Cottage of the Week: $2.7 million for a homey Lake Simcoe property an hour from Toronto

Address: 176 Hedge Road, Georgina Agent: Marina Bulman, Distinction Realty, Ltd. Price: $2,690,000

The place

A recently built three-bedroom cottage on Lake Simcoe, just an hour drive from Toronto.

From the road, the place looks unassuming:

There’s plenty of porch space:

Inside, the front door opens directly onto a dining area:

Which flows into the rest of the main floor:

The main living area has a peaked pine roof, oak floors and a stone fireplace:

An extra-high window lets in light:

Here’s the view from the porch:

The coffered ceilings continue into the country-chic kitchen:

Which has marble countertops, a disguised fridge and a gas range:

There are three bedrooms. Here’s one of them:

Another one has a stone fireplace:

Downstairs, there’s some empty space for the buyers to fill:

There’s another bedroom and ensuite down here, too:

Because of the property’s slope, the basement opens directly onto a cobblestone path that leads down to the water:

Outside, there’s a picturesque dining area:

And, of course, the beautifully turquoise Lake Simcoe waters:

The history

The owners are a Dutch-Canadian couple who lived in The Netherlands for 15 years before returning to Toronto in 2007. They loved Hedge Road’s proximity to the city, so they searched for years for a weekend retreat on the street. Finally, they bought a small, 50-year-old cottage in 2013. They had it totally rebuilt in 2015 by timber-frame construction company Normerica.

Big selling point

The drive time is unbeatable. The buyers can relax with a gin and tonic by the lake while all their friends are still stuck in traffic on the 400. A committed cottager could even manage a daily commute from here to downtown Toronto.

Possible deal breaker

There’s no dock, making swimming and boating a challenge.

By the numbers

• $2,690,000 • $11,721 in taxes (2018) • 3,000 square feet • 110 feet of waterfront • 3 bedrooms • 3 bathrooms