Like its owner, this house is not native to the Laurentians, but it has taken root there. A successful transplant since, today, past and present coexist without dissonance.
Built in 1775, the residence was placed on this large mountainous plot of land in Morin-Heights in the 1980s. According to Danielle Véronneau, its current owner, it is from Saint-Mathieu, in Montérégie, that the house whose wooden frame comes from solid wood was built piece by piece. It was moved to this location by previous owners and placed on a poured concrete foundation.
From the outside, its cremone windows, its wooden door and its exposed wooden blocks under the waterproofing covering betray its more than a century-old age. But it is inside that the traces of the past are most visible. Once through the door, you enter a large room with low ceilings, warmed by the dark wood of the beams and the two stone fireplaces placed on either side. In this large living room, which calls for receptions, there are also not one, but two sofas, a small desk, a table, several cabinets and other antiques.
When Danielle Véronneau entered it for the first time in 2015, with her partner at the time, they fell in love instantly. “The property was not listed yet. We fell in love. » Living in Laval for several years, she wanted to migrate to the Laurentians to settle with her lover, “a guy from the North”.
“I have always loved old houses with a soul, an experience,” she says. It was my dream [d’en habiter une]. I made choices in my life that were not mine, like living in a model house in Laval. »
The kitchen and bathrooms of this house having been renovated, in order to maintain harmony with the rest, she had found the best of both worlds.
I loved the touch of contemporary in something more old-fashioned. The mixture is very successful.
Danielle Véronneau, owner of the residence
The house is also bright. In the kitchen and dining room, there is a cathedral ceiling. The contribution of the skylight has been preserved by the installation of a glass walkway to circulate upstairs, a modern addition which surprises those who set foot there for the first time, but which does not clash with the ‘together.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
On the exterior walls, you can clearly see the piece-by-piece construction.
The property, however, needed more than a lick of paint. Entire logs making up the exterior walls had to be replaced. The roof too, as well as the drain, in the basement, after water infiltration. The couple also put a lot of effort into bringing the house to their liking, particularly on the exterior. The land of more than 8600 m2 is vast and partly wooded. “Nature is very present: birds, deer, wild turkeys,” observes Danielle Véronneau.
I wake up to the sound of birds. It’s a quality of life that we don’t have elsewhere. We breathe well here, the air is pure.
Danielle Véronneau
Behind the house, perennials have replaced unwanted weeds, Chinese stone steps mark the path to the shed and the in-ground swimming pool, the balcony has been enlarged and a three-season veranda has become an extension of the living area. “Honestly, there is nothing we haven’t done,” says M.me Véronneau.
The couple invested in this property to spend the rest of their lives there. Destiny decided otherwise and today, it has become too big for the woman who now lives there alone. Fallen under the charm of the region, she is thinking of relocating in the area and dreams of a more modest apartment, but with just as much character.
The property in brief
Asking price: $1,150,000
Municipal assessment (2023): $525,200
Year of construction: 1775, rebuilt on poured concrete foundation in the 1980s
Building dimensions: 56.5 x 32.6 ft (approximately 17.2 m x 9.9 m)
Land area: 8682.1 m2 (approximately 93,453 ft2)
Property tax (2023): $3,845
School tax (2023): $480
Description: House with one and a half floors, built in pieces and having preserved its old character. It includes 18 rooms, including 2 bathrooms, 1 shower room, 1 office and 3 bedrooms, one of which is located in the attic. In the basement there is a garage, laundry room, wine cellar and a workshop, and outside, a three-season veranda and an in-ground salt pool.
Broker: Marie-Claire Rémillard, Profusion Immobilier