14 Inverhill Rd., Centre Wellington, Ont.
Asking price: $3,750,000
Taxes: $12,290 (2025)
Lot size: 142 by 260 feet
Agent: Aimee Puthon and Brandy Wolstenholme, Coldwell Banker Neumann Real Estate
The Backstory
In 2020, empty nesters Lynne and Rob Wolstenholme were in no rush to leave their country home on 10 acres of land north of Acton, Ont.
The couple’s four children had moved on, but the Wolstenholmes planned to stay a few more years in the rural setting.
That was until Mr. Wolstenholme drove about 40 minutes to the west one day and spotted a housing development under construction in the hamlet of Inverhaugh.
He toured the model home, which was available for sale, and then returned with Ms. Wolstenholme.
Mr. Wolstenholme died last year, but Ms. Wolstenholme remembers well the day he found the couple’s next home.
The new development, named Swan Creek Estates, was set in farmland north of the larger urban centres of Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph.
Mr. Wolstenholme was first drawn to the layout and finishes of the move-in-ready home.
Ms. Wolstenholme appreciated the view of the surrounding woods and farm fields in the bucolic area that is home to many Mennonite groups.
“It was still country living but a little bit closer to town,” says Ms. Wolstenholme.
The House Today
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The bungalow-style house has more than 5,500 square feet of living space on two levels, with a walk-out from the lower level to the patio.
There are three bedrooms upstairs, three on the lower level and four bathrooms.
A great room with a vaulted ceiling has a fireplace and doors opening to a balcony.
The open-plan kitchen has a large island and a breakfast area. There’s also a dining room with a sliding barn-style door on that level.
The primary bedroom has an ensuite bathroom with a shower and a soaker tub. Doors open to the main-floor balcony.
Downstairs, there’s a large recreation room with a bar and room for a pool table.
The couple moved in soon after purchasing the property.
The following spring, they set out to create a backyard haven for the extended family.
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The couple’s kids often visited, with eight grandchildren between them, ranging in age today from two to 28.
The country home they left behind had ponds for swimming and skating, so Ms. Wolstenholme was keen to have a large, in-ground pool which could become the centre of family gatherings at the new property.
The couple brought in Acapulco Pools to build a cement pool winterized for four-season use. The Kitchener-based company is known for creating pools for sports centres, water parks, schools, hotels and spas throughout North America.
Silverfern Landscaping transformed the empty land into a poolside retreat with a pool house, outdoor shower, fire pit, walking paths, mature trees and a children’s playground.
The local firm would go on to win a design award from the trade association Landscape Ontario.
Ms. Wolstenholme says the home on Inverhill Road became the hub for the clan’s holidays, celebrations and summer barbeques.
Meanwhile, other lots were gradually filled in, and new families arrived.
“There was one other house there,” Ms. Wolstenholme recalls of moving in. “All of a sudden, a neighbourhood popped up.”
Children in the subdivision attend schools in nearby Fergus, Elora and Guelph, she says.
Ms. Wolstenholme visits Elora to dine at the former mill, which is now a boutique hotel on the edge of the Grand River. The town has plenty of cafes and restaurants, she adds.
Ms. Wolstenholme says the home holds many memories for the family. For the younger grandchildren, the house is the only one they know and remember.
“He was very, very proud of that house,” Ms. Wolstenholme says of her late husband. “He’s the reason we moved there.”
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The Best Feature
As expected, the pool became the backdrop for all manner of festivities, says Ms. Wolstenholme, who surrounded the patio with “Christmas trees galore” and purchased holiday-themed bathing suits for the grandkids.
“Our Christmas Eve for just the family was always a pool party,” says Wolstenholme.
After the holidays, the grandkids helped gather up the trees.
“They dragged them over to the neighbour’s and let the goats have them.”
The pool is well-insulated, and a high-efficiency heater provides warmth in the freezing months, she says.
There’s also a retractable cover. For safety reasons, the mechanism to open and close the cover is located inside the poolhouse and requires a key to operate, she explains.
A heated pad covers the walkway from the pool to the house, she adds, so swimmers can quickly pop inside during the chilly months.
For the little ones, soaking in the warm water surrounded by cool air always remained a novelty.
“They stand up and see how long it takes for their hair to freeze.”
Editor’s note: The final photo in this article was incorrectly credited. The photo was provided by Mohr Media.