Patience Pays Off

STORY RACHAEL HAVENS
PHOTOGRAPHY SANDY MACKAY
FLOWERS COLLINGWOOD FLOWERS & HOME DECOR

Treetops are visible from every window in Carol Girard and Randy Fleming’s Wasaga Beach home. Soaring ceilings and a plethora of windows make it possible.

Their builder, Scott Young of Scot- Build Developments, agrees the views from inside the contemporary home are spectacular. (Scot-Build is known for their Northern European-style houses, especially the Scottish longhouse.)

In a full circle moment, Carol and Randy found Scot-Build through our HomeS. It was the Ski Season 2018 issue, which featured Scott’s own family home here in Southern Georgian Bay. Randy emphasizes the importance of “finding the right builder for you and connecting with them.” Says Carol: “With Scott, it was just a gut feeling at the end of the day.”

They continued to be impressed with Scott’s patience and ability to remain cool under pressure. Carol praises his responsiveness. “I’ve learned that’s a great trait – you feel like he’s always there for you.” The couple also liked the fact that Scott encouraged them to participate as much or as little as they wanted to in the build, forging a close working relationship from the get-go. Scott jokes that you’re essentially married to your builder for at least a year, so you have to do your due diligence. “Every person we’ve built for, we’ve become friends with, and that has a lot of value to me.”

Randy has an engineering background, and stopped by the site early on in the process. Scott nodded along as he went over every detail. “After a few minutes,” Randy laughs, “Scott put his arm around me, walked me to the door and said ‘Randy, everything will be perfect.’ ”

“Scott has a geat group of trades that work with him – we interacted with all of them,” Carol says, including Bumstead Brothers Plumbing and Heating, Barrie trim & Mouldings inc., Blue Mountain Builders, Mad river electric & Sons and Steve Mraz of Mrazco Metalworks, who completed the steel roofing.

Randy grew up spending weekends and holidays in Wasaga Beach at the family cottage. “I remember driving up here as a kid and seeing the population sign, it was 3,500,” he says. “Now it’s 22,000. People didn’t live here, they just cottaged here. While Collingwood was a town right from the start, Wasaga is transitioning.”

He and Carol decided to move here full-time to take advantage of the up-and-coming nature of the area. They were initially looking for a piece of property, but they ended up with a two- bedroom, one bath cottage in rough shape. They resurrected it and enjoyed it for six years, once hosting 22 people in the 900 sq. ft. space. They needed more space, and after much debate about selling and buying new, it was decided that they would demolish the cottage and pave the way for their new home. 

Carol calls it a double-edged sword. “I loved the cottage, so when you tear it down, it breaks your heart,” she says. The family congregated on the day the excavator came, which they each describe as an emotional experience. On the bright side, a maple tree that had to be taken down made its way inside, fashioned into a dining table.

They were also buoyed by Randy’s father’s advice: “Once in your lifetime, you should build your own house.” They were fortunate to start the build in October 2019 and lay the foundation over the course of a mild winter. Once the pandemic hit, they didn’t miss a beat. It was a challenge to choose finishes without being able to see samples or shop in-person, and Randy recounts receiving weekly packages filled with finds for the home. Early on, he opened a box to find pendant lights for the kitchen. He called Carol saying, “These pendants are not good, they’re the size of basketballs!”

Outside of the pandemic, the biggest challenge was settling on a design. They worked with Jo Redman of Redman Watson, and after a few revisions, settled on their incredible contemporary design.

The couple are thrilled with the end result and are glad they put so much thought into the modifications that make their space one- of-a-kind. Carol looks at her husband and says, “Randy comes up with some really great ideas.” With a smile, he is quick to add, “We complement each other very well.”

Carol and Randy plan to spend many years enjoying their new home. Carol jokingly compares building a home to having a baby. “Right afterwards, you say you’ll never do it again – but a few months later, it doesn’t sound so bad,” she says.

If they do embark on another project down the line, they know without a doubt Scott is the one for the job.