View of the front of our house from the bottom of our driveway. The top windows on the left are one bedroom, and the window on the right is another.
Our house is private, up from the street. Our yard is fenced and surrounded by trees. The street is very quiet, with only local traffic.
The front of our house when our window baskets are in bloom.
House from the yard. All three bedrooms are on the upper floor.
We take our coffee on these two chairs on summer mornings, and sip our wine here in the evenings.
We like to dine outside as often as we can in the summertime.
All of the french doors open up to the outside. This keeps the house cool in the summer.
We recently renovated our kitchen. We love to cook and designed it for people who do.
There is kind of a funny story behind the kitchen counter. The wood came from a Douglas Fir tree which was felled during a bad windstorm in Stanley Park, Vancouver\'s famous downtown park. A friend of ours is woodworker who made it. We love the idea of having a little of Stanley Park in our home.
To the left of the fireplace, hidden by the kitchen counter and chairs, is a big screen TV, CD player, DVD player and iPod dock. And of course, a teddy bear and piano, two necessities for any living room.
Large soaker tub and walk in shower. All recently renovated using Italian travertine stone.
Large walk-in shower, finished in travertine.
With Queen sized bed.
With Chiko the dog sneaking into the picture. There is a TV and an iPod speaker, as well as a large walk-in closet.
Quiet spot for one for morning coffee, or late afternoon glass of wine.
With youngest daughter.
Our husky lab cross. He typically boards elsewhere when we are away. Here he is on vacation in BC (this waterfall is in Manning Park, about two hours from Vancouver).
Secret beach is just as it is named, a secret little beach a two minute walk from our house. You can swim here, or just sit and enjoy the sunsets. There are several larger beaches nearby (walking distance)as well.
Secret beach at sunrise, looking out over one of the private docks. A nice place to enjoy your morning coffee.
The marina at Deep Cove. In the Cove you can rent sailboats, kayaks and there is a public swimming beach as well. The area is nice and quiet, but only 20 to 30 minutes from Downtown Vancouver.
This is the main village of Deep Cove, a 10 minute walk from our house. Several nice restaurants here, shops and a large public park and beach area. In the summer, there are free music festivals on weekends. And Honey\'s Donuts make the best chocolate dipped donuts in the world.
One of two parks in Deep Cove, a nice place for a picnic.
A hiking trail above Deep Cove, about a 20 minute walk from our house. There are lots and lots of similar trails all over the North Shore, the part of Vancouver where we live. We will leave you with directions on how to access them. If you love hiking and the outdoors, you will enjoy our area.
The hiking trails are Pacific Northwest Rain Forest, very lush and very pretty. Deer are not an uncommon sight.
Our vehicle is pretty new, has a CD player and is easy to drive. It comfortably seats five people, with room for luggage in the back or on the roof.
From one of our home exchanges (Yorkshire). This is along side the Thames in London.
From one our exchanges. Grabbing a drink in Edinburgh while the girls shop.
Sunset in the Cove.
Our home can accommodate
6
People in our exchange party
5
# of previous exchanges
4
Children in our party
yes
Bedrooms
3
Bathrooms
3
Nearest Large City
Vancouver, BC
Nearest Major Airport
Vancouver, BC
Home Exchange
We are looking to travel to (Open to any destination):
Open to all offers. We really enjoy Europe and especially France, Italy and Spain. We also love Asia and are interested in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, India, China and Japan. We would like to visit Latin America and are interested in Costa Rica, Honduras, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Brazil and Ecuador. We would love to go to Africa, and we also like the Caribbean having successfully exchanged there before.
We have exchanged in the past to Belgium, Holland, Ireland, England and Scotland, so we are less likely to go back to those countries (even though we enjoyed all of them immensely) before trying somewhere new.
