An Innovative Home on 67 Acres in a Temperate Canadian Spot

Listing of the Day


Location: Metchosin, British Columbia, Canada

Price: C$12.888 million (US$10.264 million)

Hawaii meets the Pacific Northwest in this cutting-edge house that sits on a prime 67-acre oceanfront plot of land on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.

"It’s a huge parcel—one of the biggest parcels on south Vancouver Island—with ocean frontage," said listing agent Logan Wilson of Sotheby’s International Realty Canada. "Obviously that’s a big attraction for this property, especially for foreign buyers. Chinese buyers in particular are looking for land."

A lot of the property is open, he said, rented to a local sheep farmer. And it’s just a three-minute walk to the beach.

"Vancouver Island is full of many different micro-climates—Metchosin is one of those," he said. "You get long expanded views out to the ocean, nice rolling hills."

"It’s one of the prettiest spots in the world that I’ve ever seen—it’s kind of New Zealand-ish," Mr. Wilson said. "We’re known as the Hawaii of the north."

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Designed by Marko Simcic, the modern house on Swanwick Road is cantilevered on either side of a long outdoor man-made body of water with circulating seawater to produce geothermal radiant heating and cooling.

Walls of white oak adorn the exterior while travertine walls dominate inside. A covered outdoor swimming pool separates the main house from the guest accommodations.

"The house is split into two," Mr. Wilson said. "On one side of the pool you have the kitchen, living room, master bedroom" and two more bedrooms.

The other side is a guesthouse, with a kitchenette and additional bedrooms. "In essence, you have two homes connected to each other," he said.

"The architect used different approaches to get the maximum light into every conceivable area in the house," Mr. Wilson said. "There is really nice light in places you don’t expect to see it."

"It never feels dark," he said. "You’re always looking out at something pretty."

Stats

The 10,700-square-foot home has six bedrooms, seven full bathrooms, and one partial bathroom.

Design Pedigree

This iconic home, which was built in 2006, has been the focal point of many news articles, Mr. Wilson said. In 2006 it received the Canadian National Architects Award and in 2008 the B.C. Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Architectural and Environmental Design.

Amenities

"A 42-foot boat is included in the sale," Mr. Wilson said. "There is a hydraulic lift that gets it to the water."

Included on the property is a caretaker’s cottage, garage and tennis court.

Neighborhood Notes

"Metchosin is a relatively small boutique community with small shops, little gift places, eateries, coffee shops," Mr. Wilson said. Downtown Metchosin is a few minutes’ drive away.

"It’s a very clean place, very pristine, with fresh air, excellent food and lots of little farms," Mr. Wilson said. "You get high-quality produce here."

And the house is about a 30-minute drive from Victoria.

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"Victoria is considered one of the prettiest cities on Earth—it’s known as the Garden City," he said. "The downtown core is unbelievably nice," with lots of bars and restaurants. "It’s really designed for tourism."

Plus, there’s another perk: the climate. Unlike most of Canada, Vancouver Island's weather is mild year-round.

"It’s very temperate, a very, very lovely weather system," Mr. Wilson said. "It’s kind of perfect weather all the time—people are surprised by that."

"It never gets below freezing—that’s the nice thing about Vancouver Island," he said. "To see snow is very rare, because we’re surrounded by ocean on three sides."

"This is the one spot in Canada where you can go golfing on Christmas Day," Mr. Wilson said. "From a Canadian perspective, that’s hugely appealing."

Agents: Logan Wilson, Glynis MacLeod and Brad Maclaren, Sotheby’s International Realty Canada

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