Growing trend in home design blends cool contemporary lines with warm, natural finishes to introduce ‘chalets for today’

Collingwood, ON – There’s a new twist on the traditional ski chalet piquing the interest of homebuyers and it’s coming to Collingwood, where the vast (minimum acre in size), scenic lots offered by Windrose Estates are ideally suited to a growing trend. Called “Mountain Modern,” the movement represents a shift from traditional, rustic homes – characterized by massive beams and gabled rooflines – to more contemporary designs that combine clean lines with the warmth of natural materials.

“The mountain modern movement has been gaining traction for a while now,” says Gordon Stone, M. Arch. and owner of Stone Custom Homes, one of five builders currently on site at Windrose Estates, “Mountain Modern is a term coined by Stone Custom Homes that has been very well received in the area.

Stone Custom Homes has introduced the Mountain Modern trend to Windrose Estates. In addition to offering its own custom designs, the company also represents The Dwell Homes Collection from Lindal Cedar Homes.

Stone refers to the homes as “chalets for today.” What sets them apart is the emphasis on sleek, horizontal lines; plenty of awning style and cubed windows to let in light; the combination of natural materials such as stone, wood and glass, both on the exterior and interior; and, warm interior finishes that include reclaimed elm flooring, porcelain tiles that look like steel and stone wall treatments.

As developer John Perkins points out “the lots at Windrose Estates are ideally suited to the mountain modern designs due to their large size and great views. So builders can position a house to take advantage of sunlight, as well as the picturesque scenery of the escarpment,” he says, adding that “there’s a great presence to these designs and the lots at Windrose Estates are perfect for it.”

Homes featured as part of the Mountain Modern movement include: The Edge, a custom design by Stone Custom Homes, highlighted by a two-storey window wall at the rear and linear great room, priced at $1,495,000 (under construction and opening soon); and a model from the Dwell Homes Collection by Turkel Design (TD3 2990) priced at $1,395,000. Designs can be tweaked or ordered as-is, says Stone, with quick construction available.

ABOUT WINDROSE ESTATES

What sets Windrose Estates apart from other area development is the large size of its lots, with frontages ranging from 132.5 to 285 feet and depths from 259 to 437 feet. Priced from $175,000
to $425,000, all remaining lots are building permit ready with municipally owned and serviced roads. Other builders currently on site include Carter Allen, Jasper Design, Normerica Homes and Patrick B. Coulter & Associates.

In addition to its meandering parkland, walking trails and scenic stream, Windrose Estates offers close proximity to nearby recreational facilities like the Osler Bluff Ski Club, OslerBrook Golf and Country Club and Alpine Equestrian Centre, as well as the many specialty shops and bistros of downtown Collingwood. The development will also feature shared facilities managed by a homeowners association, including two tennis courts, a volleyball court and two horseshoe pitches, while every lot purchaser will receive a social membership to OslerBrook, the only private, member-owned club in the Georgian Bay area.

SALES INFORMATION

For more information about the opportunity to design and build your Mountain Modern home at Windrose Estates, contact the Stone Custom Homes Design Centre at 705-888-5445. To learn more about Windrose Estates opportunities in general, visit www.windrosevalley.com or contact Lush Realty Inc. at (800) 265-3949 or (705) 444-7653.

As published in Our Homes Magazine
Cutting Edge – Stone Custom Homes

As published in the Toronto Star
Selling a Lifestyle in Ski country

As published in http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/real-estate/real-estate-development/on-site-recreational-lots-offer-resort-town-access/article2011056/

Location: Collingwood
Developer: Osler Bluff Estates Inc.
Size: Lots from 132 to 285 feet wide and between 259 and 437 feet deep
Price: Lots $175,000 to $425,000
Contact: Phone Lush Realty at 1-800-265-3949 or (705) 444-7653

A new Collingwood project, about 90 minutes north of Toronto, is offering buyers the opportunity to create their own recreational paradise on one- to two-acre properties and have the resort town’s private ski and golf clubs in their own backyards.

“They are definitely the largest lots in town,” says Andres Paara of Lush Realty, which is marketing the Windrose Valley development by Osler Bluff Estates Inc. “They’re roughly five to six times the size of a regular lot.

“You could certainly have a single-storey, rambling ranch and still put in a pool and tennis court on your property … without any problem.”