Italy summer
France summer
Spain summer
Vietnam summer
The Home
Our home is a "villa" style with vaulted ceilings on three floors and a number of french doors opening to the outside. The three floors total about 3,800 square feet (350 square metres) of living space. The bottom floor is a self-contained, tenanted, suite. While the house is relatively new (less than 20 years), it was fully renovated during the summer of 2009.
The house is surrounded by a large yard and garden and is elevated from the street, making it very private. The french doors on the main floor open out to the yard and onto a large patio which is partially covered by a newly built pergola. In the summer, we try and dine outside as much as we can in order to enjoy the weather.
On the upper level is a wrap-around veranda which two of the bedrooms plus the common area open out onto. On the main level the kitchen, living room and dining room all open out to the garden and the patio. The upstairs floor is wood in the common area and carpeted in the bedrooms. The downstair floor is terra cotta tile, making it friendly for moving to and from the patio.
The bedrooms are all a nice size. The master bedroom is about 400 to 500 square feet (35 to 45 square metres) with a walk-in closet and a large ensuite bathroom with walk in shower and large soaker tub. There are two more bedrooms upstairs which are also a nice size, plus a full-sized bathroom with a large walk in shower. The master bedroom and one of the other two upstairs bedrooms open out onto the veranda. The master has a queen sized bed and the second bedroom a double bed. The third bedroom has a queen size bed.
On the main level is a very airy and well equipped kitchen, which was put in during our renovation. It is a "chef's kitchen" designed for those who like to cook. The design was inspired by a home exchange we did a few years ago!
The main floor is an open plan with the kitchen and living room open to one another. The living room is large, with a piano, big-screen TV, stereo (with an iPod input). There is also a dining room on the main level as well as a fully-equipped office with computer (high speed internet access). We also have a wireless network in the home. If you bring a wirelessly enabled laptop, you can access the internet and email from anywhere in the house.
The dining room, kitchen and living room open out to the yard. The yard is very private and there is a nice patio and sitting area surrounded by flowers and trees. There is also a bathroom on the main level, and two fireplaces.
Our home has a private driveway for the cars and a two car garage as well.
Our friends tell us that our home is nice for relaxing and socializing in and that the villa style reminds them a little bit of being in Europe. They also say it has "good karma". Our past home exchangers have provided us with very positive feedback, so we are pretty sure you will be comfortable.
I own this property.
HOME TYPE:
Single Family
The Neighborhood
We live in a very popular neighborhood in North Vancouver called Deep Cove. We are at the foot of Mount Seymour and are only a block from the Pacific Ocean. There are two (very small) neigborhood beaches within walking distance of our home. The neighborhood is very friendly and don't be surprised if our neighbors drop by to say hello.
Nearby is the village of Deep Cove (pictures on the site and link below), a part of Vancouver that sits on the Pacific Ocean. Deep Cove has a public dock, beach and a number of very quaint little shops and restaurants. You can hike, mountain bike, sail, kayak (we have two ocean kayaks available), canoe and windsurf all within walking distance of our home and the village of Deep Cove. Or you can just hang out at one of the coffee shops in the Cove. One of the shops (Honey's) makes the best chocolate donuts in Vancouver, and is a great morning stop for coffee.
We are about a 20 to 30 minute drive to downtown Vancouver, and 10 minute drive to the entrance to the highway which goes to Whistler as well as the route for the Ferry boats to Vancouver Island. We are close to all the attractions of the city yet our little corner of North Vancouver is very quiet, private and safe. This along with the close access to the mountains (there are numerous beautiful rainforest hiking trails within walking distance of our house) and ocean make Deep Cove a very popular neighborhood in Vancouver to live in.
ATTRACTIONS:
Restaurants
Shopping
Galleries/Museums
Theaters
Health Club
Forests
Ocean
Mountain Trails
Mountains
Golf
Tennis
Biking
Skiing
Diving
Hiking
Boating
Other Information
Vancouver is a great city to enjoy a combination of urban living and outdoors. The city has become famous for its high quality, but very affordable, restaurants as there is a wide variety of food styles from Asian to European. The local wines and micro-breweries are quite good as well. A great way to spend a day in Vancouver is to do someting active outdoors during the day, and then reward yourself in the evening with a nice meal.
