A Special, Modern Country Retreat: Andrew and Kavitha
I love to share the experience of the country life's newest residences, like this profile from my good friends, Kavitha and Andrew. Andrew Jappy, the Managing Director at financial technology firm, IRESS Canada, and Kavitha Karnaker, a writer, settled just outside of Creemore this year, bringing their two big dogs, Archie and Aggie, along for the adventure. Lovers of hiking, skiing, and scuba diving, the couple is excited about all the country life offers. Read more of our interview with them below.
Why did you and Andrew first decide that you wanted to buy a country home?
We both feel restored in the solitude and beauty of the countryside. Our vacations are typically a mix of big city and countryside exploring; for example, a week in London followed by a week in the Scottish Highlands. We'd talked about buying a country home but only in the context of Andrew’s retirement as his work required him to be downtown full-time. COVID-19 changed that.
How did that plan change along the way?
For familial and professional reasons, we need to stay connected to Toronto so, at first, we thought we'd get a cottage, something we could use year-round within a couple hours drive of the city. We weren't planning to shift our primary residence to the countryside.
What was the process for you to find your house?
In the beginning, we were all over the map. We asked Val to send us listings for everything from lakefront cottages to 5- to 100-acre country estates, from Caledon to Muskoka, and even east to Prince Edward County. Val obliged, but kept asking poignant questions about our hobbies and how we wanted to spend those getaway weekends. She helped us realize we wouldn’t maximize a lakefront property; we like the waterfront, but the tropical beachfront variety. She also quickly discerned that while we said we wanted 5-100 acres, we didn't actually want to look after a property that size and that what we were actually seeking was to be outside town lines, in a rural setting.
Val was frank about where it would be smart to invest and showed us a range of good value buys from Mulmur to Meaford, and Beaver Valley to Dunedin. But she was keen for us to find a property that also resonated with us. When she introduced this house, she said, "It's not a weekend home, but you'll love it because it's modern and the location is really special." And that's how we came to live in Creemore!
Were you concerned with lifestyle changes in terms of work/social lives? Were there any fears or anxieties with the move?
Not really, for a few reasons.
First, we haven’t turned our backs to Toronto. We downsized from a house to a condo in the city. Kudos to Val for finding us a place in our favourite neighbourhood, in a fabulous building with a lovely concierge team. Given lockdown restrictions, we’ve hardly used the condo, but know we have a "pied-à-terre" for when Toronto "re-opens" and we can socialize again with our friends and enjoy restaurants, bars, concerts, theatre and sporting events. And when the world opens up, we will travel again.
Second, Creemore is just 90 minutes from Toronto. When we can all safely progress from Zoom relationships to gathering in-person, the distance won’t require us to plan ahead with friends or clients any more than we would living in the city.
Third, we live in rural solitude, but not isolation. Our home is just a five-minute drive into the village of Creemore and we feel very much part of a community.
Tell us about your home and property
We're on 1.34 acres, surrounded by over 500 acres of farmland that has been with a family for generations, and they have no interest in selling even a square foot of it. Furthermore, our property is situated on Niagara Escarpment Conservation and native lands which restricts construction, so Val brilliantly found us our "100-acres" of solitude without the maintenance!
Our house is a recent modern build, beautifully designed by an artist and her husband who worked in construction. It sits in agreement with its hillside setting, and we have spectacular views of the valleys and hills that stretch out for miles around us. We fell in love with this property and house at first sight.
We’re on a wonderfully quiet, unpaved country road that ends at a wooded ravine. The neighbouring property owners have carved out trails through the ravine and their woods and invited us to enjoy them. We’ve seen fawns playing in the fall, majestic bucks, loads of deer, rabbits, wild turkeys, birds and wildflowers. Kav even got to see a beautiful snowy owl hunting in the fields one morning.
Have you met community members? How have you been welcomed?
We picked our house not the Village, but the community of Creemore has stolen our hearts. We learned very quickly that we have fabulous, fun and caring neighbours. Stephen and Catherine just down the road own and operate the Creemore Hills Winery. Dial-a-bottle doesn’t get easier than this. In fact we just ordered a case of their Pet Nat. They also make a fantastic chardonnay that is our “house white”. They have been so lovely about introducing us to their many friends in the area, through wine-filled evenings at Quince Bistro.
