During the 1950 and 1960s Economy Home Builders constructed houses in a number of areas in the city including Elmvale Acres, Urbandale Acres and Queenswood Heights, some under the Capital Homes banner (more on that below). Below is one of the builder's brochures. I do not know the date, but it appears to be from the late 1950s.  The Ottawa Citizen, November 11, 1958, page 43. The Ottawa Citizen, August 26, 1961, page 9. The Ottawa Citizen, January 6, 1962, page 12. The Ottawa Citizen, March 17, 1962, page 10. Around 1962 Economy Homes was a part of a merger to create Capital Building Industries a company that constructed houses in various Canadian cities from the same plans. The Ottawa Citizen, June 2, 1962, page 9. The Ottawa Citizen, June 23, 1962, page 8. The Ottawa Citizen, October 20, 1962, page 9.

In follow up to my two previous posts on the Minto houses in Beacon Hill North, I wanted to also share the plans for the semi-detached houses.  There is only small pocket with semi-detached houses built by Minto during the early 1970s in the area on Gatineau View Crescent and the adjacent portion of La Verendrye Drive. Some of these designs were built elsewhere by Minto, whereas others were only built here as they have layouts that are suited for the hilly terrain of the site.  The Uphill Models: The designs are located on the uphill sites on Gatineau View Crescent and have the garage on the lower level with the main living spaces above. The Flat Site Models: These designs were built on the flat sites in area, although some were also built on downhill lots with a walkout basement. The Downhill Model: The Sherwood design appeared in a few Minto neighbourhoods, but this variation has a walkout basement for the downhill lots in Beacon Hill North. The Side-Sloped Models: The Wychwood desig

 In follow up to my last post showcasing the plans for the bungalows in Beacon Hill North, in this post I am sharing the plans for the high ranch, split-level, and two-storey homes in the area. These were built from the mid-1960s to mid-1970s. Stylistically, Minto's bungalows (see last post) and split-level designs tend to be more modern, whereas the two-storey designs tend to lean towards the traditional-style. The high ranch designs are a bit of a hybrid between the two. HIGH RANCH DESIGNS There are only a few high ranch designs that were built by Minto during this time. They all have a garage located on the lower level. The Marlborough is one of Minto's largest and widest high ranch designs with 5 bedrooms. Of note is the 2-car garage on the lower level. The Saguenay and Seville are virtually the same plan, but with slightly different façades.  SPLIT-LEVEL DESIGNS Minto's split-level designs in Beacon Hill North come in a variety of layouts, including back-split and side