‘WOW FACTOR’
The allure of logs: Unique homes offer strikingly beautiful and sustainable alternative
Homeowners Tony and Lea Bond had a vision of creating a beautiful countryside escape, featuring a large lot and a stunning log home.
The couple had fallen in love with log homes in 2010 after Tony’s project with Boys and Girls Club in Ottawa. Together, with the help of the Ottawa Senators Alumni, they’d raised enough money to build a log home called Camp Smitty, right on Mink Lake. They contracted Paul Kealey and Adam Tackaberry of Kealey Tackaberry Log Homes to build the two-storey cottage, which was to be rented out, with all of the proceeds going directly to the Boys and Girls Club.
Lea had loved the completed design so much that the couple decided to go through with the investment and build their own log home. They chose a 10-acre lot in North Gower, about an hour from downtown Ottawa, where gorgeous 250 year-old sugar maple trees follow the driveway to unveil a magnificent red pine home.
“We’ve been planning this for about four or five years and were looking for the right piece of property. We wanted to be close to the city but still have that country feel,” said Tony. “Ten acres was more than I was looking for but you know, in hindsight, it’s going to work out okay. It’s got that “wow” factor when people come in and look at it or drive down the lane. After building the one at the campsite in Smitty, it was everybody’s dream to have one.”
Originally, the lot they’d purchased was such a mess that they couldn’t even walk in to the property. Untamed brush, abandoned wooden structures and trees were everywhere. Tony says he cleared the lot himself, cut down the trees and built the road in.
“Honestly, there was so much work to do before we could start digging the hole and building the house. There were trees Michael and Tony had to cut down to get the road access and clear the space to get started. And we had to get rid of some to get the other trees maintained in good health. It was a big job,” Lea said.
The couple had kept in touch with Kealey and Tackaberry, of Kealey Tackaberry Log Homes, over the years and commissioned them to build their log home. The approximately 2,300-square-foot home was built with red pine sourced from Herb Shaw and Sons in Petawawa and features five bedrooms (some of which are still in progress), four full bathrooms and a large garage. There are radiant heat floors throughout the home which are powered by an outdoor wood boiler.
The couple toured through some of the other log homes that Kealey and Tackaberry and the team had built and combined a variety of elements they liked, borrowing from their other clients.
“Every log home is unique because every client’s vision is different, and we find that building with logs really taps into the client’s sense of what defines a home,” said Kealey, president of Kealey Tackaberry Log Homes. “Working to transform their particular vision into something real is always exciting.”
Tony and Lea’s home was designed with the help of their daughter Chelsey Eagan, a designer. She helped select the brick, stone, clay wood and travertine elements that match the pine and natural warm theme throughout the home and contrast with the sleek, contemporary black railings, fixtures and both indoor and outdoor furniture. The white walls and doors further emphasize the spaciousness of the home and bring out the beauty of this open concept layout.
In addition, Tony helped build the custom barn board stairs to the basement, crafted from dismantled buildings on the property.
Lea’s favourite space is the great room, an expansive space featuring large windows, plenty of seating and a two-way fireplace that faces both the great room and the master bedroom. In addition, the entire back of the house is structured in a way that it captures the sun from sunrise to sunset, whether you’re indoors or relaxing on the wraparound deck outside.
For Tony, his favourite spot is the upstairs office in the mezzanine. There’s a sightline from the front of the home to the back that is filled with windows. The space is outfitted with a contemporary black light fixture, brick accent wall, plenty of natural light and a desk. He loves sitting up in there, looking over the 300-year-old oak tree, as he works.
The custom build and interior finishes, with the lot, ran the couple about $1.5 million. Because of their choice of large logs as building materials, their home will perform better than a conventional home built to current code.
“Traditionally log homes were built with large logs, and now we’ve come full circle as those large logs also offer the most energy efficiency,” says Kealey. “The fact that we can do this affordably, and continue a long established Canadian tradition is pretty amazing.”
As their home nears completion, they’re excited to close the building chapter of their life and embark on their visions for the backyard.
“Down the road we’ve got some plans. For one, we’re going to put up an apple orchard. I’ve already tilled two acres at the back where I’m going to do some organic farming,” said Tony. “We gave two acres to the Rideau Valley Conservation and they planted a thousand Christmas trees. And then we’re just gonna take it day by day and come up with some other ideas.”