Clarice Coty's Blog » Courtenay

Specialty Batteries Sold, Rebuilt and Recycled at The Battery Shop

Clarice — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:10:37 +0000

The Battery Shop is Vancouver Island’s one stop shop for batteries and battery services. The Battery Shop in Courtenay sells batteries of all styles – from camera batteries to RV and golf cart batteries. The Battery Shop also repairs and rebuilds specialty batteries for construction tools, home appliances, specialized trades equipment, security systems and more. The Battery Shop has the equipment and expertise to create custom batteries. They also offer a battery recycling service for the Comox Valley.

Counters and More from Courtenay’s Colonial Countertops

Clarice — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:58:20 +0000

Colonial Countertops in Courtenay specializes in the manufacturing and installation of decorative surfaces and countertops. Kitchen and bath countertops, tub surrounds, shower walls, desktops, reception areas, window sills and much more. Colonial Countertops is able to provide homeowners and builders with the latest styles, trends, and colours. In their Comox Valley showroom, clients browse hundreds of different styles of laminates, natural quartz, and solid surfaces. They are proud to offer: top-quality, unsurpassed service; on time delivery; and professional installation. Colonial Countertops is a family-owned business and has been serving Vancouver Island since 1970. For more information, visit their website at www.colonialcountertops.com.

Design Your Kitchen, Bath or Closets With Bouttell’s Design in Comox

Clarice — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:45:42 +0000

Bouttell’s Designs brings kitchen and bathroom cabinets, and customized walk-in closets to the Comox Valley and Campbell River. Bouttell’s Designs in Comox offers a highly-customized line of kitchen cabinets and bathroom cabinets with a large selection of options for all budgets and style choices. A solid wood selection of cabinet mouldings, door styles, and finishes give any cabinet project a custom look. Bouttell’s Designs also provides customizable organizing systems for walk-in closets and small rooms, to create attractive, functional spaces in any home or office. The layout and design of the kitchen, or bathroom cabinets, or closets can be configured using Bouttell’s latest design software and other virtual tools.

Maintenance Free Living at Courtenay’s RidgeView Townhomes

Clarice — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:10:46 +0000

The 3 bedroom and 3 bathroom townhouses at RidgeView in Courtenay feature more than 2,100 sq ft. floor area, including the basement. Whether you’re just starting out on your own or with a family these spacious Courtenay townhouses are offer an easy, maintenance free lifestyle. With someone else taking care of the yard, RidgeView homeowners are free to enjoy all that the Comox Valley has to offer. Functional floor plans are spacious and individual garages and yards are included with each home.
Located only a hop, skip and Sesame Street jump to children’s park, walking trails, rec centres, schools, North Island College and Costco, these new town homes at 4699 Muir Rd, Courtenay, are tucked into quiet, residential area.
These homes are constructed under New Home Warranty by Comox Valley builder Avril Homes Ltd.

Nutmeg Homes Building New Eco-Friendly Homes on Vancouver Island

Clarice — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:31:16 +0000

Nutmeg Homes is a Comox Valley based builder of Insulated Concrete Forms homes. The company has been building new homes on Vancouver Island since 1999. Nutmeg Homes custom home builders strive to continually improve their product, with energy efficient and eco-friendly products. An ICF home by Nutmeg Homes uses up to 40% less energy than the average new home in B.C.
Insulated Concrete Forms or ICFs are hollow foam blocks or panels, which are stacked to form the walls of the home. The forms are filled with steel-reinforced concrete to create a solid structure. The resulting walls offer solid construction that provides a draft-free, quiet, healthy and comfortable living environment. Nutmeg Homes is also exploring the options for building Living Roofs for residential homes in B.C., after the successful completion of a green roof on a Comox Valley commercial building.
For more information on Nutmeg Homes and their ICF construction process, visit their website

Two Real Estate Developments Featuring Mountain Views Almost Sold Out in Courtenay

Clarice — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:47:45 +0000

A select few mountain view lots are still available in Courtenay. Two real estate developments which are now almost completely sold out include Gatehouse Place and Trumpeter Crescent.
Both feature stunning views of the Beaufort Mountains and the Comox Valley.
Gatehouse Place is a unique neighbourhood with a rural setting, located in the heart of the City of Courtenay. This 16 building lot subdivision features large residential lots offers large home sites (averaging 1/3 of an acre) located adjacent to three large fish bearing ponds and a large natural park with protected walkways and greenways.
Perched on top of some of the most scenic property in the Comox Valley is one remaining residential lot on Trumpeter Crescent. This area offers spectacular views of the Comox Glacier. The last remaining home site is located within a well-established neighbourhood that contains both executive and west-coast style homes.

Views Abound From Crown Isle Lots for Sale in Courtenay

Clarice — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:23:24 +0000

The Crown Isle Resort and Golf Community real estate office in Courtenay on Vancouver Island currently has a selection of 18 lots for sale. Prices for these new residential lots range from $161,900 to $349,900. Choose from fairway lots or non-golf course lots, most with views of the surrounding mountains or green space.
A selection of these Vancouver Island residential lots are now available in Cambridge Park Estates, on and around the 15th fairway of the award-winning Crown Isle championship golf course.
Many new high-end custom homes have already been built within this newest section of Crown Isle’s master planned community in the heart of the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island.
Crown Isle also features new homes for sale, condominiums and patio homes, as well as vacation suites at one of the top golf courses on Vancouver Island. Real estate at Crown Isle offers something for everyone.

