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Real Estate

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

Reeling from a concussion, Sarah Saso and her partner, Lonny Doherty, left Toronto in 2019 for Grey County, transforming a farm into what they thought would be their forever home

By Sarah Saso, as told to Emilie Richardson-Dupuis| Photography by Sarah Saso and Lonny Doherty
“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

In 2010, my husband, Lonny, and I bought a four-bedroom semi on the Danforth after living in Leslieville for two years. We had been Torontonians for decades and liked our life in the city: comfortable and familiar. But we started dreaming of the countryside. Lonny grew up in Huron County and, as a landscape painter and designer, always felt more at home among trees. Plus, he was getting increasingly frustrated driving from gig to gig in Toronto’s insane traffic.

As for me, I loved my career in philanthropy and corporate social responsibility—highlighting pressing issues and helping to make a difference. But the real push came in the summer of 2015, when I got into a car accident and ended up with a concussion. I had persistent neck pain, back pain, brain fog, headaches, anxiety, and sensitivity to sound and light. The doctor’s prescription was to be in nature, away from the city’s stressors. I started taking walks in Taylor Creek Park and found it incredibly therapeutic. I realized how fundamental nature would be to my health. After three years of trying to recover while working full time, I decided that I needed to step away from my job and focus on healing. I’ve always felt a pull toward rural life. Any time I’d talk about leaving the city for the country, my friends would poke fun at me, saying it would happen when pigs fly. But, in 2019, we did just that: we sold our Toronto home for $1.5 million and started on our adventure.

Related: “After missing out on a lavender farm and almost buying a dilapidated house, we finally found paradise two hours from the city”

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”
An aerial view of Devonwood in Grey County

We worked with a real estate agent out in Goderich who specializes in agricultural properties. In October of 2019, after we set a budget of $800,000, he introduced us to a farm in Grey County. It was in rough shape. The forest had reclaimed the land, and the barn had holes in the floor big enough to fall through. But Lonny saw something special in it, and he couldn’t get over the breathtaking colours of the trees, spread across 50 acres. It also came with a large workshop, plus a four-bedroom, two-bathroom, 3,000-square-foot farmhouse that we could live in. It had some dated decor, but nothing we couldn’t fix.

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”
The old farmhouse would require many renovations, but nothing Sarah and Lonny couldn’t handle

We bought the entire estate for $660,000, chose a flying pig as its crest, and named it Devonwood after Devon, a chubby black breed of hog. Our plan was to first tidy up the land, then fix up the barn and finally update the house.

Our property was like a microcosm of Grey County: forested land, tillage, marshes, a pond, hills and about 40 different species of trees. You get up close and personal with wildlife when you live here. You can sense the weight of history in the old fences and ancient trees. Your mind easily wanders, imagining all that might have happened here over the past century.

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The city’s sirens and engines are replaced by the calls of loons and ravens. We’ve watched newborn deer grow up (our favourites are the fawn siblings we named Jack and Diane). We’ve gotten to know the birds and how they interact. I’ve always hated winter, but it’s beautiful here. In the city, the snow is slushy and grey, but at Devonwood, it glistens in the sunshine. Lonny walks through our forest every day. And being in nature has levelled my concussion symptoms, brought my brain back, calmed me down and finally lifted my pain.

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”
Sarah and Lonny were drawn to the estate’s ancient forest—for its beauty and natural therapy

Since we made a good profit on our Toronto home, we had some money left over for renovations. It was very important to us that everything be sourced locally—right down to the new hardwood barn floors, which are made from trees we cut down ourselves. We employed some talented local craftspeople to help us, and they’ve become our friends. At first, being city folk, we weren’t sure how the community would take to us, but they’ve been nothing but welcoming.

