By Sherry Haima
Watercolour Westport offers the opportunity to live in a state-of-the-art home in a beautiful, historic, waterfront community, with all amenities just a short walk away. Built by the award-winning Land Ark Homes, this community is designed with traditional elements in mind, featuring cottage-style, automated intelligent houses complete with cutting-edge features.
Stephen Rolston, founder of Watercolour Westport and president of Land Ark, was inspired by a walkable community he encountered years ago, where he learned about land planning. He recalls, “Although I knew a lot about architecture and designing a great home, I knew very little about land planning. When I realized that great land planners can recreate a walkable, pedestrian-focused community, I felt something I had never felt before.”
Nestled between two lakes, Westport is a picturesque location that perfectly suits this modern community, recreating a lifestyle from before the car era. Rolston explains, “Be it the medical centre, the beach, the harbour, the pharmacy, the grocery, the library, the brewery, and the winery—it is all within a 10-minute walk of the community entrance.”
Restaurants, shops, churches, schools and recreational amenities like fishing, beaches, and boating on the Rideau Lakes are also within a short walk. The homes themselves are impeccably built, with marketing advisor Wafa Martin noting, “People walk in the door and they are marvelling at the beauty that surrounds them. They are enthralled with the potential they feel for a better life.”
More and more people aged 55-plus are moving to Watercolour Westport. Martin explains, “People at that juncture of life are making so many changes at once. Perhaps it’s time for a career change and working remotely, or right-sizing their home, desiring a fresh start in a new location to a new home—it’s just a really big peace-of-mind decision buying a Land Ark home.”
In a recent homeowners’ survey, praise was given for the attention to detail and excellent customer service provided. Martin says, “The reaction is overwhelmingly positive. They love their homes, they love Land Ark.”
General manager Kevin Rankin emphasizes that Watercolour Westport offers a better quality of life and a unique Net Zero commitment. All homes come third-party certified Net Zero Ready, offering improved comfort, air quality, efficiency, and longevity for homeowners. Rankin adds, “We want to extend that through the design of the home, the comfort of the home, the longevity of the home, the value that people are investing in.”
Homeowners can add solar panels to their roof and a battery bank to essentially be self-sufficient for their energy needs. Rankin explains, “When you have a very well-built and efficient home, then all of a sudden you can take advantage of these very energy-efficient appliances and bring the operating cost down.” He adds,”Not only that, you’re giving the homeowner the optionality to offset it by putting on a renewable energy source like solar panels on the roof.”
Watercolour Westport is Land Ark Homes’ 10th community, reflecting the company’s 33 years of experience and more than 400 homes built. Land Ark has been recognized with numerous awards, including Ontario Home Builder of the Year twice and America’s Best Builder from the National Association of Home Builders in the U.S. See watercolourwestport.com and landark.com for details.
