FIRST OF TWO SECTIONS: OUT OF TOWN PROPERTIES
Families find a peaceful, eco- friendly lifestyle in the rural/ natural setting of Inwood Creek Estates near Duncan
Sunday morning breakfasts are now extra special for Angela and Mike Komljenovic and their family. Since moving to their Inwood Creek Estates property near Duncan in August 2011, they have embraced country life to the delight of their two children: Jackson, eight, and Isabella, three.
They tapped area maple trees to make their own maple syrup last winter, their flock of chickens guarantees the best scrambled eggs, and an ever- expanding garden offers fresh produce.
“We love that we own a piece of this beautiful island that allows our family to truly connect with the land,” Angela said.
Their home is set on a 4.66- acre parcel, part of Phase 1 of Inwood Creek Estates, a bare- land project in the Cowichan Valley from 3L Developments Inc.
Surrounded by wild park land ( the company donated about 100 acres that will remain undeveloped), homes in the new community will have the best of both a rustic setting and proximity to local shops and services a short drive away.
For some 25 years, 3L has been in land development ( bare land and strata projects), and has other projects in various stages of development on Vancouver Island in Sooke and Courtenay, and Halfmoon Bay on the Sechelt Peninsula.
Right now, the first 25 of the 40 lots in Phase 2 are available. While smaller than the Phase 1 pieces, the 2.47- acre parcels are higher up, with gorgeous mountain views. The lots are serviced with drilled wells, new roads, power to the lot lines and approved septic field locations. Prices start at $ 189,900, with a $ 20,000 incentive to the first buyers.
A special agreement between the developer and the regional district has made low- impact development features the focus at Inwood Creek Estates. A covenant on the properties means the buyers must commit to installing water and energy- efficient features and situating their houses to maximize solar gain.
The Komljenovics chose to be even more eco- friendly, buying an existing home that was going to be demolished to make way for higher- density housing. They had it transported from the Lower Mainland. “Rather than sending the home to the landfill, we have given it a new life as our family home out on the farm,” Angela said.
Low cost was an incentive to recycle a home as well: they built a full basement underneath the house to give themselves 2,800 square feet of living area for only $ 60,000.
The traditional dormered home has a woodstove ( burning deadfall wood from the property), and the couple plans to install maple flooring and cedar trim inside.
The house fits in well with the other new estates, many of whose owners have opted to build separate garages with guest suites upstairs to live in while completing the main residences.
The wilderness setting attracts buyers from all over. “Lots of people from the Lower Mainland and out of province are relocating here, “said 3L developer’s representative Kabel Atwall, who believes part of the appeal is the recreational setting surrounded by Crown land where a resident elk herd roams.
The Komljenovics, originally from Calgary, agree that both the community and the rural setting were the big draws. “We moved here for the temperate climate, the slow pace, the quiet country life,” said Angela. “We were really attracted to the sense of community that the Cowichan Valley has to offer: the unique culture as well as the farm- to- table organic lifestyle.”
The farming community has enjoyed a renaissance of late, as a network of new vineyards ( Averill Creek Vineyard is an Inwood Creek Estates neighbour) is established to take advantage of an area that has the warmest mean temperatures and the longest growing season in the country, the result of the unique maritime Mediterranean climate.
And yes, there really is a cool, babbling creek running through the property development. If you look carefully along its banks shaded by towering conifers, you can see reminders of the past in the grooves left on giant stumps from old springboards in the days of the two- man cross cut saw.
The storybook setting produces an unbridled enthusiasm by new residents at Inwood Creek. ” We love most everything about it,” said Angela. “We love the quiet, we love the creek, we love the enormous trees and the rainforest that lies just outside our back door.“