HEADING OUT Of THE CITY
Almonte home offers more space for young family
JP and Heather Landry always knew they'd be moving out of their small downtown home.
The high-tech workers with a young daughter just didn't think it would happen so quickly.
“I already worked from home before COVID,” says Heather, “and with a one-year-old, we knew we'd outgrow the house eventually. We were thinking years.”
But both jockeying work on the kitchen table, “we had to fast-track a bit!”
This summer the couple, both 30, sold their three-bedroom house on Westmount Avenue in Hintonburg, and are moving at the end of October to the historic Doctor's House in the town of Almonte. They bought before they sold. Their Hintonburg house was purchased by a single man who already lived in the neighbourhood.
The 110-year-old Hintonburg house had appealed to the Landrys because it had been recently renovated, and had a lot more room than the 300-square-foot bachelor apartment on Richmond Road that they were leaving.
“We planned on more of a country house,” says Heather, who was browsing online when the Almonte house popped up, and she was immediately curious.
They knew right away that they wanted that house — and that they had to move fast. He drove out to have a look, and they put in an offer right away before Heather had even seen it.
There was already another offer, but the Landrys' offer was chosen. “JP went to high school there,” says Heather. “They think we'll take care of that kind of house and appreciate it. We'll maintain it properly.”
The Doctor's House was built around Confederation, making it more than 150 years old. “Each of the four previous owners has been a medical doctor. I hope to have a PhD some time in the future, and so that's close,” laughs Heather, who grew up in a 250-year-old house in Nova Scotia and always loved old houses.
The Doctor's House has five bedrooms; 2.5 bathrooms, a formal dining and living room, sunroom, three fireplaces, a tin roof, a swimming pool and a 127 x 150' lot. Most of the house is original construction.
The description from the listing notes: “Nicknamed `The Doctor's House' by locals, this imposing Italianate style masterpiece has been the pride of generations of doctors. Since 1868, the stone and timber design — reflective of an Irish country manor — has been a landmark among other homes of historical significance which grace the area.”
The listing advises, “After a hard day's work, laze in your cosy sunroom or relax by the pool!”
While the Almonte house doesn't have a historic designation, Almonte itself has a historic designation. The town went through a number of name changes in the early days but ended up being named after General Almonte of Mexico who served in the field against invading U.S. forces.
It's noted on the almonte.com website that “in the political climate of the day, the loyal British citizens of our town apparently felt General Almonte was an admirable public figure, and agreed upon the new name of Almonte — which we pronounce `AL-mont' rather than the Spanish `al-MONtay.'”
By choosing to move out of Ottawa, the Landrys are part of a housing trend that has been going on for awhile. In fact, their co-workers were trying to sell their houses within a week of JP and Heather deciding to do so. “We're the last of our group of friends with kids who have moved away from the city,” she says. “We are lucky because we owned our house in the city.”
They signed all the real estate paperwork through email. “We only saw the realtor in person, masked, when we saw the house,” she said.
“It all went quite well, but I didn't realize how hot the market was when we were looking. We put in an offer on four others, and I'm sooo glad we didn't get those houses!”