issue 06 expert advice • informative interviews
Transcription
issue 06 expert advice • informative interviews
FieldGuide issue 06 expert advice • informative interviews • great recipes exciting communities • and more... - 2015 - “ FIELDGATE MAKES IT EASY TO FALL IN LOVE Your perfect GTA lifestyle starts with Fieldgate Homes. ” W hatever kind of home and lifestyle you’re looking for, Fieldgate Homes has something perfect for you and your family. With over 55 years of home building experience and a steadfast commitment to quality construction and customer care, Fieldgate Homes has a number of popular GTA communities that you can discover this weekend to make your home dreams come true. Impressions — Kleinburg Kleinburg’s most popular master-planned community has never looked better, with a new designer-decorated model home at Impressions. Fieldgate Homes has spared no expense, going above and beyond to showcase the truly extravagant lifestyle possible at Impressions. There’s still a wide variety to choose from, so you’re sure to find the perfect home for you. A new phase of homes was recently released featuring a great selection of 30', 38' and 44' singles, Impressions offers master-planned community living and a highly desirable Kleinburg location. With a great designer decorated model home to tour you can experience the possibilities of life at Impressions first hand this weekend. Lotus Pointe – South Caledon Featuring the region’s best selection of homes, you’re sure to find everything you’ve been searching for when you arrive at Lotus Pointe. Fieldgate’s homes at Lotus Pointe are all detached models situated on 38', 41' and 43' traditional depth lots. These are positively luxurious family homes that boast an inspired combination of contemporary open-concept floor plans and an amazing selection of premium features and finishes that include hardwood flooring, oak staircases, granite kitchen countertops, tray ceilings in master bedrooms, freestanding soaker tubs and separate showers in master ensuites and so much more. Now, with numerous homes available with summer of 2016 closing dates, you can move-in and start enjoying this amazing lifestyle in as little as 9 months! Valleylands — West Brampton There’s an exciting New Release of Live/Work Townhomes coming soon to Valleylands featuring ground level retail space in every home, these Live/Work designs are your opportunity to start a home business or help pay your mortgage with added rental income. Meanwhile homebuyers continue to fall in love with the other wonderful collections of architecturally enhanced homes that are offered in this amazing community. Located near the Mississauga border, Valleylands is a place that offers the perfect balance of nature in a new home community. There are 38', 41' and 45' singles — a great selection to suit anyone’s needs in a new home. Aurora Trails — Aurora Aurora Trails is a visionary master-planned community that offers the best of town and country living at one exceptional location. Phase II of this community has been released, featuring a great selection of freehold townhomes, semi-detached homes and 38' and 43' singles nestled amongst the pristine forests of the surrounding area. Surrounded by such natural majesty, it’s easy to forget that the many conveniences of downtown Aurora, Newmarket, Richmond Hill and Vaughan are all just a short drive away. CityTowns — Coming This Fall to West Brampton At CityTowns, all of Brampton’s best urban and natural amenities are yours to enjoy. There’s not only amazing shopping, schools, restaurants and transportation nearby — there’s also the spectacular conservation lands of the Credit River, parks, recreation centres and so much more. With Brampton’s most dynamic collection of townhomes in a planned community, you’re going to love living in the city at CityTowns. Whitby Meadows — Coming Spring 2016 to West Whitby Also coming soon is Whitby Meadows. This master-planned community will feature an exceptional selection of single detached homes, semi-detached homes and freehold townhomes in a charming natural setting in west Whitby. Enjoy life at a convenient central location with in-demand amenities already in place. For more information on any of these remarkable communities, Sales Centre locations, pricing, phone numbers and floor plans, or to register for upcoming communities, visit www.fieldgatehomes.com, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter. THE FIELDGUIDE FALL EVENTS IN THE GTA Fall is one of the best times to get out and enjoy life in the GTA. Check out these exciting events with your family for great times all season long. Binder Twine Festival September 12 AURORA HWY The Binder Twine Festival is an annual event dating back to the 1800’s when farmers used to come into town to purchase twine to bind their sheaves of wheat together for the fall harvest. Today it has evolved into an exciting family event with crafts, live entertainment, “Olde Tyme” activities and great food for the whole family. 