This week, we tour a brand new modern glass-and-concrete home 40 minutes from Parliament Hill.
Address: 3495 Torwood Dr., Dunrobin
Neighbourhood: Dunrobin, Ontario
Agent: Charles Sezlik, Royal LePage Team Realty
Price: $3.2 million
Taxes:$4,355 (approximately)
The history: This house was designed on a series of pieces of scrap paper over three hours one night in the backyard of a downtown home. Having converted a Cooper street property into two condo units, Paul Reichheld, who is the owner of Manray Glass and Aluminium, and his wife, Amanda White, have built a sleek monument to contemporary design. The house is a series of large boxes, offering floor to ceiling windows that look out into the surrounding forest. “We found that working on the Cooper street project was a really great creative outlet for us both,” says White. “But we were tired of the restrictions imposed by building in the city due to lack of space and considerations for neighbours, so we found this piece of property and knew we could build whatever we wanted here. The creative process started to flow, and by the end of one night we knew what we wanted to build, even the materials we wanted to use.” Views are green, peaceful, and reminiscent of a treehouse.
The place: Set on 23 acres on the shores of the Ottawa River near Dunrobin, the 7,500-square-foot house wants for nothing. A hymn to modernity, it’s built from concrete, brick, and glass with open plan spaces, concrete walls, and minimalist cabinetry. “It’s really beautiful year round,” says White. “The colours in fall are gorgeous and in winter it’s like living in a snow globe. It’s a fantastic house for entertaining and there’s not a single part of it that we wished we’d done differently.”
A series of concrete, brick, and glass boxes offers the juxtaposition of uber-contemporary in a rural setting:
The sitting room offers enough seating for a party or a fairly large sleep-over:
There are plenty of different seating options — one person can read, another can watch television, and another still can chat with friends, each in their own sitting area:
With views out over the swimming pool, you can watch the fun but cut out the noise!
Yes, there’s a fridge hiding in that built-in walnut unit:
No clutter here!
Tranquility in the treetops:
One bedroom has a view of the pool:
The attached ensuite also takes in views of the woods and the swimming pool:
Another bedroom, this one with a double-sided fireplace:
Biggest selling point(s): All the bells and whistles: exceptional finishes, heated floors, soaker bathtubs with woodland views, walnut built-in cabinets, multiple Miele appliances, an outdoor kitchen and sitting area, double sided fireplaces, a 30-foot-by-50-foot swimming pool, hot tub with a heated path to get to it, Sonos surround sound, biometric access, a separate nanny suite, and a four-car garage.
Al fresco cooking and dining, poolside:
Who needs a cottage when you’ve got a pool in the woods?
Possible deal breaker: You’ll need lots and lots of large pieces of furniture to fill this space. Giant windows allow plenty of light to flood into the house, but cleaning them could turn out to be a long job.
By the numbers
7,500 square feet
4 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
1 fireplace
1 hot tub
1 nanny suite
4-car garage, plus 10+ parking spots