Le Chateau Single Family Home by Brigil

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	Le Chateau : Front Elevation Source: Brigil

Good question! Take a look at a picture of the exterior, and perhaps you'll find a clue in the grey stone facade or the prominent turret rising from one corner with a pointed roof. Those who have been fortunate to travel through the magnificent Languedoc area in the South of France may be reminded of the turrets at the gateway to the Medieval City of Carcasonne - land of "The Perfect Ones" in the Cathar faith.

Can it be possible that some Quebecers long for a reminder of their ancestral connections to the Gauls or the Franks of Medieval Europe? Or is it simply that Le Chateau's popularity in Quebec is because that's where it's mostly available.

The two factors may even be connected. Whatever the reason for its popularity in Hull, Aylmer and Gatineau - to judge by Brigil's sales - it certainly seems to be regarded in that part of Quebec as "the perfect house."

Brigil generally builds Le Chateau with a grey faux-stone exterior and a bold tower with a pointed roof standing sentinel at one corner. There is either a one-car or a two-car garage at the other side of the house. Impressive steps - perhaps five of them - lead up to the front entrance, with a low matching balustrade on each side. Glancing up, we see a decorative curved balcony, also in faux-stone, with a Palladian-type arched window behind it.

The turreted effect is created by deep bay windows in the main-level living room and in the master bedroom immediately above it.

The magical appearance of a fortress-like chateau from the outside and a compact family home inside is the result of the garage doors being almost flush with the bottom step of the stairs leading up to the front door of the house. It means most of the garage space cuts in to one corner of the house, reducing the finished living area to one more easily maintained from day to day without requiring the retinue of domestic servants of old!

Everything you require in a home is placed in exactly the right location for it. You enter through an open vestibule with a coat closet on your immediate left, where you are likely to be standing on ceramic tiles (but check that out! Le Chateau might be built with somewhat different specification where you want to live).

It immediately gives way to hardwood floors throughout the main level, except for the kitchen (concealed beyond an imposing staircase). A 9ft high ceiling requires several more stair-treads than you may be accustomed to.

Beyond the vestibule is a standard narrow powder room - on the left side of the corridor and away from living rooms, as it should be. And immediately behind that is the entry from the garage. The wall on your right opens up invitingly to the living-room end of a living & dining room which is 22'9" into the deep bay. Whether you go through the far end of the dining room or carry on through the foyer, you reach a breakfast area in between a family room at the left and an open kitchen at the right.

Upstairs there are three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a laundry room. The master suite, with its deep bay windows, includes a walk-in closet leading into a luxury en-suite bathroom, with a corner Roman Tub and separate shower stall.

The laundry room - ideally situated where most of the bed linen, towels and laundry are to be collected - is a proper little room and not merely a closet containing a washer & dryer.

The landing extends towards the front of the house and the Palladian-type window that introduces plenty of light and leads out to that curved faux-stone balcony we saw above us before we entered. And this little area, bordered by wall, window, and oak railings containing the stairs, is an ideal nook for a home office and computer.

We first came across Le Chateau several years ago in Rivermead, but there are only about two lots left to build on there now. That leaves only Chateau Golf and Plateau Symmes in Aylmer. It is also being built at Plateau du Parc - at the foothills of Gatineau Park. And in Gatineau, there is Ruisseau Desjardins and Domaine Lorrain.
Le Chateau is priced from around  at Domaine Lorrain (with a one-car garage). Expect it to be more at Plateau du Parc.

We have always been seduced by the romantic exterior of Le Chateau, and impressed by its practical interior layout with its clean lines. Analyzed and considered according to all the HomesExplorer ™ 5-Star Design Award criteria, we have no hesitation in awarding five stars to Le Chateau for its romantic and utilitarian elegance - not to mention its affordability.

You can obtain all the other details and features of Le Chateau from HomesExplorer ™. Simply click on "New Homes Search" at the top of this page, and use the price range described below.

Le Chateau may be  SOLD OUT  - Check availability with Brigil

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The sole aim of the HomesExplorer™ 5-Star Design Awards Program is to reward excellence in the new homes industry by awarding five stars for the best design or innovation in a particular category. Our 5 Star Rating is awarded solely for excellence in design or innovation. Quality of construction and service are for buyers to ascertain themselves.