Yesterday was a full day as I spent the afternoon/evening showing several acreages to a client.

Acreages are vastly different from property to property and often mean a lot of walking and discovering different landscape, foliage and even a friendly black horse that wants to follow you around the yard!

I have watched many of my favorite Central Alberta builders post acreage projects on social media and they always look beautiful and make me want to run to each job site to see the progress.

Acreages give us so many options for house placement and extra features to make the property truly unique.

Decks are undoubtedly the most wonderful choice on an acreage, the sky is the limit!

You can create a covered or uncovered outdoor space which rivals the square footage of the actual house to take advantage of the views and landscape that you are developing. Obviously, the restrictions of a city deck have limitations for size and permitted use but in the country, these outdoor spaces can be every realization of your imagination and they are fabulous!

Many acreage properties have a deck on several sides of the home to allow you to follow the sun all day.

I have a delightful chalet style acreage listed that has a deck off the south, east, north AND west side on different levels of the home.

Small Juliet balconies in the loft and large balconies on the main south exposure give you endless options for taking in the sights and sounds. I would have a hard time deciding where to sit and which appropriate beverage to consume on each different balcony or deck!

When deciding between acreage or city life one must consider that acreage life gives you boundless opportunities to draw you outside regardless of the season.

When I lived in the city, outside time was penetrated by sirens, traffic noise and neighbours’ dogs and kids. Now, my morning coffee is accompanied by birds chirping and cloud watching, and it is very peaceful.

I am impressed at how much more time I spent outside than I did when I lived ‘in town’ (as the local country folk call it). Acreage living is more about the outside space whereas city homes are sold for their inside merits and features.

When you are considering a home and the outside space is non-existent like in a condo, you must have every item working on the inside of your home and need the space to live your life 100% on the inside.

Some places will have storage available and you will need to be sure that these properties work for you.

For some, the lack of yard work is a blessing and they enjoy the maintenance-free lifestyle.

The personalities of homes and land never ceases to amaze me, and it is always fascinating to discover the different aspects of city vs. country life.

To some a high tech condo in the sky is a kingdom and to others a modest mobile on a vast section of land makes one feel like the most fortunate person in the world.

We all have our distinct personalities and there is a home for each of us that will satisfy our unique and differing needs.

Kim Wyse is a Central Alberta freelance designer. Find her on facebook at ‘Kim Wyse Associate Royal Lepage Tamarack Trail Realty’.