Happy bungalow hosted 45 for Easter
Renovation of sprawling, mid-century modern home was done from the heart
Location 7 Sunrise Crt., Cobourg
Price $2.3 million
The sellers When current homeowners Lynn Hardy and Don Conway saw the sprawling mid-century modern bungalow 20 years ago, she was enamoured with its history and the fieldstone fireplace, and Conway loved feeling like he was in the country.
Although it’s on a private 2.2 acres (originally part of a 200-acre farm), the house is in the town of Cobourg and from its hillside location, offers spectacular, south-facing views of the town and of Lake Ontario. It’s flooded with light and surrounded by mature landscaping.
“It feels like the house is happy,” says Hardy. “It feels like a lived-in, loved space.”
Although the bungalow was built in the ’60s, its history runs deep. It’s on the former Dungannon Farm, where in 1905. U.S. Sen. George Oliver built a stately summer home. In 1946, it was purchased by Cobourg mayor Joseph Smith, who was at a council meeting when the house burned to the ground two years later. Two of Dungannon’s original pillars are now in Cobourg’s Victoria Park; the other three have been incorporated into the bungalow’s porte-cochère.
Hardy and Conway have renovated every room to their tastes.
“I love natural materials and textures,” says Hardy. “When I first saw this place, I loved the fieldstone fireplace, as it reminded me of our Muskoka cottage.”
They turned a three-season sunroom into a family room with a raised wood ceiling and skylights. Hardy’s desk is in the master bedroom in front of windows where she watches cardinals, robins and squirrels.
The house has expanses of wall perfect for displaying artwork, or a collection of family photos, as Hardy and Conway have. The home is where the family gathers for celebrations — in the chef’s kitchen, with its big island and integrated table, in the living or family rooms, or on the huge terrace, looking to the lake.
“It’s been a hugely used place. At Christmas, everyone comes — the kids, the grandchildren and dogs,” says Hardy.
The realtor says “What makes this house so special is that the entire renovation was done from the heart, and it was a beautiful collaboration. Everything has been done as best it can be,” says Marianne Wilson, of Re/Max Rouge River Realty
Ltd. Brokerage. “It’s unusual to find 4,000 square feet on one floor. It’s rare to have this kind of privacy, yet be so close to everything.”
She says many buyers are seeking a home with an in-law suite, or to work from home, and there’s an auxiliary residence on the property, created out of part of the two-car garage, with two bedrooms and a bathroom, and there’s room to install a kitchen.
Highlights
■Rare, mid-century modern bungalow has clean lines, muted tones, and natural and man-made materials
■Three bedrooms, three bathrooms
■4,000 square feet of single-level living space, set on 2.2 acres
■Views of Lake Ontario and Cobourg through expansive windows
■Integrated, indoor-outdoor living with garden doors, walkouts and patios
■ Auxiliary residence with potential as home office, studio, in-law-suite.
Hardy says the family have had one last celebration at the house, before she and Conway move to their next residence, a smaller Ontario cottage in downtown Cobourg. “We had 45 people here for Easter dinner, and an Easter egg hunt in the yard.”