Inside the Medallion Model Homes at Estates of Credit Ridge

From 2011 to 2013 I worked inside the Medallion sales centre and model homes in Estates of Credit Ridge. I was not selling homes for Medallion: I was still getting my real estate registration in order. My job was to host the model homes, walk visitors through them, explain the upgrades and options, and answer questions. I already lived in the neighbourhood, so I could also tell buyers what living here was actually like. If you bought or toured a Medallion home in those years, there is a good chance you met a younger version of me at the model home.

This post shares what I saw from the inside: the models buyers were drawn to, how upgrade credits were spent, and what the options cost at the time, using a Medallion price list from my own records.

What was it like inside the Medallion model homes at Credit Ridge?

Between 2011 and 2013, the Medallion model homes were where many future neighbours first walked through an Estates of Credit Ridge home. Visitors toured the furnished models, compared floor plans and elevations, and asked about lots, upgrades and timing. I hosted those visits and walked buyers through each home and its options.

The questions were the same ones buyers ask today, just from the other side of construction: how big is the lot, which way does it face, can I get a walkout, how high are the ceilings, and what will the finished basement look like. Because I lived here, many conversations also turned to schools, parks, the ponds and the drive to the highways.

I was not in sales back then. I hosted the model homes, walked people through them and explained the upgrades. I was already living in the neighbourhood, so I could tell people honestly what it was like to live here. A lot of residents may remember meeting a young Harpreet at the model home.

Harpreet Sandhu, Real Estate Broker

Which Medallion model did buyers choose most often?

In my experience, the Ridgewood was Medallion’s most requested model at Credit Ridge. It sat on a 50 foot lot and started with about three elevations, growing to ten or more by the end. Buyers liked its tall ceilings, its four or five bedroom layouts upstairs and its builder-finished basement bedroom and bathroom.

Here is what made the Ridgewood stand out on the tour, as I remember it:

• Ceiling height. The Ridgewood was shown with 12 foot ceilings on the main floor and the second floor, which made the rooms feel larger than the square footage suggested.
• Bedroom choices. Buyers could choose a four or five bedroom layout on the upper floor.
• A finished lower level. By default it came with a finished basement bedroom and a builder-finished basement bathroom. Some owners chose a larger finished recreation area instead of the basement bedroom.
• Walkout lots. Many Ridgewood buyers chose lots with walkout basements. In Estates of Credit Ridge, walkouts are mostly on lots that back onto the ponds, Wolf Country Valley or other green areas.

Medallion also offered larger options on 60 foot lots, several with triple (three car) garages and some with tandem garages. If you are comparing homes today, our guide to lot sizes in Estates of Credit Ridge explains what the 40, 50 and 60 foot widths look like street by street.

How did Medallion upgrade credits work?

Like most builders at the time, Medallion offered upgrade credits, and the amount varied by home and by the timing of the purchase. From what I saw, buyers spent them mostly on flooring and kitchens, higher basement ceilings, and pot lights, both inside the home and outside. Those were the upgrades people asked about most.

All Medallion kitchens and bathroom cabinets came from Paris Kitchens, Medallion’s kitchen and vanity supplier. Buyers met with Paris to choose their cabinetry, and the price list reminded them to bring all of their appliance measurements to that first meeting, so the kitchen could be designed around the appliances they planned to buy.

What did upgrades cost in 2010?

Medallion’s November 2010 structural upgrade price list for the Springbrooke site, from my records, priced a basement ceiling increase to about 8’10” at $15,000 on 50 foot lots and $20,000 on 60 foot lots. Pot lights were $250 each inside and $350 each outside. Prices were plus HST and subject to change.

A selection of items from that list (November 2010 prices, plus HST, subject to change without notice):

These are builder prices from 2010 for new construction. They are a piece of neighbourhood history, not a guide to what the same work costs in a finished home today.

How much higher were upgraded basement ceilings?

The standard basement ceiling in these Medallion homes was about 7’10”, based on a 2010 quote in my records. The upgrade raised it to about 8’10”, roughly a foot more. In 2010 it cost $15,000 on a 50 foot lot or $20,000 on a 60 foot lot, plus HST.

That extra foot matters most if you plan to finish the basement or use it for family living space. When you tour a resale home here, it is worth measuring the basement ceiling rather than assuming every home has the same height. Owners who took the upgrade usually know it, and it is a fair question to ask.

Higher basement ceilings, flooring and kitchens, and pot lights inside and out were the upgrades people asked about most. Whenever I walk through one of these homes today, the basement height is one of the first things I check.

Harpreet Sandhu, Real Estate Broker

Why does this history matter when you buy or sell today?

Two homes with the same model name can be quite different inside, depending on which elevation, lot and upgrades the first owner chose. Knowing what was standard and what was optional helps buyers compare homes fairly and helps sellers explain features that are easy to miss, like a raised basement ceiling or factory pot lights.

If you own a Medallion home here, or you are looking at one, I am happy to walk through it with you and talk about its layout, its upgrades and how it compares. You may have met me at the model home already.

Frequently asked questions

Did Harpreet Sandhu sell homes for Medallion?
No. From 2011 to 2013 he hosted the Medallion model homes and sales centre in Estates of Credit Ridge, walking visitors through the homes and explaining the upgrades and options. He was not working in sales for the builder.

Which lot width was the Ridgewood built on?
The Ridgewood was a 50 foot lot model. Medallion’s larger options were on 60 foot lots, several with triple garages and some with tandem garages.

Was Medallion the only builder in Estates of Credit Ridge?
No. Several builders worked in the neighbourhood under one community plan and one architectural control process. See our neighbourhood history for what has been documented so far.

How can I tell if a home has the higher basement ceiling?
Measure from the basement floor to the underside of the ceiling or joists, and ask the owner. The standard was about 7’10” and the upgrade was about 8’10”.

Sources

1. Medallion’s November 2010 structural upgrade price list for the Springbrooke site (“Structural Upgrades for Mississauga Springbrooke site as of November 2010”), from Harpreet’s records.
2. Harpreet Sandhu, first-hand account of hosting the Medallion model homes and sales centre in Estates of Credit Ridge, 2011 to 2013, and a 2010 basement ceiling quote from his records.
3. Williams & Stewart Associates, Estates of Credit Ridge project description (community plan and architectural control): williamsarch.com