Along the shores of Brentwood Bay is a scene not too far removed from a rustic East Coast fishing village -- weathered, clapboard fish shacks and old stucco boxes are wedged together just a stone's kick away from shore.
The wide suburban asphalt road gives way at the turn, and the car wheels crunch along a narrow gravel lane, with ruts and murky borders fringed in uncut grass.
Past the grayed wharfs in the bay, open runabouts and sailboats mingle with a few aquatic versions of the Hummer.
In the middle of this neighbourhood stands a newly minted $1.4-million house.
Its angled, modern silhouette gives it the appearance of a cruise ship among fish boats, a castle among cottages. Some might argue that infill housing such as this is an affront to the cultural texture of this shoreline community, but a walk through the neighbourhood shows infill building has been going on around here for a long time.
Infill houses used to be built for economic reasons -- the property was sliced up so a family member could be installed in a cottage on-site, or a piece was sold off to speed up payment of a mortgage.
But on the Island, infill housing is increasingly aimed at wedging new homes into desirable neighbourhoods close to water, greenspace or quaint urban villages. Inevitably, it leads to higher density, a fact some find appealing, others appalling.
This house, built by Doug Downs and Brad Rotto of Eagleye Restoration and Construction, represents the next step in the neighbourhood's evolutionary progression -- an era when a thriving economy and fat demographic bubble of well-off retirees is feeding the niche for luxury homes.
For Downs, a builder driving his construction and restoration company to the next level, the house is a showcase, the first of what he hopes will be many.
"We built this house to show what our company can do," says Downs. Just over 2,000 square feet over three levels, the home features state-of-the-art technology and Asian-fusion design.
Downs sized up the accouterments most attractive to high-end buyers, and concluded that while easy maintenance is good, no maintenance is even better. Thus, the home includes a three-year maintenance package, freeing the homeowner from the usual list of repair and upkeep chores -- although it remains to be seen whether it will fly with consumers.
The house may be high-tech, but those features are designed to be unobtrusive. At the entry, a small, dark bubble of glass the size of a fastball is the eye for the video surveillance on a state-of-the-art security system wired to a built-in plasma television and accessible via Internet anywhere in the world -- a big plus for globe-trotters who want to look in on their home while waiting in airport lounges.
An expansive foyer shows off a curved interior wall. Open-tread stairs lead up to the main living space, where clean lines dominate. The floors transition from ceramic to hardwood to granite to carpet.
Bucking current design trends, the house features a kitchen separate from the living-dining room, a plus for hosts who prefer to shield their guests from culinary flotsam. In addition to stainless-steel appliances, acorn-stained cabinetry and granite counters, the kitchen features a fold-away under-cabinet "Icebox," an entertainment centre that includes cable-ready television, DVD, CD player, broadband Internet, touch-screen-controlled radio and a video-monitoring system with a wireless, washable keyboard.
While today, the house stands storeys above its neighbours and enjoys a sweeping view of the bay, Downs expects new construction will eventually overtake the area. Planning ahead, he carefully studied municipal guidelines and oriented the house to guarantee its view corridors will continue to drink in water views, not a neighbour's side wall. "View corridors are essential when you're looking at infill building," says Downs, standing on one of the house's decks.
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FUNKY FEATURES
* Architectural and structural engineering: Wood-frame construction protected with drain-screen building-envelope technology
* Turn up the heat: Combination heating systems include radiant floor, electric forced-air furnace with a heat pump.
* Top deck: Builder Brad Rotto, right, shows off the rooftop deck's hot tub with pop-up speakers connected to the home's sound system.
* Smart access: Electronic entry key allows homeowner to program the key to work on demand, such as for a maid's shift.
* On the grounds: Xeriscape landscaping minimizes the need for water, but also includes an irrigation system to keep the green stuff growing.
* Interior design: by Sheri Peterson at Sheri P Interior Design