Urban Sky focuses on its core strength as a custom infill design-builder with its corporate amalgamation into Urban Sky Construction Corp. This is a reflection of our ongoing commitment to excellence and our principles of quality, value, and relationships.

For many years, and as one of the first focus on custom infill design-build, we have maintained our presence in crafting renewable vibrant spaces that enhance lives and communities.

We continued to be thrilled in building spaces where people thrive, and we’re grateful to everyone who’s been (and will be) part of our journey.

 

 Urban Sky Developments recognizes the importance of modern design in creating spaces that inspire and captivate. Their interior designs are characterized by using a timeless approach to clean lines, open layouts, and a seamless blend of form and function. To elevate the aesthetics, we employ a wide spectrum of colors that resonate with contemporary sensibilities. From soothing neutrals to bold accents, Urban Sky Developments’ colour palettes are carefully curated to evoke specific moods and enhance the ambiance, energy and excitement of each room.


Major cities have been strategically planning for several years to increase urban redevelopment and improve the
‘balance’ and reduce the associated economic challenges of suburban sprawl. Urban Infill development can play an
active part in achieving municipalities goals. Simply put, infill development is the construction of new homes and
businesses within existing urban areas. Urban infill construction increases the livelihood of urban neighborhoods,
improves the environment, reduces traffic congestion, and dramatically utilizes under-used land better. An effective
strategy to combat climate change, conserve energy, and improve the quality of life for everyone.
Amidst everything, infill development offers a practical and viable solution that rebuilds older community amenities –
parks, street lighting, shopping, grocery stores, schools, libraries, health services, etc. Infill development restores
livability and sustainability to urban subdivisions, reduces the need for costly suburban infrastructure projects, and can
even create new jobs.


Urban Sky Developments has been a leader in urban redevelopment with several years of experience in residential
design build. Urban Sky’s projects focus on family living and at-home workers, with clean lines and contemporary
minimalism for an efficient and comfortable space. Our designs deliver aesthetic, functional and financial benefits to its
infill homeowners.


We create new cost-effective residential infill homes with lower energy costs, closer access to walkable neighborhoods
for schools, shopping, parks, public transportation (to name a few). We are proud to be part of the movement to reduce
traffic congestion and reliance on car culture, a natural buffer against climate, and restoring livelihoods to urban living.
Visit us at www.urbanskydevelopments.ca

Infill’s can be Green…from basic to advanced enviro features like energy-efficient living, high-efficiency windows, improved insulation, zoned heating and ventilation, innovative floor plan layouts, using a vast array of material types and colours…just to name a few possibilities in going ‘green’. 

Urban Sky Developments projects feature advanced designs that focus on family living and at-home workers with clean lines and contemporary minimalism for an efficient and comfortable space.

Tight building envelopes with engineered mechanical systems allow for energy-efficient large windows for plenty of natural light. Smart power systems are coordinated throughout the house to reduce energy consumption of fossil fuels that help maintain a better environment and planet. 

Urban Sky Developments are often located nearby public transportation for easy access, without you having to spend more time on long car commuter trips.

Green infills add value, socially, environmentally, and economically. 

Go Green and see the appraised value of your ‘green’ home increase year over year. 

For many that select an infill for their home they likely have in mind the real estate adage “location, location, location”. They fall in love with a family-friendly central urban neighbourhood with mature trees lining the boulevard, a school within walking distance, and a short commute to downtown jobs. They compare it to new homes in the suburbs that have long commutes that would eat into family time. Yet the older homes in urban neighbourhood are too small or old-fashioned. 

The solution seems easy – build an infill house. Buy a property in a mature neighbourhood, tear down the existing house, and build a new, modern home. And the city promotes families to make that choice, too. However, while it can be a good solution for families and for the city as a whole, it is not an easy one. Infill is expensive and time-consuming. The benefits may still outweigh the costs, but it’s important to understand the costs if you choose this route.

