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Favourite Plans - Blackburn Hamlet & Orleans

 I did not forget you east enders! This latest instalment of my favourite (and most interesting) plans will focus on Blackburn Hamlet and Orleans.

Blackburn Hamlet:
This plan has a uniquely located family room facing the front, which does allow for a bedroom on the ground level behind the garage - which is where the family room is usually located with these designs.


This design has a master bedroom suite on a level all to its own.


We have all heard that "it is not the size that matters, it is how you use it". Well, in this case, this house is all about the size AND how it is used. Check out the size of the family room at 26'8 x 13'2. It is huge!


Just when you thought the family room in the Crimson King was huge, this plan up sizes the room to  27' x 13'3. A couple of inches can make a difference!



I love the squarish and simple footprint of this house. 


If you have ever ventured down Compata Way in Blackburn Hamlet, you would have seen the very unique houses that make up this cluster. Both the exteriors and the plans of the houses are very unusual.











Orleans:
I clearly have a thing for large rooms. This 24'9 x 11'4 living room is unusually large for the size of the house. I much prefer this type of layout with fewer, but larger rooms, versus having a lot of small rooms.


If the bedroom wing if this house reminds you of a mobile home - then you would be right! This is just one of the factory-produced houses built in Queenswood Heights in the early 1970s.

You may know Alcan for their aluminium foil...but did you know that they used to build houses? What a curious combination. These were also built in Queenswood Heights.

In Queenswood Heights South, Minto built a series of high-ranch houses with a small footprint. Two of the plans have the master bedroom on the main level and the other bedrooms one floor below. These two designs are like semi-detached houses, but only linked by the carport.




I really like this high-ranch design with the garage and den on the entry level.


In 1978, Campeau built a limited number of houses in Chatelaine Village, which have very traditional exteriors reminiscent of European houses. I have included this plan because of its 32-foot long master bedroom, which narrows to 8'9 at the back.
OK, so I am cheating a bit again. The next 2 plans are from the 1980s, but they are great plans, and they do capture some of the spirit of the mid-century. The sunken room and indoor planter in the plan below just scream mid-century modern!


This plan also has an optional planter box. I wonder how many people actually chose this option? Too bad they fell out of fashion - I think they are fantastic!


This plan is also from the early 1980s - but it is such a neat design that I just had to share. My favourite feature of this house is the living room with windows on 3 sides.




The Mastercraft Mystery:

I will leave off with a mystery, that maybe one of my readers can solve for me. In 1978, Mastercraft Homes built just 11 houses in Chatelaine Village. They had a variety of unique designs, so it seems odd that they built so few. Does anyone know if that was all they set out to build?
Below are 3 of my favourite plans that they built.






Addendum:

By request in the comments section, here is the Knotty Pine plan in Blackburn Hamlet:


And the Poplar:

The Walnut
The Blue Spruce (B62)






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Comments

  1. PhilAugust 21, 2012 at 10:54 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 7, 2015 at 8:51 PM

    You wouldn't happen to have the model of the Knotty pine house in Blackburn Hamlet it was a costain house thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SaulApril 28, 2015 at 12:59 PM

      I just added the Knotty Pine plan to the end of the blog posting. Enjoy!
      -Saul

      Delete
  3. AnonymousJuly 6, 2015 at 9:05 AM

    Great site! Do you have any info about the basement ceiling height of the Crimson King or the Sycamore models? I recently saw two houses with very similar floor plans, one in Sawmill Creek and the other near McCarthy in Hunt Club that had 10+ ft basement ceilings. Was that a characteristic with all of the houses with that floor plan? Any idea other areas of the city with similar split level designs? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SaulJuly 13, 2015 at 8:24 PM

      As far as I know, 10 foot high basement ceilings are not common, even with split-level designs. I have never been inside the Crimson King or Sycamore models, so I do not know how high the basement ceilings typically are. Split level design can be found across the city as they were quite popular up until the 1980s.

      Delete
  4. JONJuly 10, 2015 at 11:02 AM

    Do you have the Poplar model by Costain? It's like knotty pine, but single garage where the family room is. Great site BTW!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SaulJuly 13, 2015 at 8:33 PM

      I just added the Poplar plan at the end of the blog!

      Delete
  5. JONJuly 15, 2015 at 1:35 PM

    Thanks very much!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousJuly 16, 2015 at 3:35 PM

    I LOVE this site!!! We are looking at buying a Crimson King but... it's in original condition and we will need to renovate and rejuvinate. Do you know if I can find the building plans anywhere for this house or Costain builders? I would love to see where electrical and plumbing is (if it exists!)

    Thanks a bunch!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SaulJuly 19, 2015 at 1:57 PM

      Sounds like a fun project! It is possible that the city building department may have the original blueprints on file from when the house was first built...but this is not always the case. You can also try door knocking on other Crimson King houses in the area and see if any of the original owners still have the blueprints - as sometimes the builders gave them out when people first bought.

      Good luck!
      Saul

      Delete
  7. ErinSeptember 13, 2015 at 8:58 PM

    Love this post! Do you happen to have the plans for this Blackburn Hamlet / Orleans Costain built home: https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.4372513,-75.5612582,3a,75y,72.26h,78.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1soKunNgQ6lY9LQ0V2VeuK4w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656? I believe is may be The Walnut? 2 Storey, 4 bedrooms 2.5 bath. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SaulSeptember 14, 2015 at 5:53 PM

      Thanks!

      I just added the Walnut plan to the end of the post.

      Enjoy,
      Saul

      Delete
  8. ErinMarch 16, 2016 at 9:29 AM

    Hi Saul,

    I'm trying to figure out what model this is: https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.4372066,-75.5738521,3a,39.5y,104.15h,91.78t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sRqeJpltOmDNHrpxKVUOnMA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

    It's in Blackburn Hamlet, Costain built. Would you have the floor plan? I believe the middle window on the second level is the en-suite.

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Saul SvirplysMarch 21, 2016 at 8:02 PM

      Hi Erin,

      The house looks like it is The Blue Spruce. I have added the plan to the end of this post!

      I am working on a full post on Blackburn Hamlet...so stay tuned!

      ~Saul

      Delete
  9. UnknownSeptember 6, 2016 at 8:05 AM

    Hey Saul,
    I'm told that the houses on Sauterne way are Wimpey builds. If so what models are most of them? The double garage ones.

    Thanks,

    ReplyDelete
  10. Saul SvirplysSeptember 17, 2016 at 3:30 PM

    Most of the houses on Sauterne Park were built by Costain, although the hand full with double-car garages were built by Sandbury.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sheila McLuskeySeptember 21, 2016 at 3:37 PM

    Fantastic collection of floor plans! I am a realtor, so I keep a bit of a collection. To see the homes from the 70's and 80's is awesome. The floors plans are a great resource. I like to see how a house was built originally and what modifications have happened over the years. Thanks for this great site. Sheila McLuskey

    ReplyDelete
  12. Beijing YorkAugust 20, 2017 at 9:52 PM

    I have a very early memory of going with my family to check out homes when we were house hunting with one particular show house being a stand-out. This was probably 1971-72 in Blackburn Hamlet. There was a sunken sitting area around the fireplace off the kitchen was a standout and far removed from separate formal dining and living areas. And there were 3 bedrooms on the second floor and one was staged as a nursery with bars on the closet door filled with large stuffed animals that included a giraffe and other possible zoo animals. I was a kid so perhaps my memory is skewed but I was blown away by that house viewing.

    ReplyDelete

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