New Real Estate Developments Mean Construction Increases on North Vancouver Island

Clarice — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:01:56 +0000

Editor’s note: The following story ran in the Jan. 13 edition of the Comox Valley Echo.
New figures show there was a big fall in the number of new houses being built locally last year – but there are signs the situation is starting to turn around.
The details have been compiled by Building Links – the digital newsletter monitoring North Vancouver Island construction activity – which notes a significant drop in construction in the Comox Valley and Campbell River areas last year.
In 2010, building permits for 468 single-family homes were issued compared to 363 last year, said Building Links editor Clarice Coty. That represented a fall of 22 per cent.
In percentage terms, the biggest reduction was in the Town of Comox, down from 105 to 44, or 58 per cent.
Year-on-year single-family home building also declined in Cumberland (down from 27 to 16) and in the City if Campbell River (a fall from 167 to 114)
But more homes were built in the City of Courtenay last year than in 2010, with the numbers rising slightly from 61 to 69. And in the rural areas surrounding the municipalities, there was also growth – from 108 homes in 2010 to 120 last year.
The overall value of local construction activity of all types in 2011 amounted to $175 million, said Coty, but that was down by almost $35 million on the previous year’s $209.5 million total – a 16 per cent fall.
“We expect that new housing starts will increase by about 10 per cent in 2012 due to the new inventory of new lots in the Comox Valley,” she suggested. In addition to single-family homes, Coty noted there had also been permits issued last year for 62 multi-family units in Comox worth a total of $11.6 million in construction costs, and another 66 in Courtenay – including three duplexes with a building permit value of $10.2 million.
She added: “There are at least four condominium and mixed use developments that are slated to start construction in the region during 2012: two in Comox, one in Courtenay and one in Campbell River.
“These projects have received most of their approvals and are waiting for building permits before proceeding. In total they will bring approximately 120 new multi-residential units on to the market.”
She considered the past year had been “challenging” for the construction and real estate industries on the North Island, but added: “This year shows signs of promise.”
Go to the Building Links website to subscribe to your 4 free copies of the newsletter

Sage Hills Seeks New Financial Backer for Large Scale Comox Valley Development

Clarice — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:21:41 +0000

Promoters of the proposed Sage Hills development in the Comox Valley say a company has been lined up to refinance their land mortgage, the Comox Valley Echo newspaper is reporting.
A signed agreement is not yet done, but Sage Hills vice president Shannon Price told the Echo they had a definite commitment from an overseas funding source. Price said they are confident of sealing the deal within the next several weeks, allowing them to pay off their existing lender and so avoid the possibility of a court-ordered land sale.
“We are working on closing the details,” she said. “We are giving ourselves a lot of leeway and we are confident. We are not seeking other financial backers – we have an agreement and the lawyers are working on it.”
Independent Academies Canada Inc – of which Sage Hills Developments Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary – bought the 2,083 acres south of Courtenay in 2006 for $4.1 million. The company has plans for an ambitious development that would include a private school and university campus, sports academy, hotel and wellness facilities and new residential real estate.
But the Alberta company providing the existing land mortgage wants out, and has secured a court order to have the entire property put on the market in a bid to recover its money, and ‘For Sale’ signs have now gone up alongside the Inland Island Highway.
The realtor marketing the site for $4,790,000 – Ed Handja of Coast Realty Group in Campbell River told the Echo the lender “has been very patient and given them quite a few months to resolve their issues before instructing that the land be marketed.”
But he added: “They would love nothing more than for these guys (Sage Hills) to be successful.”
Handja is actively seeking offers on the land, while Sage Hills pursues its separate quest to seal new financing arrangement to allow the existing loan arrangement to be paid off and the property removed from the market.

Unique Live-Work Building Slated For Courtenay Applies For Changes

Clarice — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:23:53 +0000

Changes to plans for a mixed commercial and residential development in Courtenay’s downtown core have been presented to city council.
The proposal for Tessitura Flats — a recording studio and a live performance venue with a cafe and residential units — was approved for a development permit in June, at 534 Cumberland Rd. near the school board office and fire hall.
A company representative presented Courtenay council with updated plans for Tessitura Flats, which would now consist of 14 new Comox Valley homes instead of 13, and six live/work units instead of five. On the third floor, one of the two proposed retail spaces and a residential unit would become the additional live/work space. The mezzanine, would be replaced with two residential units.
“If we reduced the size of that (mezzanine) we were more likely to be able to populate rather than have this cavernous space,” explained Eirah Unger. “We thought by increasing the density it would improve our numbers.”
While the building would not physically change in height, it would now be considered five stories instead of four, as a mezzanine is not considered a floor. The development would still be oriented around a central courtyard, and the live performance space would still be the central feature of the project.
Council unanimously passed a motion to give notice to adjacent property owners and return the application to council Feb. 6.

Excerpted from the Comox Valley Record