Construction & Renovation Services in McKenzie Towne & McKenzie Lake

You can, but you should do it thoughtfully. McKenzie Towne's architectural character — the front porches, the period-inspired trim, the varied rooflines, the deliberate styling of each village — is what makes the community distinctive and what supports its property values. A renovation that strips away these features in favour of generic modern finishes would be legally permissible (most architectural covenants have expired on the earlier phases) but financially counterproductive. The approach that works: modernize while respecting the style. Replace deteriorating siding with fibre cement or engineered wood that matches the home's original profile and proportions. Upgrade windows with energy-efficient units that maintain the divided-light pattern (grilles-between-glass or simulated divided lites). Rebuild a deteriorating porch with composite materials that replicate the original design's detailing — the material changes but the look stays. Where you can introduce modern elements: paint colour is the easiest way to update a McKenzie Towne exterior. The original colour palettes were often muted — lots of beige, sage, and colonial blue. Contemporary palettes tend toward bolder contrasts: dark bodies with bright trim, or charcoal siding with warm wood accents. A thoughtful colour refresh ($3,000-$6,000 for exterior painting) can dramatically modernize the appearance while leaving the architectural bones intact. Front door replacement is another high-impact, low-cost update: a new door with sidelights and transoms that complement the home's style ($2,000-$6,000 installed) refreshes the front facade at a fraction of the cost of a full exterior renovation. The bottom line: McKenzie Towne's design is an asset, not a constraint. Work with it, not against it.

McKenzie Towne's rear-lane lot configuration is one of the best setups in Calgary for a laneway house or garden suite under R-CG zoning — but the narrow lot widths create specific challenges. What works in your favour: the rear lane already provides vehicle and pedestrian access to the back of the lot, independent of the front street. The existing detached garage (standard in rear-lane McKenzie Towne configurations) establishes precedent for a structure at the back of the lot. And R-CG zoning permits a garden suite as a standalone secondary dwelling on the same lot as the principal home. What constrains you: lot width. McKenzie Towne's narrow lots (25-36 feet wide in the earliest phases) limit the width of any structure to whatever fits within the side setback requirements (minimum 1.2m from each side property line for an accessory structure). On a 30-foot lot, that leaves approximately 27.6 feet (8.4m) of building width — enough for a small one-bedroom suite (approximately 450-550 sq ft), but tight for anything larger. The maximum size for an accessory residential building (garden suite) under R-CG is 75 sq m (807 sq ft) or 12% of the lot area, whichever is less. On typical McKenzie Towne lots (3,000-4,000 sq ft), the 12% rule limits you to 360-480 sq ft — a compact studio or one-bedroom unit. Feasibility depends on your specific lot: width, depth, existing garage footprint, and utility locations. A pre-application meeting with the City's planning department ($100-$200) gives you a definitive answer about what your lot can accommodate before you invest in architectural drawings. Cost for a laneway suite in McKenzie Towne: $200,000-$350,000 for construction of a code-compliant standalone dwelling, including foundation, mechanical systems, exterior finishes, and interior finishing. The rental income potential ($1,200-$1,800/month for a well-finished studio or one-bedroom) provides a return, but the payback period is long — 12-20+ years — making this primarily a property-value and lifestyle investment rather than a short-term financial play.

At 25 years old, your furnace is in the zone where proactive replacement makes sense, even if it's still running. Here's the reasoning. A gas furnace has an expected service life of 15-25 years. At 25 years, yours is at the upper end of that range. It may run for another 5 years, or it may fail next January at -35°C. The risk of failure increases each year, and a mid-winter furnace failure in Calgary isn't just an inconvenience — it's a potential pipe-freeze emergency that can cause tens of thousands in water damage. Efficiency decline: even if your furnace still operates, it's not performing at its rated efficiency. A furnace rated at 92% AFUE when new is likely operating at 80-85% after 25 years of wear on the heat exchanger, burners, and blower motor. The difference between an 85% efficient old furnace and a 96% efficient new one translates to approximately $400-$700/year in heating cost savings at current gas prices — meaningful over the 20-year life of the replacement unit. Safety: older furnaces have a higher risk of heat exchanger cracks, which can allow combustion gases (including carbon monoxide) to enter the home's air distribution system. A cracked heat exchanger is a condemn-and-replace situation. Having it discovered during an emergency call is significantly more stressful and expensive than a planned replacement. The recommended approach: schedule a comprehensive furnace inspection ($150-$250) by a licensed gas fitter. They'll assess the heat exchanger condition, burner operation, blower motor performance, and overall system health. If the inspection reveals cracking, excessive rust, or components that are failing, replace immediately. If the system passes inspection, you can continue running it with annual inspections — but budget for replacement within the next 2-3 years. Replacement cost: $4,500-$7,000 for a modulating high-efficiency furnace (96%+ AFUE) with variable-speed blower, installed. Add $3,000-$5,500 for central air conditioning if you want to add cooling at the same time — it's most cost-effective to install both systems together because they share the air handler and ductwork.