J.R.R. Tolkien fans don’t need to journey to Middle-earth to visit the Shire, thanks to a creative Calgary family who had a vision for their vacation home.
They only need to know where to look in the Alberta foothills.
An earthen home built into the hillside near Millarville, Alta., by Calgarians Rodney and Ouida Touche in 1971 is on the market for the first time since its construction.
It was designed by Bill Milne, the architect behind the Calgary Tower and the city’s pathway system.
And if you ask many of the Millarville locals about a striking piece of real estate — the home with rounded walls and windows, hidden by its partially bermed construction — they will likely recognize the property they call the “Hobbit house.”
The living room fireplace pivots from the living room to the master bedroom with the flick of a switch. (Michael Kingston/CIR Realty)
As a child who spent summers there with her parents and siblings, Karen Lightstone did not understand the nickname.
As an adult who decided with her family to sell the house, it finally clicked.
“I have a copy of The Hobbit, and I pulled it out when we were to put it on the market,” Lightstone said.
“And the whole opening paragraph of Chapter 1 talks about the round door opening to a long, tube-shaped hallway. The best rooms are on the left because that’s where all the windows were. And I was like, ‘Oh my Lord, this is exactly what they built.'”
Home hidden to keep from being ‘eyesore’ in landscape
The house was built by carving away half of a hill, Lightstone said, and pouring concrete between domes made of mesh and rebar.
Because the home is partially bermed, it’s hard to see — a conscious decision, made to keep the home from ruining the sweeping landscape.
“My parents were trying to figure out where a good spot would be. They really didn’t want it visible on the ridge. They didn’t want any of the neighbours to be able to just see this house, because to them, that would be a bit of an eyesore,” Lightstone said.
“I don’t know how they came to decide exactly how it was going to be. But I do know — from doing some trips with my dad and from conversations he had — they were always interested in something unique like that.”
The view of the mountains from the house. (Michael Kingston/CIR Realty)
Maintaining the appearance of the Foothills was not all that mattered to Rodney and Ouida Touche. The property also has a Nature Conservancy of Canada easement attached to it, in order to ensure that the land is kept safe.
“They’re not trying to prohibit people from doing things, they’re trying to preserve and save the land,” Lightstone said.
“So a developer … couldn’t buy it and put up a bunch of houses. The nature conservancy would be there in a heartbeat.”
‘Someone else should really be enjoying this’
The inside of the house is as unique as the exterior, Lightstone said.
Lights and bunk beds are built into the walls, the tiles in the kitchen floor are slightly curved so that they don’t hurt bare feet and a fireplace can pivot from the living room to the master bedroom with the flick of a switch.
All in all, it can sleep eight — enough for big family gatherings.
These bunk beds are built into the walls and allow the home to sleep eight. (Michael Kingston/CIR Realty)
But Lightstone’s family is elsewhere now. She, herself, lives in New Brunswick.
And so, she said, they decided to let the property go. After nearly 50 years, someone else should get to experience the charms of the Hobbit house.
“We all love Alberta, but nobody is anywhere close,” Lightstone said.
“We were talking about it, and the grandchildren are all scattered all over the place, and it’s really not getting enough use. And so, we all decided that, you know what, someone else should really be enjoying this.”
HALIFAX – A village of tiny homes is set to open next month in a Halifax suburb, the latest project by the provincial government to address homelessness.
Located in Lower Sackville, N.S., the tiny home community will house up to 34 people when the first 26 units open Nov. 4.
Another 35 people are scheduled to move in when construction on another 29 units should be complete in December, under a partnership between the province, the Halifax Regional Municipality, United Way Halifax, The Shaw Group and Dexter Construction.
The province invested $9.4 million to build the village and will contribute $935,000 annually for operating costs.
Residents have been chosen from a list of people experiencing homelessness maintained by the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia.
They will pay rent that is tied to their income for a unit that is fully furnished with a private bathroom, shower and a kitchen equipped with a cooktop, small fridge and microwave.
The Atlantic Community Shelters Society will also provide support to residents, ranging from counselling and mental health supports to employment and educational services.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.
Housing affordability is a key issue in the provincial election campaign in British Columbia, particularly in major centres.
Here are some statistics about housing in B.C. from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s 2024 Rental Market Report, issued in January, and the B.C. Real Estate Association’s August 2024 report.
Average residential home price in B.C.: $938,500
Average price in greater Vancouver (2024 year to date): $1,304,438
Average price in greater Victoria (2024 year to date): $979,103
Average price in the Okanagan (2024 year to date): $748,015
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Vancouver: $2,181
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Victoria: $1,839
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Canada: $1,359
Rental vacancy rate in Vancouver: 0.9 per cent
How much more do new renters in Vancouver pay compared with renters who have occupied their home for at least a year: 27 per cent
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Voters along the south coast of British Columbia who have not cast their ballots yet will have to contend with heavy rain and high winds from an incoming atmospheric river weather system on election day.
Environment Canada says the weather system will bring prolonged heavy rain to Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Whistler and Vancouver Island starting Friday.
The agency says strong winds with gusts up to 80 kilometres an hour will also develop on Saturday — the day thousands are expected to go to the polls across B.C. — in parts of Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver.
Wednesday was the last day for advance voting, which started on Oct. 10.
More than 180,000 voters cast their votes Wednesday — the most ever on an advance voting day in B.C., beating the record set just days earlier on Oct. 10 of more than 170,000 votes.
Environment Canada says voters in the area of the atmospheric river can expect around 70 millimetres of precipitation generally and up to 100 millimetres along the coastal mountains, while parts of Vancouver Island could see as much as 200 millimetres of rainfall for the weekend.
An atmospheric river system in November 2021 created severe flooding and landslides that at one point severed most rail links between Vancouver’s port and the rest of Canada while inundating communities in the Fraser Valley and B.C. Interior.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
