POURIA SHAMAEI/Crossdim.ca
7328 Finnerty Sideroad, Caledon, Ont.
Asking price: $6.3-million
Taxes: $5,514.01 (2023)
Lot size: 35.6 acres
Agent: Daena Allen-Noxon, Sotheby’s International Realty Canada
The backstory
David Ward was a Bay Street mergers and acquisitions maven in the late 1990s when he began looking for a retreat in the Albion Hills north of Toronto.
Mr. Ward and his wife, Anne, were seeking a weekend home where they could unwind with their two children. In and around the Oak Ridges Moraine, trails for walking and horseback riding meandered through the landscape.
“My wife was a golfer; my daughter was a keen rider,” he says. “I was the driver of the truck for the horse.”
The couple found a circa 1935 stone farmhouse set back from the road on a parcel carved from one of the area’s original 100-acre farms.
The secluded location, south of Highway 9 near The Gore Road, felt removed from the city but within an easy drive for a weekend break.
The original house had been extended by the prominent architect Napier Simpson during the tenure of a previous owner.
The couple purchased the property with a view to retiring to the country when Mr. Ward left investment banking behind.
The house today
Home of the Week, 7328 Finnerty Sideroad, Caledon, Ont.POURIA SHAMAEI/Crossdim.ca
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The Wards gravitated to the equestrian community as their young daughter’s love of horses grew. Soon Mr. Ward took up riding as well.
“That was an important draw for me. My wife came along because she was a good sport.”
The family, who owned as many as four horses at one time, boarded them at an equestrian farm nearby.
Mr. Ward was glad to encourage his daughter’s passion for riding and competing as she entered her teenage years.
“It’s very cheap insurance to keep your kids on the straight and narrow.”
As the family spent more time in the Caledon area, they decided to extend the house again.
Mr. Simpson, who was well-known for his work in heritage and conservation, had created a new wing that remained sympathetic to the original cottage.
In keeping with that tradition, Mr. Ward brought in Armstrong Molesworth Architects with a mandate to maintain the level and perspective of the house when viewed from the road.
Mr. Armstrong designed an addition that added about one-third to the existing building for more than 3,000 square feet of living space.
Today guests arrive to a foyer created by Mr. Simpson. A sitting room with walls clad in beadboard, a pegged oak floor and a wood-burning fireplace surrounded in stone is part of the original farmhouse.
Mr. Armstrong pushed out the back of the house to create a large kitchen with a vaulted and beamed ceiling, a centre island and built-in appliances.
The renovation also transformed the original summer kitchen into a dining area with a flagstone floor, a sloping ceiling with a skylight above and sliding doors opening to the terrace.
The great room has a cathedral ceiling, doors opening to the terrace and windows overlooking the property’s two ponds.
The house has two additional bedrooms in the wing designed by Mr. Simpson. A fourth bedroom with an ensuite bathroom on the second floor is original to the cottage.
There’s also a lower level with a recreation room, a wine cellar and utility rooms.
During the renovation, Mr. Ward had a garage built with a door opening straight into the mudroom.
A separate guest house overlooks the pool. Inside, there’s a bedroom, family room, kitchen and dining area.
“I affectionately call it the grandmother cottage for my mother-in-law,” Mr. Ward says.
Outside, a tributary of the Humber River known as Coffey Creek runs diagonally through the property. Water flows throughout the year.
The two ponds often draw ducks and herons, Mr. Ward says.
“We put in little fingerlings of trout – it didn’t work because the herons would eat them.”
Gardens surround the house and trails wind through the forest.
The property is currently registered under the managed forest program, which reduces the tax bill.
A few years ago, Mr. Ward had a tired cedar hedge removed and replaced with a stone wall built by a Scottish mason.
After Mr. Ward left the financial district in the 2000s, the couple moved to the property they named Stonelea. Ms. Ward died in 2016.
Over the years, Mr. Ward was inspired by his love of walking to devote his time to overseeing the creation of the Trans-Canada Trail, which became his main activity in retirement. He served as chairman of the board for the national organization.
“They were separate activities which came together nicely.”
The best feature
For the primary suite, Mr. Armstrong designed a large bedroom with exposure on three sides, a walkout to a terrace and a coffered ceiling. The ensuite bathroom has a glass-enclosed shower and soaker tub.
The windows open in the bedroom to let in fresh air and the sounds of water rushing through the creek, says Mr. Ward.
“It flows – it doesn’t trickle.”