Just as each plot of land will vary in size, so will its topography in the site at the corner of Osler Bluff Road and 6th Street, just minutes from Osler Ski Club and OslerBrook Golf and Country Club.

“There’s a series of lots that back onto an established and well-forested neighbourhood,” says Mr. Paara. “Another section backs onto a stream that runs diagonally through a third of Windrose Valley.”

The community will also feature parkland, a pond and trails, as well as a volleyball court, two tennis courts and horseshoe pitches managed by a homeowners association.
As a bonus, buyers get a social membership to OslerBrook that gives their family access to clubhouse facilities and five rounds of golf. Or the package value can be upgraded towards full membership.

“It goes back to the era of being part of a golf and country club,” says Mr. Paara.
Within a five-minute radius, other attractions on the Niagara Escarpment and Georgian Bay range from the Alpine Equestrian Centre to specialty shops and bistros in downtown Collingwood.

Though the project began with the sole sale of lots, buyers can now pick plans from local builders, such as Patrick Coulter & Associates Inc., Jasper Design and Normerica Authentic Timber Frame.

“Some people just don’t want to go through the whole process of coming up with a design and concept of their own,” says Mr. Paara.

This month, Stone Custom Homes will open a $1.295-million model home, called the Breckenridge. It will have four bedrooms, a great room with 25-foot vaulted ceilings and a large media room overlooking the ski hills.

Four other designs, including one over 4,000 square feet, range from $875,000 to $2.225-million.

Following architectural guidelines, these luxury homes can be encased with traditional materials like stone and timber details, as well as modern elements, such as glass.
“We’re trying to stay away from the typical red brick suburban homes,” says Mr. Paara.
“They’ve got one home they like to call Mountain Modern, incorporating some of the traditional chalet influences into something contemporary and modern. It certainly conveys what is popular for today’s lifestyle with larger open spaces inside and lots of lights coming through the windows.”

Each lot will have septic systems, but the roads are municipally owned and serviced. “It’s like you’re in the city, but you’re almost in the country,” adds Mr. Paara.

Homebuyers searching for the perfect place to build and builders looking for a great potential return are finding a geWindrose Valley, a development of 43 large-scale lots nestled at the foot of the Osler Bluffs, one of Collingwood’s most natural settings.

“We’re generating strong interest from great area builders who recognize the value of this prime location and are coming up with innovative design concepts to match the uniqueness of the lots,” says Andres Paara, a Broker with Lush Realty Inc, marketer of the community which is being developed by Osler Bluff Estates Inc. “Whereas the onus used to be on consumers to find their own designer, now there will be highly regarded custom home builders on site helping to spearhead development moving forward.”One of the first builders on site is Stone Custom Homes, a residential design/build construction company based in Collingwood and headed up by Gordon Stone (M.A.A.).

“Windrose Valley offers a fantastic array of possibilities for both structure and design style,” says Stone. “The proximity to ski, golf, equestrian and town facilities brings a unique flavor to the neighbourhood, and the large lot sizes offer limitless view potential, giving us the opportunity to design homes tailored to the unique desires of each buyer.”

Stone Custom Homes currently offers five distinctive home designs at Windrose Valley, including the first model home which will be ready for viewing this spring. They include:

• The Portland, a contemporary design at the end of a cul-de-sac priced at $2.225 million;
• The Oak, a 4,000-square-foot post and beam home on a 2.02-acre lot for $1.65 million;
• The Breckenridge, currently under construction as the model home and priced at $1.295 million;
• The Aspen, a chalet-style home featuring more than 3,500 square feet of living space for $995,000;
• and, The Cascade at $875,000, a gorgeous four-bedroom with carriage-style garage.

The remaining lots at Windrose Valley are building permit ready and the roads are municipally owned and serviced. With frontages ranging from 132.5 to 285 feet and depths from 259 to 437 feet, lots are priced from $175,000 to $425,000. In addition to its meandering parkland, walking trails and scenic streams, Windrose Valley offers close proximity to nearby recreational facilities and the shops of downtown Collingwood, and will feature shared facilities managed by a homeowners association, including two tennis courts, a volleyball court and two horseshoe pitches. Every lot purchaser will also receive a social membership to OslerBrook Golf and Country Club, the only private, member-owned club in the Georgian Bay area.

SALES INFORMATION
For more information about this exclusive opportunity at Windrose Valley, contact Lush Realty Inc. at (800) 265-3949 or (705) 444-7653, send an email to info@lushrealty.com.