Why the City Wants Infill

The City has a lofty goal for new housing to be infill. Creating modern homes in mature neighbourhoods slows the build-up of the suburbs, the development of which is very expensive to all taxpayers. But it’s not just individual neighbourhoods that become more sustainable with infill – the city itself benefits as people move into core neighbourhoods and rely on public transit more than their vehicles, and use more of the existing infrastructure, reducing maintenance and upgrading costs. Building in mature neighbourhoods makes them more sustainable and diverse – both culturally and economically.

Some Things You Need to Know Before Your Go Forward with An Infill

Building any house is no small undertaking, but infill brings its own unique challenges.

Improvements are Happening

The City is working to improve the infill process, to make it more efficient and affordable. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the job of designing and building an infill property will be significantly easier (particularly compared to suburban built houses). 

Benefits of Infill Living Make it Affordable

Look beyond the challenges and expense and include the benefits of living closer to services. Building your infill in more central neighbourhoods allows access to transit instead of using vehicles for every errand. And, building density into neighbourhoods encourages businesses to locate there, making communities more walkable. Infill is affordable when you factor in your value of a lifestyle that you couldn’t get somewhere else. 

Whether or not you consider yourself a bit of a designer, all of us provides ideas and input into the design process about how your infill home will ‘look and feel’…its floor plans, finishings, and exterior character.  Here are a few tips to help you get started:

Floor Plans First, Then Exterior 

With the cost of infill land, you want to maximize the use of it. Your land size, orientation, and configuration will affect the entrances, layout, window locations, size, garage location, and the overall general aspects of the design for your home. List or sketch out ideas and share these with your Designer. The Designer will convert these to drawings and budgetary estimates for your approval, prior to submitting for the Development and Building Permits. 

Use Positive & Negative Space Wisely. 

Infill design allows you to be creative. Use of space is very important. A cohesive sense and combination of form and function makes your space both attractive and usable. Effectively use positive and negative space – positive space is where the actual objects are (bathtub, lighting) while negative space is the empty space around and in between everything else, often highlighting and showcasing everything next to it. And don’t forget to ask your Designer about different ideas and uses of colour and texture. 

Good Design Adds Higher Resale value

Often resale value is a consideration when designing your home. Not only is the design for aesthetic reasons but also for functional and financial. You might be surprised to learn which design ideas are more beneficial in helping your home stand out and add value to your home

Conclusion:

By paying attention to these details, you can create a home that looks modern and stylish while also ensuring that it will increase its value over time.

It’s now everyone’s responsibility to take care of our environment. One such way is reducing our carbon emissions. Carbon emissions have a far-reaching impact on our environment by its drastic effects on climate change. Urban redevelopment and residential infill reduces the carbon impact of GreenHouse Gas (GHG) and helps to improve our environment. Read on the find out how urban redevelopment and residential infill contribute to a greener environment, at a lower cost. 

Infill development is the redevelopment of older properties and urban redevelopment focuses on developing underutilized or unused lands & properties – both in urban areas. People are now realizing the spread-out pattern of suburban sprawl has become difficult to sustain, economically and environmentally. Lengthy commutes and expensive new utilities & city services are examples of the challenges facing expansion of suburban subdivisions – most of which can be solved with an increase to urban redevelopment and residential infills. 

• Reduced Automobile Emissions 

Infill development and urban redevelopment brings people closer to their places of work, with access to currently under utilized city infrastructure & services. Both of these reduce carbon impact and increases active healthy lifestyles by riding bikes and walking to their central urban place of work (not to mention the increased use in close-proximity public transit)

• Lower Energy Consumption

Building new infill homes focuses on reduced energy consumption and the use of improved building methods & material reduces energy consumption…significantly reduced compared to the current older houses and buildings.  

• No Need for Higher Suburban Start-up Costs, Paid By Taxpayers 

All of the new urban residential infills and many of the new urban redeveloped buildings bring increased revenues to the City, in the form of increased assessed value and property tax. These additional revenues are without the substantial costs seen in suburban development that require new utilities and city services…much of which are paid by all taxpayers.  

Urban redevelopment and residential infill are good for both the environment and the local economy. Many of our urban areas are ready for redevelopment and new residential infills. Rarely is there such an opportunity where each of us can have such an immediate positive effect on our environment, at a lower cost!  

Check out Urban Sky Developments for advice on your next urban redevelopment and residential infill project.

