Our Country Home

Our Country Home in Mono, Ontario

Two years ago, we decided to buy some property in Mono, Ontario to build a country home. This is the illustrated story of that project - and especially, of the end result.

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After looking for a cottage or second home for several years, we discovered the Mono area, and decided to look there. Since nothing for sale was exactly what we wanted, we decided to find a plot of land and build our own home. Over time, the plan evolved from 'a small cottage' into 'a proper country home'. Not at the water, but in the forest: we found 15 acres of protected Niagara Escarpment forest and obtained a permit to build there. Several years (and several virtual ulcers) later, we now have a wonderful property in which to spend our weekends (and perhaps later, our retirement).

The house is located north of Orangeville in Mono, Ontario, south of Shelburne; a few miles east of Highway 10 just south of highway 89. That means it is under an hour's drive from Toronto, and being a school route, the road is usually good even in winter. I drive a 4x4 just in case, and in fact since the area has both snow and hills (including one just outside our driveway) this is not a luxury.

We are located just 400 yards from the Bruce Trail and from the entrance to the Mono Cliffs provincial park. The land and nature around Mono is the reason we built where we did. This area is beautiful and as yet largely undiscovered. Its forests and rolling hills (and indeed our 15 acres too) are part of the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO protected biosphere.

The building permit therefore took almost a year to obtain - virtually no building is allowed there - but it was worth it. We now have a fully winterised and well insulated bright and well-equipped home in our own part of the hilly escarpment forest. We even have our own propane-powered generator that automatically starts up in case of power failures.

This site is a small pictorial record of the work and the resulting home. Building was, well, an experience. When in other industries "I'll be there Monday" means "I may be there Monday", in the building industry it means "I will not be there at all and when I do turn up, it will be at 50% higher than the price we agreed on. But only if you beg". Q: How many building jokes are there? A: only two. The rest are true stories.