400 TOTTENHAM HWY 10 UXBRIDGE HWY HWY 48 8 STOUFFVILLE CALEDON KLEINBURG HWY 27 VAUGHAN UNIONVILLE HWY 407 MARKHAM HWY 410 HWY BRAMPTON NORTH YORK 404 WHITBY PICKERING HWY Brampton Fall Fair 401 HWY HWY The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair 407 September 16-20 The Brampton Fall Fair is an agricultural fair that features a wide range of fun events for the whole family. Events include live concerts, agricultural events, a demolition derby, delicious food and more. November 6-15 Scotiabank Nuit Blanche Saturday, October 3 HWY 401 This year Toronto will celebrate the 10th edition of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche — an all night, free exhibition of art at numerous sites throughout downtown Toronto. With more than 70 independent projects to be featured this year, Nuit Blanche provides one of the more excellent opportunities to enjoy the arts in the GTA. HWY 407 HWY 403 401 TORONTO Since 1922 The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair has been Canada’s most prominent agricultural event. The fair features a host of interesting events and exhibits related to livestock, produce, crafts, delicious food and more. Highlights include the annual rodeo and cattle shows. QEW HWY 407 HWY 403 FALL EVENTS IN THE GTA ...05 FIElDGUIDE TO COLD WEATHER CYCLING 03 Whether you're cycling to work, or hitting one of the GTA’s many fun trail systems for a weekend joy ride, cycling is a great way to get around and get in shape at the same time. Many of you may be considering putting your bikes away for the colder weather, but if you just follow our cold weather cycling tips you can continue to enjoy cycling throughout the fall and winter months. 01 Layer UP. Even on the coldest days, you’ll be surprised how hot you can get once you get moving, so it is best to dress in layers to avoid being too hot or too cold. Important layers include: a waterproof jacket to serve as a shell; a base layer to wick moisture; a mid layer to help keep you warm; a headband or hat (most bike shops will carry ones that fit under your helmet) and gloves. Depending on the precise temperature and the length of your ride you may also consider wearing full-length cyling bib tights or moisture wicking long underwear under your pants. 05 20' Freehold Towns from the low $600's | semi-detached homes from the low $700's, 38' & 43' Singles from the upper $900's Stay Visible and Stay Safe. With shorter daylight hours being part and parcel of cold weather biking, it is absolutely essential that you do everything you can to remain as visible as possible on the roads. Bright coloured clothing and bike lights are a must, but you also want to make sure that you bike in a predictable fashion and occupy space on the road consistently so that motorists can always see you. Darting out from behind parked cars or switching between the sidewalk and the street is dangerous to pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike, so please be considerate and stay safe. Consider Knobby or Studded Tires. If you plan on biking well into the colder season, you might encounter some truly challenging road conditions. If you think that snow and sleet are likely to be a concern, you’d be well-advised to get yourself a pair of low-pressure knobby or studded tires. The front wheel of your bike is more important for control, so you might want to experiment with just replacing that tire first, and then replacing the back as well if needed. Ride Defensively. Cold weather riding can be a lot of fun, but it does bring certain unique challenges not faced by summer riders. Even if you’re riding on a clear day, wet patches can quickly turn slick, so always be alert and be aware. 