Townsman, 1991-04, Page 27Out in the country
Tiny home a dream
come true for owner
by Bonnie Gropp
Lynne Fallis made windows a nwnber one priority when she added on w her
one -room stone house.
Snuggled serenely amidst rolling
green fields along a country road near
Listowel, is a tiny stone house, its rus-
tic simplicity blending naturally in
this peaceful oasis. While the esthetic
charm of the place seldom goes unno-
ticed by passers-by, none have been as
bewitched by its spell as owner Lynne
Fallis.
Lynne remembers the love affair
began early, when as a youngster, she
had seen the house and, enchanted by
its fairy tale appearance, thought it
would be a "neat place to live". It was,
however, not until she reached adult-
hood that the opportunity to fulfill the
fantasy came. "My sister and I were
visiting one weekend and decided to
take a drive in the country," said
Lynne. Call it kismet, call it happen-
stance, but the drive took them past
the house of Lynne's childhood imag-
inings, and it was now wearing a 'For
Sale' sign.
The place was deserted; the owner,
who resided in Elora, used it infre-
quently as a summer place and it had
been neglected for some time. "It
would be about 10 or 12 years since
anyone had really lived here," said
Lynne and the decor could best be
described as early -American ghetto.
"When I looked in the windows the
place was filthy. Cobwebs were hang-
ing everywhere, but I loved it," Lynne
said. She immediately retumed to her
home and contacted the owner.
"Everything happened so quickly. I
hadn't planned on buying a house, but,
I knew I wanted one someday. The
lady was in a hurry to sell, so she
came down to a price I could live with
and I moved in that fall."
That was 1987 and since then reno-
vating the one -room abode has been
TOWNSMAN/APRIL-MAY 1991 25