Surreal Estate: $9.2 million for an Oro-Medonte mansion with a fireplace in its floor
What home on Lake Simcoe would be complete without 600 tonnes of granite, a pivoting front door and a shower the size of a bedroom?
Location: Oro-Medonte
Price: $9.2 million
Size: 7,900 square feet
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 5
Parking spots: 10
Real estate agent: Krista Alkerton, Royal LePage First Contact Realty
The place
A four-bedroom, five-bathroom glass mansion in the heart of Oro-Medonte with stunning views of Lake Simcoe. The place has a saltwater pool, a hot tub, a glassed-in gym, a theatre, five fireplaces, parking for 10 vehicles and a 600-tonne granite walkway to the water. Surrounded by nature, it’s a 30-minute drive from downtown Barrie’s shops, trails, golf courses and airport.
The history
The current owner, a builder, constructed this modern villa in 2019 as his family home.
Related: $7.5 million to live in the Etobicoke home of a former NHL player
The tour
First the façade, defined by stone and steel. The owner imported its cement panels from France and its triple-paned glass from Ireland.
A closer look at the entrance reveals the hemlock ceiling with recessed lighting.
The attached garage is a gear head’s paradise: room for three cars, heated aprons, custom industrial frosted glass and a big workstation.
Here’s that workstation, equipped with a sink and a refrigerator.
Now the foyer, which comes with polished concrete floors and wood accents.
The front door actually pivots, just because.
There’s Lake Simcoe, framed by a three-by-five-metre walkout. On summer days, the doors fold away and a remote-controlled screen slides down to keep out bugs.
A wider view of the space—this time with the doors open—reveals the adjacent dining room and kitchen.
Hiding within the dining area’s floor is a low-flame ethanol-burning fireplace.
We weren’t kidding.
And here’s the pool view.
The kitchen is as incredible as the views. It features maple cabinets, Cambria quartz counters, a wood chopping block, Miele appliances, a bar fridge and a hemlock floating ceiling with steel studs suspended by aircraft cables.
It also has heaps of extra storage along with a herringbone walnut servery.
Note the concrete-panelled feature wall holding the TV and another fireplace.
Just beside the kitchen is this glass office, with plenty of storage and a levitating hemlock wall.
Here’s a better look at that wall. The hemlock planks hover above a glass pane to maintain unobstructed views.
Now for the concrete patio, which feels like the ultimate outdoor family room. It comes with a grill, a two-sided fireplace and a pivoting aluminum privacy wall.
The privacy wall is something else.
This angle shows off the pool with the hot tub in the background.
Then there’s the 600 tonnes of granite broken up in tiers descending toward the water.
Back inside, down the hall from the kitchen is this secondary bedroom.
It has engineered wood floors, skylights and one more pivoting door.
Here’s a peek inside the main suite.
It has yet another fireplace and gawk-worthy views as well as a motion-detecting frosted-glass sliding door and two walk-in closets.
The ensuite bathroom comes with a quartz accent wall, a programmable shower (more on that in a bit), porcelain tiles and a private wall-mounted toilet.
Here’s that accent wall.
And here’s the jumbo high-tech shower.
This is the first walk-in, anchored by its quartz folding station and funky light fixture.
The second walk-in is far more moody.
Access the sub-level via a custom steel staircase with maple treads—and try not to notice that curtain wall: eight metres tall and nine metres wide.
Here’s a look at the staircase from outside.
Downstairs, there’s a huge living space.
There’s also a fishbowl-like gym with rubberized floors.
Check out the insulated theatre, decked out in 1980s-style Cineplex carpeting, sound panels, Epson theatre-grade speakers and a 120-inch matte screen.
Finally, a view of the property from above.
Have a home that’s about to hit the market? Send your listing to realestate@torontolife.com.