Shane Communities Development
The year was 1979. Calgary was a growing city of just over half a million people and the Calgary Tower was still the tallest building in the city. It was in this era of growth that Cal Wenzel and his then partner Barry Basillie founded Shane Homes. Naming the company after Cal’s son, Shane Wenzel, made a statement about what they wanted their company to be; namely, a family business.
Those early years were a hands-on experience for the partners. They rolled up their sleeves to help build the very first Shane home! From framing and painting to the everyday business operations, they did it all! The very first Shane Homes home was finished in 1980 with four more homes completed by the end of that year.
Right from the beginning, they had ambitious plans for the company. Through hard work, they accomplished their goal of building fifty new homes a year in just five years. Ten years after that, they were building and selling hundreds of homes per year.
By the time Y2K hit, the city had undergone many changes! Calgary’s population had increased to one million people, and those growing families wanted new, exciting homes. Avocado green appliances and wood panelled walls were out, while granite countertops were slowly becoming all the rage!
By 2004 the Calgary new home market was evolving. People were moving to the city from other parts of Canada and the world bringing their own ideas of what type of home they wanted to live in. Most importantly, they wanted homes that were built to raise their families in. In response, Shane Homes extended the product line adding attached homes, laned homes and street townhomes, all of which continue to be extremely popular!
Today, Shane Homes is continuing that response by incorporating new, exciting features into our homes. Many of them are features that we could not have imagined back in 1979- such as our new home automation system! We are excited to continue growing our portfolio of homes and community involvement as well. The solid foundation we built in 1979 has allowed us to continue to build our company like we build our homes: with quality. We have loved being a part of Calgary’s story for the past 40 years, and we cannot wait to see what the next 40 years will bring!
Those early years were a hands-on experience for the partners. They rolled up their sleeves to help build the very first Shane home! From framing and painting to the everyday business operations, they did it all! The very first Shane Homes home was finished in 1980 with four more homes completed by the end of that year.
Right from the beginning, they had ambitious plans for the company. Through hard work, they accomplished their goal of building fifty new homes a year in just five years. Ten years after that, they were building and selling hundreds of homes per year.
By the time Y2K hit, the city had undergone many changes! Calgary’s population had increased to one million people, and those growing families wanted new, exciting homes. Avocado green appliances and wood panelled walls were out, while granite countertops were slowly becoming all the rage!
By 2004 the Calgary new home market was evolving. People were moving to the city from other parts of Canada and the world bringing their own ideas of what type of home they wanted to live in. Most importantly, they wanted homes that were built to raise their families in. In response, Shane Homes extended the product line adding attached homes, laned homes and street townhomes, all of which continue to be extremely popular!
Today, Shane Homes is continuing that response by incorporating new, exciting features into our homes. Many of them are features that we could not have imagined back in 1979- such as our new home automation system! We are excited to continue growing our portfolio of homes and community involvement as well. The solid foundation we built in 1979 has allowed us to continue to build our company like we build our homes: with quality. We have loved being a part of Calgary’s story for the past 40 years, and we cannot wait to see what the next 40 years will bring!