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

Related: “I left Toronto to live in a small town and missed it terribly. Now I’m back for good”

After hearing about the project, our niece called to ask if she could get married in our barn. Then Covid hit, but that at least meant we had plenty of time to prepare. Lonny worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic so the barn would be wedding-ready when restrictions eventually lifted. He built big harvest tables out of the old barn floors and made a forest venue that looks straight out of Twilight. I got ordained so I could perform the ceremony right on our property.

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

We realized that we could host special gatherings here for our friends and family. Our Toronto pals quickly fell in love with Devonwood and came up often for doses of nature therapy. Lonny created an outdoor kitchen, and we’ve hired local chefs to come check out the set-up and cook for us. I invited my yoga instructor to host a class on the front lawn. We even put in a three-hole golf course.

While all this was happening, Lonny and I also worked on the farmhouse. One of the first things we did was install a hot tub in the screened-in porch area. Then, slowly (we weren’t in a hurry) over four years, we added a barn beam mantel and fireplace in the great room, upgraded the main bathroom, installed new kitchen cabinets, created feature walls, added light fixtures and repainted everything. We also installed a high-efficiency HVAC system, ditching the ugly old brown radiators. After all the upgrades, we could finally say we loved the house—it’s perfect for entertaining.

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We even impulse-bought an old Airstream. Lonny restored it as a guest suite of sorts, adjoining it to a deck. The sunsets from that outpost are spectacular.

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”
What rural property would be complete without a tricked-out aluminum camper attached to a deck?

By April of 2022, we were fully engrained in rural living. Lonny was keeping busy renovating and painting, and I was happy making new friends and taking on freelance work from time to time. Then I got a message from the CEO of Meridian Credit Union. We had been acquaintances for several years, and she was familiar with my work. She offered me a once-in-a-lifetime job as director of Meridian’s environmental, social and governance department. I couldn’t turn it down. Lonny was thrilled and supportive. I asked my new boss, “Do I have to live in Toronto?” She said not at first, so I worked remotely for two years. Then, in January of 2024, I was promoted to vice-president. We needed to move back to the city for me to do my job. So we’ve listed Devonwood for $1.8 million.

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”
Sarah and Lonny on a daily stroll through their countryside property

Whoever is lucky enough to buy the farm will have many joyful experiences. We’ve shown it a lot of love, poured about $1 million into renovations and turned it into a vacation and lifestyle property with tons of potential.

Now, we’re looking for a house in the west end of Toronto, to be close to my work. Although most of the houses here seem cramped to us now, we realize how much we’ve missed the food, our friends and the culture. I know Lonny is looking forward to finding another fixer-upper that he can transform into something stupendous. We’re excited to discover what’s next, but wherever we end up, nature will be a priority.


Before and After

The original barn had giant holes in the floor and was suited only for agricultural purposes. Contractors said the floors alone would cost a staggering $45,000. Then, a stroke of luck: the farm’s previous owners, who were living one property over, wanted to cut down some of their trees. Lonny and Sarah did the job themselves, transforming the trunks into hardwood floors for the barn at a cost of $2,500. They also renovated the loft and added railings, light fixtures and stairs.

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”
“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

Lonny completely gutted the Airstream.

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“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

He then sealed it with spray foam insulation and installed new floors, walls, ceilings, cabinetry and fixtures.

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

In the kitchen, the couple installed new stainless steel appliances, upgraded the storage and painted the walls.

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

Sarah’s office—like something out of a 1960s public school—got new ceilings, floors, paint and lights.

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

For the great room, the team installed a wood-burning fireplace and mantel. They also set up designer lights and a door leading to the forest.

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

In the main bedroom, the couple incorporated a feature wall and added a one-of-a-kind chandelier designed by Lonny himself.

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

The main bathroom got a facelift too. Note the marble vanity, carved-out closet and deep tub.

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“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

Lastly, the barn’s façade also got glammed up, with new windows, a new roof and a fresh coat of paint.

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”

“We traded our semi on Danforth for 50 acres of enchanted forest. Now we have to move back”


Did you leave Toronto and have a change of heart? Send your property to realestate@torontolife.com

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