Love at First Sight: A Family's Country Escape
When you’ve travelled the world, finding your perfect escape can be a daunting task. So when Greg Sacks, co-founder of the travel company, Trufflepig, and Catherine Wright, sleep consultant and coach at Recoop, started their search in Ontario’s Blue Mountains region with me, it was clear that this family was looking for a very special spot.
With a principal residence in Toronto, the couple, along with their ten-year-old daughter, Jo, found adventure and excitement as they settled in for the winter season at their new property. I’m delighted to share their journey to country living, after working with the family to find their modern, rustic retreat nestled in the hills above Collingwood.
At the first showing, I knew that you were both tentatively excited, but each in your own way. Tell me about your initial thoughts as you walked the home and property.
Greg: As a mountain biker, I was totally sold on the location because of its proximity to so many amazing trails– when we visited I was just holding my breath hoping the chalet and the land didn’t disappoint. We had visited enough places to know we must manage our expectations– a deal breaker will surely reveal itself and it’s just a matter of time before you discover it. But every step of our visit had me saying “Can we have it? Can this be ours?"
Catherine: Love at first sight. I could instantly see our family there and felt it was just the right size for the three of us. Not too big, not too small and no major warts. Rather, it was somewhere I could see us relaxing, without having to think too much about all the things we wanted to change or fix.
What were Jo’s first impressions of the house?
Jo: I loved it.
What are your three favorite characteristics of your home and property?
Greg: I think the location has to be tops– it feels like a mountain perch in the woods with everything (skiing, mountain biking, paddleboarding on the bay, friends, town– even the Scandinave spa!) less than 15 minutes away. I love how clearly well-cared-for it is– both the home and the land. And at the risk of sounding woo-woo, it has a very special energy to it.
Catherine: I like that the property is private and spacious but not so big that it feels daunting. I love that we have a magical forest with trails and lovely wide open spaces. And all the apple trees! I like that the cottage itself has a cozy vibe with modern touches– makes it feel like a city escape but still very comfortable.
Jo: The maze, the forest, and the fact that it’s close to the tobogganing hill and my friends.
Since moving in, have there been any challenges with the property? What home improvement projects lay ahead?
We’re replacing some carpet upstairs, but not much work yet. The biggest thing we’ve thought about is the possibility of adding another heat source (currently wood stove and baseboards). But we did pretty well this winter– we had fun fire chopping and tending. We’d also love to get an outdoor barrel sauna.
How do you balance your time between the country and the city?
This winter, we got to spend a nice chunk of time up here as our daughter was schooling online. With schools open this spring, we are spending most weekends in the country, and will do so until the summer. The wifi has been far from perfect, so it’s been a bit tricky to have all of us up there working full time. Hopefully by summer the internet issues are resolved so that we have the flexibility to go up whenever we want– we can’t wait to experience all the seasons on the land!
We’re hopeful a better internet solution is on the way.
You have a fabulous stone wall and labyrinth and trails on your property– will you need to do anything to maintain them?
We imagine the labyrinth will keep well with some regular trimming with a weed whacker.
Do you have a name for your house in the woods?
It was named Rockwood when it was built but we’ve just been calling it “Gibraltar,” which is the name of the hamlet next door.
Finally, any words you have for people looking to work with me and the rest of the Sotheby’s team?
Our original testimonial still stands!
The term "real estate agent" doesn’t do justice to the role Val played in helping us find and secure our amazing new home away from home. She was incredibly patient and amazingly available, listening carefully to our reflections and observing even more carefully our reactions.
Her expertise and thoughtfulness saved us from a hundred and one oversights. When we found the one, she worked her tail off to get us through all the gates. Rather than an agent, in Val we found a guide, a matchmaker, and now a neighbour. We are deeply grateful and super excited for the adventures ahead.