The Greystones of Greenville custom homes

You can scour Toronto for a tear-down or reno-from-top-to-bottom bungalow for $1 million-plus – or you can design your own custom-built Thomas Cochren home on an acre of land in the gorgeous countryside of Dundas for almost the same price.

You’ll discover this rare opportunity within The Greystones, 13 custom-built homes, atop the Niagara Escarpment in Greensville, mere minutes from the charming town of Dundas. The Greystones will be just six minutes to Starbucks where you’ll also find shops such as Picone’s, Detour Coffee, Quatrefoil, Nellie James, Horn of Plenty, galleries, parks, annual festivals and even an art school. It goes without saying that Greensville is surrounded by greenspace with Webster’s Falls just down the hill, the Bruce Trail and conservation areas nearby.

In today’s marketplace with wildly rising prices in the GTA, Thomas Cochren Homes (TCH) is offering this opportunity to live in an exclusive community on the cusp of the city in a custom dream home starting at $1.4 million – and have it move-in ready within a year.
The amenities within will be just as outstanding as the surroundings. Under construction is a fabulous home notable for its copper chimney cap and cupola. Mahogany entrance and garage doors allude to the wonders inside this phenomenal façade of hand-chiseled, natural Pennsylvania fieldstone.

All homes will begin with exterior finishes of natural stone, brick or cedar with architectural mouldings and trim. But the choice and ideas are always in the hands of the homebuyer as they work one on one with renowned architect John Williams of Williams Residential Design, who is using the Arts & Crafts era as inspiration. This is when your home can meet your needs with the addition of a home theatre, paneled library, indoor pool, workshop, dog shower station, guest suite or a bar, wine cellar or tasting room complete with plumbing and millwork.

7Says company President Tom Cochren, “Custom homes aren’t restricted to monster homes of 10,000 feet or more.” Time, design and details are key ingredients of a TCH-built custom home.

Those details continue with tongue-and-groove cedar porch ceilings, decorative chimney design, custom solid wood entranceway and carriage-style garage doors. Inside is where the true identity of buyers shines through with custom layouts and cabinetry selections in the kitchen, baths and laundry including stone counters. Trimwork includes feature archways, decorative coffered ceiling and crown moulding. Hardwood flooring is finished onsite, not in a factory, with natural stone tile in the foyer, baths, the laundry and mud room, plus solid oak staircases and railings. A freestanding tub and shower and heated floors are part of the luxury of every master ensuite, along with a gas fireplace with stone slab surround, hearth and custom mantel adding to the comfort of the family room. Central air, central vac and a heat recovery ventilator are also included.

Forming three cul-de-sacs, these homes will be located where rolling hills tell their own story, and each of the 11 remaining lots offer their own unique features and topography. Homes will be tailored to their surroundings as is the custom way of TCH. Several are perfect for walkout features while others are ideal for an outdoor pool and outbuildings. A ravine setting for another lot challenges the imagination with a design that could appear to be a single level in front while dropping down several levels in the back for an outstanding vantage point.

Clients of TCH generally are not new to the home building process. “We offer the custom touch they didn’t get before,” says Tom Cochren. “We build and design from scratch to give them the home of their dreams – inside and out.” Buyers aren’t looking for model homes and a stack of plans to choose from. Unlike an urban setting, they’ve got 40,000 sq. ft. of land to work with and a home to design inspired by their needs and this setting.

TCH also builds Energy Star homes offering 20 per cent more efficiency above building code requirements; and beyond to R2000 (50 per cent more energy efficiency) and ultimately Net Zero homes which are 80 to 100 per cent energy efficient above code. There is a rainwater collection cistern that can be used for irrigation. They also suggest small investments like under slab insulation and hydronic tubing rough-in for heated basement floors that can provide greater comfort and pay off in future energy costs.

Thomas Cochren Homes recently received the 2015 Award of Distinction for best renovation over $350,000 from the Hamilton-Halton Home Builders’ Association.

The Greystones will showcase an exclusive community of one-of-a-kind custom homes where quality and craftsmanship are the cornerstones and where nothing else compares.