” Hello ! Don’t take off your shoes, but… could you make sure there are no stones under your soles? »
Posted at 12:00 p.m.
Uh… of course we’ll check. In addition to the magnifying glass. It is that the cherry wood of the parquet inside is impeccable. We don’t want to damage it. Moreover, everything is perfect in the pretty house of Michel Légaré and Câline Dutet on the shores of Lac des Deux Montagnes. The woodwork, the large windows, the kitchen cabinets… It’s hard to believe that this section of the house was renovated more than 20 years ago.
The property is nestled in a rural part of Île Bizard, facing Pointe-Calumet and Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac. To get there, you have to cross the suburban part of the island, then the golf courses, then finally continue west where the luxurious properties line the edge of the lake.
The couple’s neighboring estates are located on vast grounds stretching from Chemin du Bord-du-Lac to the shore. In the case that interests us, Mr. Légaré’s house sits at the end of a 700 ft. private road. The driveway is dirt and grass. And that’s exactly what the owner likes. “I like the wild aspect of nature. »
Maybe on the outside, but we feel that inside, the couple prefers tame chic.
Michel Légaré has lived in his house for 52 years. “I bought it in 1969. At that time, it was a 26′ x 26′ cabin.” Why Ile Bizard? “Because I spent my youthful summers here. My family rented a cottage nearby. It’s a place that I really like. »
The house was built around 1917. From that time, only the stone fireplace in the living room remains. The rest, over time, has been painstakingly renovated, demolished and rebuilt.
Clean and warm
Inspired by contemporary residences, Mr. Légaré called on architects to guide him in his numerous renovations. In 2001, Rona Goldenberg helped him convert the ground floor and common rooms. The main space has been enlarged and transformed. “We moved the kitchen and swapped the old screened gallery for an interior space. We created a mezzanine to make an office and the kitchen is now spread out in length. There is a dining room, a living room and a lunch area. Ah, and we changed the windows! And what windows! Framed in mahogany, they occupy a large part of the house, including the wall that opens onto the lake. Moreover, what is striking when you enter this house are the tones of the wood which have a family resemblance. “We were inspired by mahogany for the parquet [en cerisier] and the stairs. And as we indicated at the beginning, these woodwork have not aged a bit.
Everything was fine, then, until, in 2017, the lake overflowed. A first since Mr. Légaré bought the small chalet. “The main part was not affected, but the bedroom pavilion was installed lower down. It was flooded. Mr. Légaré let nature take over, telling himself that he would rebuild this section by placing it a little higher. “This time, I called on the architect Henri Cleinge, who specializes in contemporary architecture. We wanted a clean and modern universe. In loose translation, no gable roof or small checkered curtains.
I wanted the first part to fit into the second. And I wanted to combine the elements that we liked and wanted to keep. Mr. Cleinge listened to us.
Michel Legare
This pavilion was therefore built with a flat roof without a gable. “The urban planning committee initially opposed it, but agreed with our vision. »
The result, which took about fifteen months to achieve, is a skilful blend of old and new. For the exterior, the wooden slats were kept, but they were installed vertically, contrasting with those of the old pavilion which are horizontal. “Since we could not enlarge the perimeter, we opted to make a floor where we housed three bedrooms”, explains Mme Dutet. The ground floor includes the master bedroom, a large bathroom, two identical type closets walk-in and a laundry room. The architect integrated the old windows and the tempered glass sliding doors.
The property also includes another building with a double garage and a bachelor above. There is also a waterfront dock with beautiful old trees all around.
Why leave when the work is finished? Because the septuagenarian couple loves challenges. A few years ago, he bought several hectares of land in Saint-Donat. Mme Dutet had a house built there by the architect Pierre Thibault. On the grounds are hundreds of maple trees. And what do we do with maple trees? You guessed it, these people of action harvest the precious water. Last year they canned over 600 cans of syrup. New challenges, did we say?
The property in brief
- Asking price: $1,399,000
- Year built: 2001
- 16 rooms including 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 powder room, 1 wood fireplace; 80 ft of frontage on the edge of the lake, detached garage for 4 cars with bachelor.
- Land area: 58,856 sq.ft.2
- Municipal assessment: $1,580,000
- Property tax: $11,648
- School tax: $1639
- Broker: Randa Youssef, Re/Max Royal (Jordan), 514 630-7324