Celebrated builder McKee Homes has deep and meaningful roots in Airdrie.
At Genesis Land, we make it our mission to create vibrant communities where people feel safe, supported and inspired to live their best lives. For more than two decades, McKee Homes has worked with us to help realize this goal.
As one of our long-time builder partners, Airdrie-based McKee Homes has been crafting houses for Genesis Land communities since 2001. But McKee Homes has been an important presence in Airdrie for much longer than that.
Launched in 1987 by Martin McKee, an immigrant from Northern Ireland, McKee Homes was built on a foundation of quality, integrity and honesty. These values continue to be reflected not just in the exceptional homes McKee creates for Airdrie families, but also in the company’s commitment to the health and vitality of Airdrie itself.
“We believe it’s imperative to be involved in our community, and to support local charities wherever possible in order to build everyone up,” says McKee Homes’ design manager, Alexandria Rawlyck. “We love that Genesis Land shares this belief. The vision at Genesis, and their commitment to community, definitely aligns with the vision at McKee.”
Here, Rawlyck shares her insights into what makes her company special, and what you can expect when building a new home with McKee.
All in the Family
McKee Homes is a family-owned operation, and, according to Rawlyck, that sense of family extends throughout the entire company. “There’s just over 40 employees at McKee, and a lot of us have been here for well over 10 years,” she says. “Part of the reason for that level of employee commitment is because we really do work in a close-knit atmosphere. We all feel like family, and it’s something we don’t take for granted.”
Rawlyck adds that this sense of camaraderie inspires a truly collaborative atmosphere, where team members from across divisions work together—and with the homebuyer—to create the best possible product, with transparency and integrity along every step of the way. “Families have entrusted us with one of the biggest decisions of their lives, and we want to ensure we are being honest with them about what we offer,” she says. “Together, we work to build a quality product that they will be proud to call home.”
Embracing Customization
Currently building in Genesis Land’s Bayside Estates community, McKee Homes offers a variety of front-attached and bungalow models to choose from. But Rawlyck is quick to point out that these models are often just a starting point. “Someone might say they’ve chosen to build our Knightstown II model, for example, but every house we build is different,” she says. “It’s a reflection of the family or person who buys it.”
That’s because the McKee team is very open to mixing and matching, per the client’s vision. “A person might come in and say, ‘Oh, I like this main floor of this house, but I prefer the upper floor of this other model, can we kind of mash them together?’ And our design and sales teams work closely to ensure that yes, we can mash them together. We have the ability to customize a house to fit the buyer’s needs. Anything is possible at McKee.”
Navigating the Building Process
From firming up floorplans and picking exterior colours to choosing cabinets, flooring and fixtures, there’s no doubt the process of building a brand-new home can be overwhelming at times. “But our design team is there to help navigate the person or family through each decision and provide guidance and inspiration through every step of pre-construction and construction,” says Rawlyck.
In terms of finding ways to keep stress levels down while embarking on a new-build adventure, Rawlyck encourages clients to stay focused on the end-result: “Building a house can be super stressful, so it’s important to do your research, maintain a clear vision, and keep the overall end-goal in mind. Small roadblocks and stresses along the way are going to happen—you are building a house, after all. But at McKee, we have your best interests in mind, and we work hard to mitigate those stresses.”
Pride of Place
As an Airdrie-based company, McKee Homes has played a key role in building up the city it calls home—both through the houses it creates and through its involvement in the community. From partnerships with the Airdrie Food Bank and Community Links to popular initiatives like the annual Martin McKee Memorial Golf Tournament, which raises funds for different charitable organizations, the team at McKee Homes is committed to strengthening the Airdrie community.
“We are local, through and through,” says Rawlyck. “Having been such an integral part of Airdrie for so long, helping build the city and investing in the community—I would say that’s something that makes us really stand out as homebuilders.”
