We had a really busy weekend this week. Saturday morning we went back out to look at that property I posted about last week that we thought we might love. First we decided to stop by another, similar property just to get a comparison in our minds. We weren’t expecting much from the first property, but figured it was worth a look since we were going to be out there. Turns out, we loved the first one, and hated the second (the one from last week).
The second one turns out to be sitting on the edge of a huge ravine, with over half of the 2 acres being down the side of the ravine. The house is just metres away from the edge. The ravine has had erosion problems in the past. The house itself is slanted, and looks really pieced together. Roofs from new additions don’t actually match up with the old one. The kitchen is beautiful, and the usable property is pretty nice, though definitely hasn’t been well maintained. But it’s probably less than an acre and we felt like the house is barely safe to live in.
However, the first one seems to be exactly what we’d hoped to get from the second one. It’s only an acre, but the entire thing is usable. There’s also land next to it that is used by an Easter Seals camp as their septic fields, and so there’s about two acres that will never be developed and that the kids can play on. I cringed when I heard it was next to a septic field, but from the preliminary research I’ve done there don’t seem to be any problems with smell or disease or anything like that as long as they’re well maintained. That’s definitely something we’re looking more into though.
The land has been extremely well kept. Even our realtor was really impressed. He told us it’s rare to find rural property that is so neat and landscaped. We’ve decided to at least look into getting a mortgage, etc. I still have the same reservations I had last week, but it is a really beautiful property. Future plans would be potentially extending the house over to where the carport is and making all the bedrooms bigger and adding another bathroom. (I don’t like only having one bathroom!) Also, the laundry area is in the bathroom right now which I’d want to change. Here are lots and lots of pictures.
Huge raised beds (the big one at the top is probably the same size as my entire yard currently) and a greenhouse. We didn’t get pictures because of the season but to the left of that there are a number of fruit trees.
A huge chicken coop already made and ready to use. It hasn’t been used as a chicken coop in a while but has roosting spots inside already too.
Rabbit hutches. They’ve also been used for chicks. I don’t know if we would use these. Bunnies would be a good source of raw food for our animals but I sure couldn’t kill a bunny.
One of the ponds on the property (there are two)
A campsite at the back of the property. This is across a little creek. We might take the fire pit out and build a tree house/play area for younger kids. When they’re older we could set the campsite back up.
An aviary that was likely used for finches or doves. My dad has a parrot he would like us to take, so we might redo this for a parrot. He couldn’t live in it full time (he’s very social and also an Amazon so susceptible to cold), but it would be a nice place for him when we’re outside. He doesn’t fly, but I would worry about him just wandering around because of predators.
Front garden
It’s just a block or so off of the lake. You can see the lake through the trees looking out from the driveway.
There’s a fairly large unused area in the front (it goes to the left of here too). We’ve thought of perhaps putting up a small cottage or house here and renting it out or using it for family. Before we invested in something like that we’d have to find out what the rental market is like in the area. We’d be pretty picky about renters too if they were living on our land. Also, I’m not sure just how much room would actually be “our” land, and since part of the draw of moving out to a more rural area is not being right next to neighbours, we’d want to be able to have some privacy between the two and also we’d have to be picky about the renters. Maybe find someone likeminded willing to help out around the garden in exchange for a break on rent.
I didn’t like the house at first, but the more I saw of it the more it grew on me. It’s not a cookie-cutter house like so many are nowadays. It’s made from the timber that was cleared to make room for it too, which I think is really neat. The outside is all solid wood from the trunks, no stucco or plastic siding.
The living room, with a sunken sunroom and a pellet stove which is apparently efficient enough to heat most of the house in the winter.
The sunroom. I can see this being a nice reading nook with some of her toys down here too.
The master bedroom, which has a huge walk-in closet and doors going out to a balcony.
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That looks like so much potential! I love all that the outside has to offer!
I just came across your website…the property looks amazing, a lot of great things already set up. My husband and I are hoping to have all of that fun stuff one day. Good luck with your search!!
Thanks to both of you! I think we’ve decided to pass for now though and keep an eye out. There’s a lot of nice things about it, but there are some things we’re iffy about too. Since we’re not desperate, I’d rather be sure it’s the perfect place!