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Factory-built houses in Sheffield Glen and Queenswood Heights

At work, we just listed a condo for sale in the Sheffield Glen neighbourhood (304-2650 Southvale) - and driving through the area I realized that I have never done a post on the factory-built houses from the early 1970s in Ottawa.

 I am aware of two neighbourhoods built with these homes in Ottawa, but there may be more: Sheffield Glen (the area around Southvale Crescent) and Queenswood Heights in Orleans (there is a row of these houses along Tenth Line between Tomkins and Amiens, and they were built in the area behind).

 I do not have much information on these factory-built houses (or even where the factory was) other than what is described in the marketing ephemera below. 

 Both G.N.C. homes and Alcan Universal Homes (yep, Alcan used to build houses) had some identical plans that they built in Ottawa. Perhaps they were built in the same factory - just under different banners? Alcan also built in Georgetown, Ontario. If you know of anywhere else these homes were built in Ottawa or elsewhere in the country, let me know!


Notice how on most of the bungalow plans there is a thicker wall running down the centre of the house. They were most-likely built with a front and a back half - to be trucked to the site - and this mid-point would be where the two halves were joined on site.
The Capri design below appears the most obvious as a factory-built house. The bedroom section is quite narrow and looks as though it would easily fit on a truck to be transported to the site.
















Addendum:
A special thank you to a reader, Rob, who sent me a colour version of the Bonaventure plan - shown below. He grew up in an Alcan home in the Hamilton/Flamborough area of Ontario where the same designs were built!






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Comments

  1. NobeyOctober 26, 2016 at 2:30 PM

    I live in an Alcan home built in 1969 in Cambridge Ontario, but at the time it was Hespeler.

    There's a row 5 of them on my street in 3 different sizes...

    ReplyDelete
  2. NobeyOctober 26, 2016 at 2:35 PM

    It looks like I have the Carleton...

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 16, 2017 at 10:43 PM

    GoogleMap this : 45.538664,-73.3361803 . and there about 50 Alcan Universal homes inside the perimeter formed by Clairevue Blvd , Mesnard street and Dufrost street . This is in St-Bruno de Montarville Québec .Let Pegman take a walk and you'l see Carleton Belvedere and Bonaventure model all around . I just sold mine , a Carleton

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJune 16, 2017 at 10:56 PM

    More details about the St-Bruno AUHomes , all , except 2 ( show unit ) get a basement with ...more headroom with 8' , than the first floor ( 7'6'' ). It's because Alcan try to sell these house without basement but the response was not good . Alcan was forced to dig and offer basement . That was very costly cause the ground here is compose with a lot of rocks . So they eat their profit and sold the rest of their land that they had to build .

    ReplyDelete
  5. K. MartinSeptember 13, 2017 at 11:39 AM

    Just found out the home I purchased in Blenheim ON is an Alcan Universal home built in September 1971.

    ReplyDelete
  6. GaryFebruary 6, 2019 at 10:50 PM

    Just bought an Alcan Universal Home and need to move it. It looks like the Bonaventure. It's 24' wide by 56' long. I need the blue print for it... Would anyone know how or where to get one?

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousDecember 26, 2022 at 5:23 PM

    There is a subdivision called the Orono Estates. It was constructed around 1973 with the 4 GNC models. I grew up here and now live a few houses away from my parents. To view it on google earth it is just off Taunton rd and the 115.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousJune 10, 2024 at 11:28 AM

    My Stepson just bought a 1968 Alcan Belvedere 1 in Goderich On. (1 1/2 hours NW of Woodstock). I don’t know if any neighbours’ homes are Alcans but now with this list of pictures I’m going to check them out.

    ReplyDelete

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