The Big White House in the Hill

Stop your gawking and get yourselves on in!
For serious - this house is so great! And I know that people always say that their house is charming but this one really is.

Really.

So be ready to be charmed.

And if you're not charmed then go outside, spin around three times and try again.

Good? Ok, let's proceed.

Welcome to our home. Pretty much, it's the greatest.

There is original wood detail everywhere in this home, big windows and lots of different rooms to explore. And that's what feels neat about this house - it's a maze of rooms and doors and closets and hidden places all tucked under a creative roof line.

If you're used to open concept spaces or 1980s architecture - you're in for a treat.

The Office

Turn right when you enter and check out the first floor office. This room boasts an original built-in book shelf that can be lovingly filled with cool books that you want people to see. You know, all the dense philosophy tomes that make you look smart. Harry Potter and Dan Brown can be stashed in other parts of the house. This office is all about being legit.

If you're a creative worker then you already know how important it is to have good work space. I can't speak for engineers or plumbers but if you need to create great stuff then this office will inspire. It's probably the combination of bright light, space, high ceilings and amazing hardwood floors that make you more creative. It's like dressing the part - but with an office.

When writer's block hits, you can just take a break and look outside at the birds or watch an epic chipmunk battle for some Game of Thrones-styled inspiration.

At tax time there is enough space to spread out all of your receipts. Enjoy swearing loudly with the door closed to the rest of the house and watch in horror as your tears are absorbed by reams of HST reporting.

This office will make you a master.

The Living Room

Step across the hall and you'll find yourself in the living room.

It is spacious and with the doors closed, you can keep the wall-mounted television turned-up for some crazy ladies curling - which can often be mistaken for an adult movie. Grunt and shout "HARD," with all those darlings of curling and you will never have to worry about bothering non-curling fans in the rest of the house.

There's space for that rare time that you want exercise, you know, rock some crunches on the stability ball - because maybe you need it after a night of binging on the dreaded Costco Chicago Mix. I mean, come on, how unfair is it to mix cheezy corn with caramel enrobed clouds of caloric deliciousness?

The living room looks out over the porch and the light is good for house plants. Lots and lots of house plants. And you need the plants because what else will keep you oxygenated as you binge on Netflix? Orange is the new Black, am I right?

The space kicks for some X-Box Connect or perhaps you want to stream some yoga classes on YouTube? Just once. Just so you can lie on your mat and watch the pretty yoga people. The DSL in Coe Hill is amazingly fast so you can stream anything.

And if you have friends (real people, not just avitars) you can have a real dance party on the sweet hardwood floors.

The Dining Room (food not provided)

Walk through the French Doors and feel like a really important person. Really important people have dining rooms. This isn't some open concept corner with an Ikea table jammed in it - this is for real dining.

And science even says that if you eat real meals at a real table and not just Pizza Pops in front of the TV that you will live pretty much longer than anyone without a dining room.

The dining room is where great conversation happens on a regular basis. There's also food but the conversation is way tastier. Especially when the conversation is about politics or religion.

This room is bathed in natural light and it also houses the high-efficiency wood stove. This is where we gather after a long day on the trails in the cold winter months. There is nothing as great as warming your backside by the fire after freezing through your knickers in a January cold-snap.

In the winter we also keep an old kettle on the stove. It simmers away keeping the air moist but also, when throw in cinnamon sticks and cloves, the house smells like the best smelling thing ever.

The dining room is the perfect place to entertain and many boardgames have been played around the table. There might have been some cheating at those boardgames but it doesn't matter. Here, in the country, you just get over it.

The Reading Nook (for real)

Walk through to the reading nook from the dining room and find a quiet place to relax and read a book or remain tethered to your iPad while it charges.

Seriously, if you're trending on Twitter you can not stop for a re-charge of the battery. So plug in and sit down. Stay current. Build your brand.

The previous owners used this space as a kitchen area complete with a table and chairs. But we eat in the dining room so the space just evolved differently and now it is used more for those times when you actually call family - because they are not online so you can't just text - and they really like to chat and it's going to be a few hours so you need a land line and a soft chair because you're going to have to explain again what you do for work and how that relates to all the time you spent in university. A good chair in a pretty nook makes these conversations more palatable.

The Kitchen

The country kitchen is bright and has very high ceilings. This allows for the original hand-crafted cabinets that soar above even the tallest people. And this is cool because as a tall person who has always felt superior to short people, the tallest of the shelves fills me with humility. The tall shelves also provide spaces to hide the Chicago Mix so that it takes some effort to fill your face.

When we did a facelift on the kitchen we added a dishwasher, new copper plumbing and light fixtures. The kitchen is not huge but it has enough space to cook up some amazing meals or at least heat up some wicked curry dish from either of our two Indian food suppliers in Bancroft.