02 04 GREAT SELECTION OF HOMES AVAILABLE AT AURORA TRAILS Keep Your Bike Properly Maintained. Water, salt and mud can cause greater damage to your bike in cold weather, so you should do what you can to keep your bike frame — as well as the chain, brakes and other components — as clean as possible. You should also carry a lighter and small bottle of lock de-icer with you at all times, in case your lock or other bike components freeze up. This is sure to keep you moving no matter how cold it gets. A urora Trails is a visionary master-planned community that offers the best of town and country living at one exceptional location. Another great landmark community from Fieldgate Homes, Aurora Trails features a stunning selection of single detached homes in a stunning master-planned community setting. Stretching out from the community in all directions is a network of hiking and cycling trails that offer many kilometres of wilderness to explore. In this perfect setting, your journey to the ideal country lifestyle is complete. The community is ideally located at the corner of St. John’s Sideroad and Leslie Street, amidst a peaceful landscape dotted with quaint family farms and forest. This is a place where the rolling hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine are at your doorstep, yet nearby Hwy. 404 and the many conveniences of downtown Aurora, Newmarket, Vaughan and Richmond Hill are all just minutes away. And with a limited selection of prime ravine lots still available, there’s never been a better time to discover this spectacular family community. Aurora Trails offers the finest selection of semi-detached and townhome designs in the area, with a limited selection of single detached homes also available. Homes feature stunning elevations of brick and stone, with spacious garages and large windows. The interiors of these homes boast all the premium features and finishes one would expect in a community of such style and distinction. With many homes offering hardwood flooring, granite kitchen countertops, sumptuous master ensuites, gas fireplaces and more, you can immerse yourself in countryside sophistication at Aurora Trails. Each home is carefully placed to create aesthetically cohesive streetscapes that enhance the natural beauty of the community’s spectacular surroundings. Your family’s ARTIST'S CONCEPT journey for the home they’ve always dreamed about has truly found its end in this remarkable community setting. Homes are priced from the low $600’s, offering great value at an exceptional countryside location. The beauty of life at Aurora Trails is that even though you are surrounded by nature, you never have to travel far to enjoy the many major urban amenities of the surrounding area. For those pursuing higher education, St. Andrew’s College — one of Canada’s oldest and most prestigious all boys private schools — is just minutes down St. John’s Sideroad. There’s also a wonderful selection of public and Catholic elementary and secondary schools nearby, and Seneca College and Pickering College both have campuses in the area that offer a host of exceptional programs for those pursuing post secondary education. There’s also a great selection of shops, restaurants and recreational facilities close at hand — not just in Aurora, but also just moments away in Richmond Hill, Vaughan and Newmarket. Golfers will love the great selection of courses nearby, and commuters can’t beat the community’s convenient proximity to Highway 404 and the Aurora GO Station. Fieldgate Homes has been known for building architecturally unique homes in distinctive neighbourhoods that become excellent investments and showpieces of craftsmanship and distinction. Nobody has a greater appreciation for Fieldgate’s wonderful reputation than the 12,000 plus satisfied customers who have purchased a Fieldgate home over the past 55 years. For more information about Aurora Trails, visit Fieldgatehomes.com or call 905-841-8854 today! Prices, terms and specifications correct at press time. E & O. E. August 2015 AURORA TRAILS ...07 THE FIELDGUIDE TO FALL COLOURS IN THE GTA One of the most wonderful parts of spending fall in the GTA is the beautiful colours to be seen on the trees in parks and forestlands throughout the region. Throughout the GTA, there are numerous wonderful destinations that are the perfect setting for a family outing to enjoy this spectacular natural phenomenon. Here are a few of our top picks that we’re sure your family will love. SOUTH SIMCOE HERITAGE RAILWAY, TOTTENHAM AURORA HWY 400 TOTTENHAM This is easily one of the most enjoyable ways to see the fall colours anywhere in the GTA. Located in Tottenham, Ontario, The South Simcoe Heritage Railway gives you a chance to take a ride in a classic restored train coach from the 1920s. Pulled by a heritage steam engine, you will travel through the countryside from Tottenham to Beeton. Although available to enjoy throughout much of the spring and summer, the South Simcoe Heritage Railway is perhaps most loved for its signature fall colours tours, which happen every weekend throughout October. Visit southsimcoerailway.ca to learn more. HWY 10 UXBRIDGE HWY HWY 48 8 STOUFFVILLE CALEDON