By Rachel Naud
Photography by Ryan Fung
Growing up, Ali Zarmehr watched his father develop commercial and residential real estate in Iran. His weekends were spent on construction sites where his dad was building legacies that would last for lifetimes. “It was inspiring because I always wanted to build things, says Zarmehr, CEO of Zarcon Homes, a luxury custom home builder in Toronto. “When you build anything, you leave something behind for a long time.”
Today, Zarmehr is not only building houses, but he is also creating dream homes. “We don’t build to flip homes, we build based on an individual’s wish list and needs,” he says. “We cater to custom detail.” When homeowners hire Zarcon Homes to build their luxury abodes, the experience from start to finish is tailored to them. Every client gets attentive one-on-one attention when it comes to creating their custom homes, which is of utmost importance to Zarmehr. “We involve our clients from start to finish. We let them enjoy the journey,” he says. “We build homes differently — homes that can be cherished for generations. That’s why instead of building 20 homes a year, we might only do five or six houses a year so we can take the time and energy to really tailor each one.”
“ WE BUILD HOMES DIFFERENTLY. ”
When it comes to creating luxury homes, Zarmehr has a wealth of knowledge. He started in the field in his early twenties, selling luxury real estate. “I loved it,” he says. “It opened my eyes to the luxury real estate market.” What Zarmehr found is that there was still a lot of room to grow in the Canadian luxury market in terms of being original and bringing in a sense of unique designs and builds. “Canada is still behind when it comes to design and innovation,” says Zarmehr. “Through selling luxury real estate, I could see these custom builders weren’t giving the clients a lot of details and originality . I compare Toronto to Chicago, New York and Miami and I saw that there was a niche in Toronto for this type of custom luxury.”
That’s why Zarcon Homes goes above and beyond the typical luxury real estate builder experience to offer high-end services and amenities not found elsewhere. “We will literally do everything for our clients,” says Zarmehr. “We’ll do it all, from working with interior designers and real estate brokers to helping homeowners find and acquire the land to build on. We work with an array of professionals including famed architect Richard Wengle and Contempo Studio.”
Zarmehr says his customers will also commission Zarcon Homes to make custom furniture for them when it comes time to finishing their spaces. “We know the ins and outs of the home more than anyone else so we can build exact furniture for that space. Landscaping is my favourite thing to do because we can create above and beyond in people’s backyards.” He says that while swimming pools have always been favoured, they’re especially a hot commodity since the pandemic. “People want elaborate pools, cabanas and outdoor kitchens to really make their outdoor space an oasis, so even if they don’t travel as much, they get that resort feel at home.” They also want to enjoy it year-round, which is why Zarmehr has experienced some clients requesting Muskoka rooms or modernized aluminum pergolas to extend the enjoyability of the space.
One of the most interesting projects Zarcon Homes is currently working on is the restoration of a century-old home in Unionville, Ont. The owners wanted to maintain the historic look of the outside of the 110-year-old heritage home but completely restore the inside to make it modern and chic. “From the outside it looks like a very classic historic building but when you walk in, you’re surprised as you’re just surrounded by luxury in an open-concept setting. It’s a very interesting property .”
Homeowners looking to create their own dream homes can book a consultation with Zarcon Homes by emailing info@zarconhomes. com or connect with them on Instagram at @zarconhomes.