Glen Park Village - A Family Initiative
/Saint Construction Management teams up with an East Vancouver family to improve not only their living situation, but their future too.
Written by William Crossland.
Renderings of Glen Park Village - Two consolidated lots will accommodate five stratified unites - Completion June 2019
Dream homes come in many shapes and sizes.
And for one Vancouver family that dream had to meet some very important needs. Warren Bente and Tess Prendergast spent years trying to work out a housing solution to suit their entire family, including their children, Calum, 21, and Bronwen, 17.
Calum has a disability that will require ongoing care, but also a desire to move out and live with friends.
“It is quite mild, but it’s the kind of disability that means he is going to need some help,” Tess said. “When he was in high school they did a thing called ‘life planning’. During that he said he wanted to live with friends one day. We thought that would be great, but obviously it was not as easy as that.”
Calum will live in the back half of the new duplex. he gains INDEPENDENCE while warren and tess have the comfort of knowing they are right next door if needed.
Enter Saint Construction.
The family was introduced to Founder and Owner Scott Sheen in March 2016.
Scott immediately recognized an opportunity to help improve the living situation of a family in the community where he works and lives. “When Tess and Warren first came to me and described their situation I felt the need to help out, but also promote a more community based building model,” he said. “They are good, honest, hardworking people and I knew there was a way for us to work together toward a desirable outcome for their family’s future.”
Soon after, Saint purchased the property adjoining the family’s home, and guided them into an innovative concept to benefit all concerned. The end result will be Glen Park Village: a multi-family complex comprised of five strata units - two of which will be owned by Warren and Tess.
Warren and Tess's property (left) pre-demolition and the Character home that will be retained and renovated.
Warren, Tess and Bronwen will live in a two-bedroom infill house, adjacent to a three-bedroom duplex accommodating Calum, one of his friends and a live-in carer.
It’s the perfect solution to a potentially difficult situation.
“We’ll be just across the yard so if there’s anything they need we’re right there,” Tess said. “We still want to guide and support him, but it’s important for him to be more independent so we can have a more normal parent-child relationship. It’s a gigantic project that will make us feel less anxious about how he’s doing.”
While Glen Park Village provides obvious benefits for the family, Warren is also excited about contributing to the city as a whole.
“The idea is that we’re building a little community, and these units will be very family friendly,” he said. “There is an amazing school in the neighborhood, it’s very quiet, central to everything, and it’s only 15 minutes by bike to downtown.”
“We have a great business relationship, and the added bonus is we have become friends through this process,” Tess said. “We have complete trust in Saint and we know they are working with our best interests in mind.”
Renderings of the finished product from the front of the property.
The development will be a modern concept design and build that complements the character home, first built in the early 1900's, and the well-established homes in the surrounding community. Not only will Glen Park Village deliver a dream home for Warren and Tess, it also relieves a huge weight off their shoulders by setting them up for retirement.
They have a message for others considering a similar move.
“We’re pushing the boundaries of what is possible, not just for the disabled, but for the elderly and for all families,” Tess said.
“People live in this city for a reason - it’s a pretty great place. If you live here and want to keep living here you need to get creative, and this is a model that could, and should be used all over.”
*If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact Saint Construction: info@saintconstruction.ca*