.
“It’s country living, without the country,� jokes Sparks of the area that has a high population of shrub-eating deer but is also city-serviced, thus minimizing maintenance issues such as snow removal.
The reverse planning of the home’s design — with the garage and entertaining spaces as priorities — began as sketches made over lunch, on a paper napkin. Those ideas came to life as an award-winning bungalow created by custom home builder Richard Lystang of Rococo Homes. Sparks works as an operations manager for a crane company, so he opted to save costs by taking on the landscaping himself.
Sparks shares the home with his partner, Naomi Wharrick, and describes the two-level, carpet-free, three-bedroom and three-bathroom home as adult living — with no space left unused. Inside and out, the home reflects his masculine taste and Sparks’ desire to create spaces that welcome his friends.
The home’s wide driveway is exposed aggregate with contrasting terracotta-coloured stencilled-concrete trim. The 2,000-square-foot bungalow’s espresso brown exterior is made of highly energy-efficient acrylic stucco.
The front entryway provides an unobstructed view of the spacious gourmet kitchen (one of several meal-prep zones in the home), the formal living room and dining area. The airy feeling isn’t accidental. A large beam runs down the centre of the ceiling, so there is no need for supporting walls or pillars. To distract from the ductwork hiding the mandatory overhead sprinkler system, Sparks added the living room’s elegant coffered ceiling.
While the house proper is rich in amenities built to please guests, it seems only right to start where Sparks did — in that man cave.
It is accessed via a well-stocked, walk-through pantry off the main kitchen, which connects the home to its heated three-car garage.
Three Harleys fill one corner, while Sparks’ man cave takes up one side.
“It’s got a full-sized fridge, a beer keg, a popcorn machine and a 55-inch TV — all the things you need when you’re in the garage … some of my guy friends have never made it into the house,â€� says Sparks. “There is no reason for them to.â€�
Back inside the home, Sparks explains that he likes natural lighting, so window placement was planned with care. Small, old-fashioned-looking windows frame the fireplace’s hemlock mantel in the living room.
The heavy wood complements the natural stone finish and is — surprisingly — a cast-off from Spark’s workplace. The beam was previously used to stabilize a crane. The wide fireplace’s hearth is double-sided, and provides a focal point both inside and out, on the partially covered rear deck, where Adirondack-style chairs and one of the home’s two barbecues are used year-round.
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