Home of the Week: J.R. Ewing would feel at home in Dallas-inspired estate

One of the first things the new owners of 6540 Twiss Rd. did when they bought their house in 2010 was build a wrought-iron fence. The fence encircles the three-acre property, which is in the small town of Kilbride, Ont., just north of Burlington.

“The previous owners used to have people from time to time driving up, wanting to look at the house,” real estate agent Karen Paul said.

So, what was it about the long white house, sitting far back from Twiss Road, that would draw strangers? Well, if you’re a fan of the television hit series Dallas, 6540 Twiss should look pretty familiar.

The 10,000-square-foot house was built in 1987 by Branthaven Homes, and the original owners wanted it to be a replica of the fictional Ewing family’s famous Dallas establishment, Southfork Ranch. While it’s not a perfect match, it is identifiable and does capture the lavishness of the 1980s, Texas-based prime-time soap opera.

“When you walk in the house, you feel the richness to it because of the hardwood floors, because of the colours used and the finishes,” Ms. Paul said.

Beyond sharing a sense of luxury, the interior of 6450 Twiss doesn’t have much in common with the Dallas abode. In its previous incarnations it was a grand rural home, with a country kitchen, a cowboy-style basement lounge and bedrooms tucked under dormers.

But the current owners, who asked to stay anonymous for privacy reasons, had a desire to leave their imprint on the house’s style and decided to revitalize its decor.

“They gave us the guts to work with,” the seller said, adding that the home had a major modernization of its key features (the kitchen, its windows, the roof) in 2007.

Along with the fence, the owners also painted the entire house and made many modifications to the first floor, which contains a music room in its south wing and the heart of the home, a large open space that includes the gourmet kitchen, a connected dining area, a pantry and a sunroom that leads out to a deck and tennis court.

Along with the eight rooms on the main floor, the second floor houses five bedrooms and three full bathrooms. And much like the lower floor, the private quarters also got a fresh coat of paint, while the master suite received a full renovation, including new hardwood floors and a brand new bathroom.

While there is cohesion in the elegant ethos of first and second floors, the basement harks back to the home’s rancher roots. Its walls consist of exposed, thick planks of wood. There is a wooden bar – complete with a beer tap and TVs embedded into the walls of the bar. There is also an antler chandelier that sits above a round table, perfect for games. Off to its side is an area for billiards and, beside that, a media room that has an extra-large curved couch and a big-screen television.

That’s just one side of it. The other half of the basement has a second kitchen (with its own set of appliances – there are three fridges in the house in total), a bedroom, a full bathroom and a gym space.

“It’s a little shocking,” said one of the owners with a chuckle. “But I like it because it’s different and when you come down here you say, ‘Oh, my goodness.’”

This cowboy saloon aesthetic is carried over to the 821-square-foot second floor of the coach house. While the current owners don’t use it much, Ms. Paul suggests it could be a nanny suite or an apartment for parents, as it has a three-piece bathroom and kitchen. The lower half of the coach house is currently used as a secondary garage (there is a three-bay garage attached to the main house), which fits four cars but is deep enough to swallow a limousine.

Ms. Paul sells a lot of houses in the area and the sheer size of 6540 Twiss is one of the reasons why it stands out from other properties. Competing properties are generally between two and 2.5-acres, with homes atop that are under 6,000 square feet.

“This property is probably the largest [in the area],” Ms. Paul said. “It’s a very good value.”

For the owners, one of their favourite rooms is one that underwent the biggest transformation: the kitchen.

“I was looking to give this home a French Provençal feel,” said one of the owners, who oversaw the renovation. “A bit more formal than it had been in the past.”

The formality is in the details. All of the mouldings and the travertine columns and fireplaces have intricate designs. And the kitchen cabinetry hardware always captures potential buyers’ eyes, said Ms. Paul, because each knob is encrusted with Swarovski crystals.

“The price of the knobs could buy a nice kitchen in Toronto,” jokes one of the owners.

But the changes in the kitchen went well beyond the addition of bling. Previously, the kitchen had dark wood cabinets, a three-inch-thick slab of teak for a countertop, exposed ceiling beams and forest-green walls.

Part of the renovation was not only to air out the kitchen with lighter colours and formalize it with higher-end finishes, but also to customize for family use (the owners have three children). That meant out with the beer fridge and bar space and in with a second island that acts as a breakfast nook.

The kitchen is one of the main reasons why the property is well-suited for entertaining.

“It’s incredible for parties – we have huge parties and if I didn’t have the second dishwasher I’d be in trouble,” said one of the owners, adding that guest lists have run from 80 to 100 people.

Plus, when you’re spaced apart from your neighbours as you are on country properties, party noise is less of a concern.

And that’s because it’s generally pin-drop quiet in the area, Ms. Paul said. That intangible is one of home’s best features.

“The tranquillity and the ability to have your own life within these confines is really great,” the seller said. “It has a peacefulness to it that people from the city would not realize until they experience it.”

The only drawback? When city friends visit, they later realize how much they miss the serenity, Ms. Paul said.

“It’s so great to have a country property like this because people come over and they stay the night and they say, ‘We want to stay longer,’ and that’s because it’s so quiet,” she said.