Available from Richard Scully – Harvey Kalles for $23,950,000
After many years working as a sales representative in Muskoka’s luxury real estate sector, Richard (Rick) Scully isn’t the easiest person to impress. So, when he says of his latest listing on Lake Muskoka that it’s “one of the best built properties I’ve ever been associated with,” it carries some weight.
The property in question, a lavish seven acres with 629 feet of shoreline on Muskoka’s most sought-after lake, doesn’t just take the concept of family compound to a new level, it carries it into the stratosphere. It’s hard to imagine a property better equipped to satisfy all generations of a multigenerational gathering.
With two fully appointed cottages and two boathouses with living quarters, the resort-like property offers 14 delightful bedrooms, with enviable privacy and jaw-dropping lake views
The primary cottage is the epitome of Muskoka-style appeal, with expansive sun-drenched decking, peaked rooflines, soaring cathedral ceilings, and walls of windows. Th is cottage is connected to the nearby boathouse—complementary in design and architecture—by an extensive boardwalk. Above the two-slip boathouse, the living quarters evoke the charm of an English cottage, with exposed-beam ceilings, bright-white walls, and light spilling in from every direction.
The second cottage, further along the shoreline and separated from the first by mature trees, evokes a more contemporary architectural aesthetic, wholly in line with some of the lake’s latest looks. With its distinctive flat rooflines and horizontal planes, the five-bedroom cottage nevertheless echoes its neighbour in its long, uninterrupted lake-facing decking and expansive windows. Roof cupolas allow even more light to spill into
the interior, which is similarly modern, characterized by the clean interplay of glass, steel, stone, and wood. This cottage’s boathouse features four slips and expansive living quarters with remarkable views over the
water.
According to Rick, there has been a surge of interest in family compounds. “They allow multigenerational families to continue to be together and play together even as the generations age and the structure of the family changes,” he says. And sure enough, the heart of this compound is perfectly set up to bring people together. Tucked in the trees is a contemporary recreation centre equipped with a professional recording studio and theatre room. A well-appointed caterer’s kitchen and separate summer dining room make this the perfect location to pursue long hours of creative endeavour alone or in a group.
For more physical recreation, a separate gymnasium nearby includes a well-equipped workout room, spa, and sauna, with fourbay garage and rooftop observatory to boot. And when the weather is conducive, family members of all ages will have an abundance of outdoor activities to choose from. In addition to the property’s ideal combination of gentle shoreline for young swimmers and deeper waters for the more experienced, an outdoor heated pool and Jacuzzi offer alternatives to lake swimming, while the poolside cabana provides a shady place to sit and chat. And a sports court, beach volleyball court, and children’s playgrounds provide additional options for the young and young at heart who love to play.
While all of this is enough to excite most of us, recall that Rick has seen his fair share of luxurious dwellings. For him, there is something about this family compound that sets it apart—something that you have to look deeper to find. “From a quality perspective, it’s spectacular,” he says. “The walls, the HVAC, the plumbing, you name it. It’s one of the bestbuilt properties I’ve ever seen.” Because the owners selected the highest-grade materials and systems, the property, its buildings, and their interconnectivity are assured long into the future. And that’s important in a family compound, where part of the joy is taking delight in the now, and part of the joy is knowing your family will be enjoying it for,
