Ever wanted
your own dream house in Canada? Why not build your own?
That’s what friends
of George Betemps did in British Columbia. Their log house
in Takysie Lake,
made from the trees surrounding the site, stood on a 140
acre plot of land with
beautiful mountain scenery to accompany the small expanse of
water.
“The view is
spectacular, isn’t it?” he tells me. I
agree. And quiet to boot. Private.
Peaceful. Pretty. It’s the perfect reclusive spot
for a new home, even if it is
hard to imagine where the electricity comes from.
“Oh, the
electricity is at the site,” George explains,
“although the land is mostly all
southern exposure, so you get lots of sunshine. It’s
just high enough to avoid
being fogged in during the autumn season. It’s a
great place to install solar
systems for lights and hot water.”
I look
around. With a bit of DIY and creativity, it could be an
idyllic remote
getaway.
“You could
live off the grid!” George adds. I nod. But where
would the water come from?
“The water
line to the lake needs to be redone,” he admits,
“but I used rain water from
the roof which led to a cistern in the basement…”
Even while
talking about cisterns and basements, it’s hard not
to be impressed by the
sheer loveliness of The Lakes District. If you wanted to get
away from it all,
this is surely where you would go. There are no roads going
through the land;
it sits at the end of a single gravel road, which is
maintained by the
government. And with no farm animals on the land, the air is
still and
relaxing.
“I have not
farmed it so there have not been any domestic animals on it
for about seven years
or so. Only moose, deer, bears, coyotes,
a wolf or two and lots of rabbits and grouse! If you were to
farm it you would
have to do a little work to the fields.”
But just
because it’s quiet and remote, that doesn’t
mean we’re in the middle of
nowhere. We’re less than 30 minutes from the
Francois Lake Ferry and close to
the cities of Smithers and Prince George, both of which have
their own
airports.
“There are loads
of interesting things you could do on or from the property
too,” says George.
“It’s a very scenic area with hunting,
fishing and plenty of other summer and
winter outdoor activities all in your backyard.”
No wonder he
fell in love with the log house. His friends lived there for
50 years, he
explains. Eventually, he bought it from them. Why would he
want to sell it now?
George frowns.
“The house
burned down in 2011,” he reveals.
“It’s been cleaned up since then, the
basement is ready for levelling and foundations. The land is
just waiting for
someone else with a vision for their own dream
home.”
“There are
some good contractors in the area that would gladly build it
for you,” he
continues.
“Or,” he
says, looking at the woods around him, you could always do
what they did and
build it yourself!”
Ready to build
your own dream house in Canada?
Buy a plot
of land for just ã205,172.
For more information, view the full listing:
http://canada.homesgofast.com/properties/simonds-road-TMC6853432/