Knowing and separating your ‘needs’ from your ‘wants’ is critical for designing and budgeting your new infill home. A simple technique of creating needs and wants into two lists will save you a lot of time and anxiety and keep you within your affordable budget. Although simple on the surface, this important step can be challenging. The suggestions below may help. 

The detail in-between the detail 

At Urban Sky Developments, we take extra time to talk and coach our clients to understand how to identify and separately list their essential needs from their desired wants. You first need to know what you need BEFORE you start with what desires influence your wants. It comes down to justifying your needs list first on fact and secondly on emotion. 

Likely your desires that make up your ‘wants’ list will quickly bring additional cost, possibly beyond your budget. Individual wants may not appear to increase cost, but experience shows these quickly add up…for example – high-end cabinets, expensive countertops, unique looking plumbing fixtures and lighting packages, exotic flooring. Developing two different lists will avoid the confusion and should help you keep to your budget.  

Creating your needs and want list will likely require a few attempts. Make sure you include everyone in your family. Once you have this list present it to your Designer-Builder, who can provide you with their input, with cost, availability, alternatives, etc.  

Listing your wants and needs: Let’s get started!

Now that you understand why you should separate these two factors, let’s look at how to separate them. First, do your own local market research. Check websites, online magazines, talk to designers & builders. Even infill owners. Build your initial list of what you like.

My Market Research – List of What I likeReasons/Why

Now separately list your needs, then your wants, each with your reasons why. Take your time, do not rush. Share these lists with your friends to get their feedback.  

Needs ListReasons/Why
Wants ListReasons/Why

Need Help…not sure how to get started?  Give us a call or send us an email. We can get you up to speed quickly. www.urbanskydevelopments.ca 

Urban Sky is an award-winning infill Design-Builder. Contact us for a free design and advice on your infill development. Consultations are free, and we have friendly customer support ready to help. 

Edmonton (and Canada) is grappling with housing shortages, especially at the mid-level end of the market. The situation has only worsened during the pandemic, as inventory of available mid-priced housing is limited. The lack of housing supply drives higher housing costs.

One solution to the lack of affordable housing is to build more infill housing, which increases housing supply with designs that preserve unique neighborhood characteristics. Some of the challenges of infill stem from misconceptions about the implications of infill housing. 

Myth #1: Building more infill housing leads to overcrowding

In Edmonton, there is ample room for Edmonton’s single-family neighborhoods to house more people without becoming overcrowded. Increasing density is not the same as overcrowding. Low-density infill housing could not only address the shortage of housing but also increase the flexibility of existing housing stock to accommodate different needs, including multigenerational families, those working from home, and an aging population who want to remain where they live. And it takes advantage of under-used infrastructure and services.  

Myth #2: Infill housing leads to higher costs and displacement

Besides having an incrementally positive effect on supply, these new infill houses in higher-income neighborhoods are very unlikely to increase housing costs, as they are likely to be more affordable. Edmonton needs strategies to mitigate possible negative effects by encouraging the distribution of this new housing equitably around the city.

Myth #3:Infill housing can’t be well designed

Contrary to opponents’ fears, infill housing can be very well designed. Smaller homes can be built in established neighborhoods without adding out-of-context or sprawling development. Some of the classic and beautiful designs of modern homes also include duplexes and townhomes. 

What’s next for low-density infill housing in Edmonton?

Low-density infill housing can play an important role in helping Edmonton solve its housing supply and affordability challenges. But the city’s current development zoning bylaw and permitting process is challenging, worsening its housing supply shortage. Revising policies to promote infill housing could help address this challenge and ensure all residents can afford a home in the city. The benefits of infill include: 

An approved Development Permits (DP) is required before making an application for a Building Permit (BP) to construct a new infill house (there are exceptions when a DP & BP can be submitted at the same time). A DP determines the site use, building size, building location, and landscaping. A BP ensures that the new buildings comply with safety codes and regulations, as well as records the mechanical and electrical permits and inspections. But, before and after the DP & BP are issued, there are other steps that you and your Design-Builder are involved with:

Construction can begin when all required permits and approvals are issued.