KLEINBURG HWY 27 VAUGHAN UNIONVILLE HWY 407 MARKHAM HWY 410 YORK DURHAM HERITAGE RAILWAY In the Stouffville-Uxbridge region, the York-Durham Heritage Railway also offers Fall Foliage tours on classic heritage trains. Choose from either a trip on a restored 1950s coach or a restored 1920s coach for your journey from Uxbridge along the edge of the Oak Ridges Moraine. Ride through forest and farmlands on a 90 minute journey to see some of the most breathtaking fall colours in the region. Learn more at ydhr.ca . HWY BRAMPTON NORTH YORK 404 WHITBY PICKERING FORKS OF THE CREDIT PROVINCIAL PARK, CALEDON HWY HWY 401 HWY HWY 401 407 Situated on the famous Bruce Trail, there is simply no better place to take in the beautiful fall colours than Forks of the Credit Provincial Park. With the charming geography of the foothills of the Niagara Escarpment, lush stands of mature trees and beautiful river views, you can enjoy a lovely fall day at this iconic destination. EAST DON PARKLANDS, NORTH YORK 401 HWY 407 HWY 403 QEW HWY 407 With many kilometres of trails surrounding the banks of the Don River, the East Don Parklands are North York’s best showcase for breathtaking fall colours. Perfect for a family bike ride or hike, your family will be amazed at the striking natural wonders to be observed at this convenient North York Location. discoverthedon.ca TORONTO HEBER DOWN CONSERVATION AREA, WHITBY Featuring 284 hectares of forest and wetland, Heber Down Conservation area offers an ideal setting to take in the many wonderful sights and sounds of fall in the GTA. With 5 kilometres of hiking trails, picnic areas, and more, you are sure to enjoy the breathtaking fall scenery at this popular Whitby destination. HWY 403 FIELDGUIDE TO FALL COLOURS ...09 JOIN THE 04. Nest Protect Smoke Alarm SMART HOME REVOLUTION Lately, it seems like every day a new “Smart” product is on the market. These devices typically connect to your home’s wireless internet to offer a number of exciting and useful features that can help save you time and money, while also increasing your home’s comfort and safety. Here are some of the more exciting “Smart” products on the market right now. 01. NEST LEARNING THERMOSTAT Programming home thermostats has long been such a tedious and confusing process that many people choose not to do it at all. The Nest Learning Thermostat takes away all the hassle. After several days of adjusting your thermostat, the Nest learns your habits and programs itself, adjusting temperatures to save energy and money. You can also control the temperature remotely from your smart phone. The Nest can even tell when you’ve left your home and reduce temperatures automatically. The Nest Protect is a next generation smoke and CO2 alarm with a number of impressive smart features to keep your family safe. Any time the alarm is triggered in the home, you will also receive a notification on your phone. If you have multiple Nest alarms, it will tell you what room alarm has been triggered and notify you on your smart phone app. Perhaps the biggest plus with these new designs is that when triggered by a minor smoke disturbance while cooking, the alarm will speak to you in a soft voice before triggering the full blaring alarm. One of the most popular bonus features is Nest’s Pathlight — if you walk under the Nest in the middle of the night, a motion sensor will trigger Pathlight to light your way. These are just a few of the features you can enjoy with this product. 04. LIGHT RING IS ACTIVATED WITH MOTION LIGHTING YOUR PATH NEST BUTTON LETS YOU NEST PROTECT AND HUSH ALARMS 01. LONG-LIFE BATTERIES DON'T NEED TO BE REPLACED EVERY YEAR 02. Belkin We-Mo Smart Crock Pot The Smart Crock-Pot is a godsend for busy families. It allows you to turn on, adjust the temperature and turn off remotely from both a web app and your smart phone, making family dinners easier than ever. 02. 03. Chamberlain Smart Garage Door Opener Never lose your garage door opener again with this simple yet surprisingly helpful device. Open and close your garage door from your smart phone. It’s that simple. SMART HOME ...11 “ WHAT DID ONE GHOST SAY TO THE OTHER GHOST? DO YOU BELIEVE IN PEOPLE? ” Monster Toes Ingredients: 1 lb cocktail wieners 6-8 flour tortillas ketchup mustard toothpicks Directions: PUMPKIN CARVING CONTEST! Do you think you have what it takes to carve the spookiest, most creative pumpkin in the GTA? If you do, then the Fieldgate Pumpkin Carving Contest is for you. With the help of your parents, you just need to carve out a great pumpkin design and send us a picture of you with your pumpkin to [email protected]. Winners will receive a $100 gift card for Toys R Us. The entry deadline is October 31st. Please note contest is only open to children 12 & under. Want to offer your friends a really spooky treat this Halloween? Try this easy recipe for Monster Toes. Make sure to ask your parents for help. Take cocktail wieners and cut a wedge in to the end to make a flat toenail area. Cut the tortillas into 4 inch strips. Roll each strip around one of the cocktail wieners, making sure to leave the tip of the toe exposed. Place on a baking sheet and bake in oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes. Remove from oven, fill toenails with ketchup or mustard and serve. KIDS CORNER ...13 FIRST IMPRESSIONS: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE IMPRESSIONS SALES TEAM If you’ve visited Impressions in Kleinburg, you no doubt have a great sense of the wonderful possibilities of life in this highly acclaimed GTA community. If you have yet to see Impressions for yourself, you might be curious to know what other prospective homebuyers are saying. FieldGuide sat down with the Impressions sales team to get a sense of some of the main first impressions that homebuyers have shared with them when visiting the Presentation Centre. How do homebuyers feel about THE Impressions’ Kleinburg location? With the HWY. 427 extension coming right to our doorstep, along with the rural location, homebuyers feel Kleinburg is the right balance of convenience and quiet suburban community to raise a family. What aspects of the home designs do homebuyers most respond to? What do you think are the main draws for homebuyers at Impressions? Most people who buy here at Impressions are looking for the small town lifestyle the Village of Kleinburg has to offer, along with the benefits of buying new. What aspects of the overall community design do homebuyers most respond to? Homebuyers love all the green space, gathering places, paths, and walkways at Impressions. The overall site is excellent for a mix of growing families and mature couples. They really outdid themselves. It’s a wonderful place that’ll provide for and grow with the needs of a diverse community for some time. The large, open concept kitchen and family room. It’s where most people will spend their time so they want it to be open and spacious. Buyers comment on how our homes have great flow. The designs make good use of all the available space and each room works with the next. Also, the beautiful front stonework is popular. It adds a real elegant touch to the home. What kind of feedback are you getting from homebuyers that have already moved into their homes at Impressions? People have been living here at Impressions for a year or so now and they love it. There’s nothing like moving into a new home you’ve personalized. They’re looking forward to all the amenities designed into the community. IMPRESSIONS ...15 Plan Your Route Find some Scary Friends Before you can start decorating, you will need to plan the perfect route for your haunted house. Depending on whether you are doing this for a party or the general public, you may want to avoid having your guests take a route through the inside of your home, so it is probably best to confine your haunted house path to the front yard, driveway and garage areas of your home. Decorations are great, but if you really want your haunted house to shine, get some friends to dress up in scary costumes and interact with your guests. Remember that the most important aspect of a great haunted house is surprise, so get your spooky performers to hide and jump out at your guests when they least expect it. Make Sure it is Safe For Everyone Even though you want your haunted house to be as scary as possible, you also want to ensure that nobody gets hurt. So make sure that your route is free of all obstructions, and ensure that all the decorations you select are safe for both kids and adults. MAKE YOUR HALLOWEEN EXTRA SPECIAL WITH A SPOOKY HAUNTED HOUSE As a homebuilder, our favourite Halloween tradition has always been the haunted house. This is such a fun way to share your space with your friends and your community, and to make a memorable Halloween experience that Pick Your Spookiest Spots To Surprise! The best part of a great haunted house is when you don’t even see the next spooky feature coming. When selecting the key points along the route that will feature your haunted houses’ scariest elements, try to select spots that are obscured by walls, hidden around corners, or otherwise difficult to detect until you’re right on top of them. Find Some Terrifying Lighting and Music No haunted house is complete without some great