We have a dog, a Husky/Lab cross named Chiko, but he usually boards elsewhere.
We have plenty of sports equipment including bikes and there is a large 14 foot trampoline in the yard, barbecue and outdoor furniture as we like to spend all of our summer time outside.
Some useful links:
www.tourismvancouver.com
www.vancouver-bc.com
www.experiencevancouver.ca
www.vancouver-travel.com
www.deepcovebc.com
Outside Vancouver:
Vancouver Island (1.5 hours away by Ferryboat):
www.vancouverisland.com
Whistler (1.5 hour drive):
www.tourismwhistler.com
amenities:
Computer
Garden
Internet Access
Washer/Dryer
Fireplace
Security System
Patio/Outdoor Dining
TV/Cable
Stereo/HiFi
Balcony/Deck
CONDITIONS:
No Smoking
Child OK
Auto Possible
Plant Care
No Pets
The Dates
Spring Break (March - for a two week exchange), Summer (July/August - for a three to four week exchange) or Christmas Break (for a two week exchange).
The Destination
Open to all offers. We really enjoy Europe and especially France, Italy and Spain. We also love Asia and are interested in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, India, China and Japan. We would like to visit Latin America and are interested in Costa Rica, Honduras, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Brazil and Ecuador. We would love to go to Africa, and we also like the Caribbean having successfully exchanged there before.
We have exchanged in the past to Belgium, Holland, Ireland, England and Scotland, so we are less likely to go back to those countries (even though we enjoyed all of them immensely) before trying somewhere new.
We are a family of five. D (aged 51) is a venture capitalist and iconoclast and L is a businesswoman, equestrian and bon vivant. We have three highly spirited daughters, L (aged 22), R (aged 18) and C (aged 16). We (at least the adults) love good wine and all five of us love good food which Vancouver has plenty of. We are all very active physically (hiking, biking, horse back riding and kayaking) and love the outdoors. As two of our daughters are living on their own (one away at university and one graduated university and now working), there may only be three of us travelling when we exchange.
We are experienced home exchangers and we have accumulated over the years some very detailed guides on our house, neighborhood, Vancouver and B.C. to maximize your experience. We also commit to take care of your home like it was our own.
We have a tenant occupying a self-contained, separate, one bedroom suite downstairs. She is very quiet, but is happy to serve as a contact person for our home exchangers and has helped out our exchangers in the past.
Visit HomeExchangeGOLD.comand see the first and only site featuring exclusive Listings that offer luxury and location for a fraction of the cost of similar rentals, resort fractional ownerships, or high priced hotels.
These very special homes feature some combination of distinctive size, location, style and amenities
HomeExchangeGOLD allows owners of distinctive, high end properties the opportunity to search for and exchange with other Members who own similar homes. We are sure you will find that these properties meet the highest standards of the most discriminating Members. They include homes and second homes in the most desirable locations around the world.
Members of HomeExchangeGOLD.com may contact Members on the HomeExchange.com site at any time and may also choose to have their Listings posted on the HomeExchange.com site at no additional charge, but Listings posted on HomeExchangeGOLD.com may only be contacted by other HomeExchangeGOLD.com Members.
HomeExchangeGOLD Membership is only US $500 / year, far less than a vacation "club", fractional ownership, or actually buying a second home.
Benefits of HomeExchangeGold.com
Free Vacations Worldwide
Easy-to-use Web site
Live Like a Local, Not a Tourist
More Comfortable Than a Hotel
Great for anything from weekend getaways to international vacations
Better than ownership, fractionals, or high cost vacation clubs
Includes optional free Membership to HomeExchange.com and 36,000+ additional exchange opportunities
Visit 