Scott and Susan across the way ran out to greet us with a fantastic merlot when we moved in. Rick and Mary Ellen up the road are warm and friendly, and put out so much good cheer. Joe and Rachel around the corner have been wonderful in giving us the histories of the families up in these hills, and helping us with some property management tasks. Rachel makes the best honey, and wonderful soaps. Don and Joan who owned Midwest Metals have carved out trails through their woods and invited us to enjoy them, as well as their “toys” and “playground”. “Sundays we’ve got stew on the fire, just come by.” And they want to introduce us to their friends. Our neighbours are salt of the earth, gorgeous souls.
Then there's the broader community in the Village. Neal and Daniela are so caring, we feel like the 100 Mile Store is our “downtown” home. Quince Bistro is where we go for fun times: great food, great wine. Otta and Marlene rock that casbah! We adore Serena, Colleen and Bob at the Creemore Post Office, and love the team at Creemore Hardware. We can go on and on about each business in the Village: Creemore does have a big heart.
There's a wonderful ethos that's being lived-out in Creemore which is to use your passions, talents and skills to contribute to each other's lives and the community as a whole. You see this materialize in the form of the team behind the Creemore Echo; Rina with Curiosity House Books; Sue, Matha and Liz at the Mill Street Art Studio; the teams at Chez Michel and Quince Bistro; Stephen and Catherine with the Creemore Hills Winery; the visionaries and the realizers at the Creemore Brewery, and the Creemore Community Foundation. And on and on.
Tell us about adjustments to country life.
The first thing that pops into our minds: Data/Internet!
Because we live outside town limits, we can't access Rogers cable or Bell Fibe; our internet service provider is the only rural option available. Zoom calls have gone from video to audio. Netflix, Prime, even music streaming can be interrupted or not available if there’s a strong wind or inclement weather. We're hoping Elon Musk's low-orbit satellite service, StarLink, becomes accessible to us this summer.
Second: Country time
You'll reach out to a trade for work that needs to get done on your property. They may come for the initial assessment; they may even give you an estimate a week later. You may also never hear back from them. Just chill. Local tradespeople have to service a massive area and engage in multiple gigs to make ends meet. Be patient, compassionate and keep reaching out to them. If that's too infuriating for you, hire a general contractor, as we have done, especially for larger projects that involve coordinating multiple trades.
Third: Do It Yourself
There’ll be property management tasks you may not be able to "trade out." If you're incapable of doing anything around your house, as we are, ask your neighbours or the staff at your local hardware store to recommend a helping hand. We've found talented homeowners just minutes from our place who can do a ton of what they consider to be basic home maintenance and repair.
Fourth: The countryside is dog-friendly
Coming from Toronto, it surprises us how at ease people up here are with our two big dogs. Storekeepers will come out to interact with your dogs, waitstaff will bring your dogs water before they serve you. Our dogs are so much happier running around the countryside than in the city.
What do you recommend to others looking to make the move?
Work with Val. She's a person of absolute integrity; she won't press a client to close a sale nor support irrational buyer fever. Her approach is brilliant: she'll focus you on understanding your needs and wants because she really wants you to end up as happy and at peace as we are. She's a property matchmaker.
Meet the homeowners. They will give you valuable information about your property, neighbours, community and the area. Kim and Rick left us a tome of information to help us maintain the house and property, contact information for our neighbours, and they take our calls or respond to our email queries about the place.
Introduce yourself to your neighbours. You need their help and recommendations. People really look out for each other up here, and it makes settling in all the easier.
Give your patronage to local small businesses. Kav found that Instagram is a great way to discover them given all the lockdown restrictions and set-up @jadorecreemore. We’ve been discovering best-of-class foods, small-batch distilleries and breweries, as well as incredible art, crafts, curations and experiences all over Simcoe and Grey counties. And Creemore itself has so many cute boutiques filled with so much 'hygge' you'll be floating in bliss for days.