lighting and music. You can find an abundance of scary music and sound effects through YouTube and other online sources. As for lighting, you want to keep lighting low enough that it is hard to see exactly what is going on, without being so dark as to be dangerous. Coloured lights and strobe lights are great options to create a really great effect. everybody is sure to remember for years to come. Creating a great haunted house may seem like a lot of work, but if you follow our easy tips, you will be sure to earn a reputation as the scariest house on the block. HAUNTED HOUSE ...17 ROAST HARVEST VEGETABLES IN A BAKED PUMPKIN Who says vegetables are boring? Get ready to truly wow your friends and family this Thanksgiving with this delicious and creative recipe. Ingredients: 2-3 Lbs mixed harvest vegetables 2 large red onions 4 cloves of garlic 2 bay leaves 5 sprigs fresh rosemary 5 sage leaves 1 large pumpkin Olive oil, salt and pepper Directions: Part 1: Scoop out and clean the inside of the pumpkin, then rub with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and add about 1/2 cup of water. Place in the oven and bake at 325 Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. BACKYARD NATURE PHOTO CONTEST WINNER! Part 2: Peel and cut root vegetables and coat with olive oil. Pour into roasting pan then add onions, garlic and herbs. Roast at 400 Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. When all vegetables are cooked, place in the still warm pumpkin and cover with the top. Feel free to add pieces of softened pumpkin to the mix if you choose. Thanks to everybody who sent in their beautiful photographs of backyard nature in the GTA. We had some really wonderful entries, but in the end we could only pick one grand prize winner. Congratulations to Yuan Li, we hope you enjoy your prize! Build the Life You Want in Downtown Toronto AT 90 NIAGARA! C onstruction is now under way at 90 Niagara, so there has never been a better opportunity to come home soon to one of downtown Toronto’s most vibrant urban neighbourhoods. Located on Niagara Street just south of King St. West, this intimate 5-storey boutique residence features just 45 luxurious suites including King West’s most distinctive contemporary two-storey townhomes. These positively stunning suites and lofts boast contemporary openconcept floor plans designed for modern life — cook up a feast in the gourmet kitchen or soak up the style in the lavish master suite. Most units have balconies or terraces, and offer an impressive range of features and finishes such as hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances and Caesarstone countertops. There is a selection of floor plans to choose from, with condo suites starting from a 595 sq. ft. 1 bedroom + study model. Several 2 bedroom plus den, 2 storey townhomes are also available — ranging up to 1030 sq. ft. plus a 52 sq. ft. balcony. The King West neighbourhood offers one of the best urban lifestyles in all of downtown Toronto. With a distinctive neighbourhood aesthetic and some of the best amenities in the city, young urban professionals are finding the lifestyle of their dreams in this hot neighbourhood setting. The stylish boutique living of 90 Niagara can be found just steps from the streetcar and all the many popular hotspots of King West. King West is perfectly situated to enjoy the many rich flavours of life to be found in popular adjacent neighbourhoods. Located just off King, nearby Liberty Village has a reputation as one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in the entire city. Home to stylish shops and restaurants and an ever-evolving array of high-tech start-ups and other cutting edge businesses, you can liberate your social life and your professional life in this amazing neighbourhood. Take a short walk north from the King West neighbourhood to discover the city’s most popular boutique shopping destinations on Queen West, featuring a wide array of exclusive shops, not to mention bars and restaurants. 90 Niagara is also ideally located to take advantage of the many pleasures of life elsewhere in Toronto’s downtown core — with destinations such as the financial district, Air Canada Centre and Rogers Centre, all just a short TTC ride away. You can also head south for a relaxing day on Toronto’s picturesque waterfront, or catch a rousing soccer match at nearby BMO Field. Not to mention the great selection of parks — such as Victoria, Memorial and Stanley — are all within easy walking distance. 90 Niagara is available by appointment. Visit Fieldgatehomes.com or call 416-981-0036 for more information. 90 NIAGARA ...19 FIELDGATEHOMES.COM