David Parker | Calgary Herald | Published Aug 16, 2023
Rockwood Custom Homes was launched in 2009, with Allison Grafton setting the bar at the top to be a high-performance custom builder. She first appeared in this column in November 2015, reporting by that time that she had built or completely renovated 65 homes, primarily in the districts of Bel Aire, Elbow Park, Aspen Heights and Springbank.
Always excited about her projects — offered with a devotion to quality, financial stewardship, accountability and with a thoughtful process — Rockwood has since brought integrated development, design and construction to a huge catalogue of custom homes and multi-family residences to now include fully designed, master planned communities.
Currently, it is focused on developing two offerings at Silvertip, the golf resort at Canmore.
Grafton took a huge leap of faith when she designed her first luxury multi-family project in the inner-city. The Residences of King Edward, on the site of the former school that is now home to cSpace in South Calgary, brought to market 18 luxury flats that were sold in record time.
The Villas at Aspen Heights offered 28 bungalows nestled among individual home sites that also sold out quickly.
Five and a half acres of farmland that was part of a prominent Calgary family estate was purchased four years ago and was planned to accommodate 24 homes; eight are single-family estate homes and 14 will be attached and detached villas. Under construction, 70 per cent are sold and the first residents will move in later this month.
A native of Kelowna, B.C., Grafton ventured back into the Okanagan in 2017, believing there would be a big demand for a new standard of exceptional custom homes. She has built in Kelowna, Vernon, on Kalamalka Lake and in outlying areas, and is well under-construction with The Benches on land she purchased in the heart of McKinley Beach, with picturesque views of the lake and overlooking Azhadi Vineyards.
Seventeen luxury homes are available in Rockwood’s first exclusive community in the Okanagan, and buyers from the area, Calgary and Vancouver have purchased half of them.
Planning for whole communities is an exciting undertaking and Grafton and her team are particularly thrilled to have been chosen as a preferred builder by Stone Creek Properties to build at Silvertip, working with Guy Turcotte and John Third in a long-term relationship.
Silvertip is one of the last residential enclaves available in the Bow Valley corridor near Banff National Park. As one of four firms approved to build 35 single-family homes in Mountain Tranquility Place, Rockwood will also bring an exceptional offering of 24 residences comprising villas, walkout bungalows and two-storey homes to the development.
Bordering the golf course and adjacent to a protected natural wildlife corridor, and close to the amenity-rich town of Canmore, the tranquil area with endless hiking, biking and climbing trails is a welcome addition to the area’s hot real estate market.
Grafton says using her company’s fully integrated design and building process, the products will reflect an alpine tradition with mountain-modern architecture.
Rockwood has undergone a fast-paced growth since it was launched, adding people to match the growth in projects. Today, Rockwood has a staff of 40, now housed in an old building in the Manchester Industrial district, with an understated exterior but the expected jazzy interior office space.
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