ADDRESS: 16854 McLaren Road
NEIGHBOURHOOD: Caledon
AGENT: John Dunlap, Moffat Dunlap Real Estate Ltd.
PRICE: $2.8 million
THE PLACE: Just your average 1970s, cedar-clad bungalow—if an average bungalow is designed by an architectural legend and sits on enough land to fit a small village.
BRAGGING RIGHTS: The house was built by one of Canada’s most inventive architects (ever), Ron Thom, whose master works include Toronto’s Massey College, Trent University in Peterborough and the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
BIG SELLING POINTS: For members of the mink-and-manure set, the woodsy locale is perfect. The property is situated in the heart of horse country and the 25-acre lot means there’s more than enough room for a couple of Seabiscuits. There’s also a pool and tennis court, which basically means you’ll be living in your own private country club.
POSSIBLE DEAL BREAKER: David Cronenberg is rumoured to be a neighbour, so if his star-studded parties get out of hand (we’re looking at you, Ryan Gosling), your usually quiet backyard could bring new definition to the phrase Hollywood North.
BY THE NUMBERS:
• 4,200-square-feet
• 25-acre lot
• 4 Bedrooms
• 4 Bathrooms
• 2 car garage
• 1 library
• 1 office
• 1 pool
• 1 tennis court
• 1 river flowing through the property
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- The house is deceptively simple from this angle
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- The house is at one with its surroundings: not only is it covered in vines, but it’s built into the hillside
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- The walls of the house are rough cedar boards, inside and out
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- Gardens and greenery everywhere
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- Amazing view of the escarpment
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- Cool bench
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- The rough cedar boards are pretty to look at, but could be treacherous for mohair sweaters or bichon frises
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- The giant, raw concrete mantle over the fire place would have been really badass in the early 1970s
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- Cozy living room
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- The rooms are laid out so that each one has an amazing view
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- Surprise! Even the kitchen is woodsy
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- Sun-filled breakfast area
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- Cool staircase
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- Sky-lit hallway
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- We hope those are monkey bars over the bed
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- The house feels like a cosy cabin, but also very modern, with its wall-to-wall windows
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- Private terrace off the master bedroom
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- The wallpaper in the main powder room is, er, definitely vintage
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- The pool is cleverly placed so you never have to see an ugly pool cover from inside the house
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- The view from the pool is amazing
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- Imagine how long it would take to mow the lawn
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- Even the birds live in a nice house
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- Surprisingly, or not, the murals on the garage door weren’t a part of Ron Thom’s original design
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- The Credit River runs through the site
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- Tennis court, pool, room for a pony…the only thing missing is a helipad
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- If your horse breaks down, you can always hike through the property on one of the many walking trails
2.8 million for a crappy kitchen in the middle of nowhere
November 16, 2011 at 4:56 pm | by Pfftbeautiful scenery but a little too rustic & isolated for me
November 17, 2011 at 7:42 am | by melove the pool though
Caledon is not in the middle of nowhere. There is life outside the big city and most days we can get to Toronto faster then most people who live “in” the city can get to work. The kitchen does look like it needs a little bit of work, but the prime location, the amount of land, and sq footage, etc, etc, all account for the price tag. Let’s not forget the scenery. (AND the fact 2015 Pan Am Games are being held in Caledon!)
November 17, 2011 at 8:56 am | by Resident of Caledonron thom must be rolling over in his grave at the sight of the decor. down-home tacky.
November 17, 2011 at 9:41 am | by urbanPrice aside, I think that the house is quaint and charming and the grounds are to die for. One thing that I have noticed recently is that many of these million dollar homes feature beds without headboards. It looks unfinished to me. It can’t be that the owners cannot afford a headboard so what gives???
November 17, 2011 at 10:14 am | by Mel S.$2.8 million and another $1 million to update, heat and cool the place.
November 17, 2011 at 12:13 pm | by GeorgeI woodent want to live there wood you?
November 17, 2011 at 6:18 pm | by pablowow – such a beautiful home. too bad it’s so far from civilization :/
and to the person who said this house has ‘prime location’ — i never realized living in the middle of the woods was ‘prime locaton’
November 17, 2011 at 11:54 pm | by miloCaledon is “prime location”. One shouldn’t make assumptions without doing some research first. In the end, it is all a matter of taste and perspective. We all like different things, which is good…a home is where you make it.
November 18, 2011 at 9:46 am | by Resident of CaledonLOL…who the hell is their decorator, Sally Ann???
November 18, 2011 at 9:54 pm | by LindaVBeautiful and Quite country setting. But no horse barn.that wsould be a must for me but I am sure there is room for one. I would love the privacy,
November 19, 2011 at 9:25 am | by Lynda TribbleIdeal for x-training. With some updating ( kitchen, bathrooms, fresh coat of paint on existing ones, additional landscaping) the house will be perfect.
November 24, 2011 at 11:56 pm | by LordWankerThey sure love horses . . . or mores specifically, portraits of horses.
November 29, 2011 at 4:31 pm | by RJSActually–David Cronenberg is actually right next door, not just rumored. He’s been there for 25 years.
December 1, 2011 at 9:21 am | by M PIt’s in last Fridays Globe too lol
December 1, 2011 at 3:38 pm | by Ian Johnston