The kitchen opens to the side porch and the wood room. This door is the one friends use. Especially our one neighbour Pat who likes to drop by for coffee because we make great coffee. So if you buy this house I strongly suggest that you keep making great coffee because Pat's a hilarious guy and he's worth having around. And he's a great guest because he brings his own mug and some great stories.

And there's even more to love upstairs....

Climb up the pine stairs to the second floor. These stairs are warm on the feet even in the middle of winter. It's a wood thing and it's pretty great.

The Bathroom

One of the best spots in the house, this bathroom is great for relaxing, catching up on email and perhaps for Twooping.

We don't judge.

The claw foot tub is huge and you can soak for hours while staring up at the stars. And it's great to have a fresh breeze blowing in while you're in a hot shower. And you will spend tons of time here. Our well water is great - no burning chlorine! You will feel mega-clean and man, your hair will look great.

The bathroom is located over the wood stove so it's always toasty warm in the winter months - which is important. No one ever wants to sit on a cold toilet seat.

The Master Bedroom

This room is perfect for sleeping. It is located on the West side of the house and it's always really quiet.

Since going live my husband has explained that this room actually faces North. Obvs I have been so distracted by Kanye.

The windows are big for fresh North breezes and we installed a ceiling fan for the warm summer nights.

The ceiling is done in wood and it's really pretty to look at. You know, if you like to lie on your back and stare at the ceiling.

The room has two massive closets. One is actually big enough to be a whole other room. This is where we stash the books that we are too embarrassed to showcase anywhere else. You know the ones I'm talking about. The non-intellectual ones. The ones that have nothing to do with existentialism. This closet is perfect for them.

The other closet holds clothing and linens as it is lined with massive shelves.

This room is also fabulous for napping in the afternoon because it stays cool and the colour is very relaxing.

Napping, by the way, is very healthy.

The Guest Room (Bedroom #2)

Across the hall is the guest room. Because we live in Cottage Country we have lots of guests. And one of the great things about having a guest room is that your guests will feel pretty special when they see that they have their own special space to relax, nap and sleep in.

The guest room also has two closets and both are huge and great for storing stuff. And even if you don't have much stuff - you eventually will because that's what happens when you have closets - they magically attract closet-filling stuff.

One of the nicest things about this room is the roof line. It's sloped and makes the room feel really cozy which is nice for sleeping. This is also the room you want to be in for summer storms because you can hear the rain pounding on the roof and there's something really comforting about the sound of an angry storm when you're tucked into a soft bed.

The Hallway (seriously)

It's a hallway and to some it might not be a big deal but even this space is beautiful. Bright light rushes in and when the windows are open the fresh breeze blows through. It's a great space to showcase art - and we know you have art to showcase because there is no way that we would sell this home to anyone who didn't totally dig art.

The Other Office (Bedroom #3)

This room is on the front of the house and it is one of my favourites. It makes a great office and it would also make a great guest room or bedroom.

The windows are all new - we replaced all the upstairs windows last summer. The view is of the gardens and the huge old trees that line the property.

This would make a great kid's room (if you have kids) because in the winter months a kid could watch the snow falling and wait to see how many plows would be heading out - an easy snow day predictor.

As with all the other rooms in the house - this one is equally delightful and charming and creative and original. This is what all those homes in Markham try to capture in their subdivision style - but this is the real deal. This is where you can feel awesome because you will live in a wicked-cool house.

This is a house that is full of detail. Each piece was created by hand by a person who lived in this community.

Each piece holds the energy of the craftsman (it was a dude, I'm not being sexist) who worked to ensure each detail was perfect. And because of this care, the home has aged well. It's solid, strong and timeless.

This house is amazeballs so check out our real estate info maybe?

The Gardens

You know about Shinrin-Yoku, right? I mean, you strike me as the kind of person who would, because, to be fair, you read this far.

So, if you don't know what it is and if you don't want to just Google it I can break it down for you.

It's also sometimes called Forest Bathing and it actually is a pretty smart concept.

What it means is that it is really beneficial to your physical and mental health to immerse yourself in the beauty of nature.

You can do this anywhere in our community by wandering the trails or visiting our stunning conservation areas but we also have made the effort to create beauty on this property.

And I do believe it is good for the soul.

We have massive perennial gardens that we have nurtured over the years. We have grown plants and flowers from seeds. We have planted trees and we grow vegetables.

This creates an incredible view and it creates a fabulous place to chillax and peace out. Our property is large enough that you feel like you have privacy as you nap in the screen room - breathing in the fresh, fragrant air.

I guarantee that most of the walkers and hikers going past will stop to praise the beauty of what lies between you and them. They will want what you have. This is power.

This is a garden to covet. This is a garden that people want and thanks to Shinrin-Yoku - the beauty of this garden is going to make you a better person. Having something other people want also makes you a better person.

So now that you've had the full tour of the home and the gardens, why not chat with our most amazing realtor, Emma Kearns. She'll help you out, book a viewing and who knows, maybe this home that we love so much can pass into your worthy hands.

Think of the adventures you will have.