HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-12-16, Page 24Page 24 - Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, December 16, 2009
A home away from home
Specialty publications look to Goderich for inspiration
and wishes for
a most peaceful
Happy New Year
0N-,..;,
......jim, Wayne, Heather,
June, Kelly, Patti, Sharron,
Penny, Judy de Melissa
LYONS &
MULHE
INSURANCE SROKERB L'I'b.
46'W'ert Steet • Goderich
Deminlqu! Milburn
signal -star staff
As motorists approach the Bluewater
Veteran's Highway marker on 21
north, often they spot something in the
distance that's a little out of place.
Sure, grain silos aren't exactly sparse
throughout the region, however these
ones, perched atop the Saltford bluff,
look a little different.
That's because they're what Kim and
Hugh Burgsma call home. The couple
have transformed a once clbling
and overgrown plot ,of lobi history
into their own slice ofhomeyteaven.
"1 feel spoiled to live here," Kim said
between business dealings December
3. Both she and Hugh, married for
more than 28 years, work from their
2,400 square foot abode- she an
inscape conservatory specialist, and he
a contractor.
The Burgsma's have spent just two
summers in their home, but the manor
has already put them on the map of
must -see real estate. Its concept and
construction details spill over a tour -
page spread in the July/August edition
of City Woman magazine, a London -
focused women's publication with a
circulation of more than 22,()00. That's
not where coverage of the impressive
two -acre property ends. The Burgsma
home is slated to be featured in an
upcoming edition of the Toronto Star's
Home Section, as well as the June/
July edition of Canadian Homes and
Cottages magazine.
The home has garnered its share
of local intrigue as well. Those
industrious silos, now each home to
circular bedroom suites, once stood
as the base of operations for Bisset
Brothers Saltford Heights Creamery,
a business that conjures up scoops of
fond memories for area residents.
"It's local history," said Kim, whose
Images used with appreciation
The udderly interesting house,
perched atop the bluffs at
Saltford Heights, has made its
way into the pages of a growing
number of home and design
publications. Above, a inspiring
nighttime shot courtesy of Holly
Burgsma, the youngest of Kim
and Hugh's brood. To read the
City Woman article online, visit
www.citywoman.ca.
father once worked at the dairy as a
relief worker. "It's a special place for
people and its memory gives them a
lot of warm and fuzzies.”
The couple purchased the plot of
land'in 2006. Where most prospective
buyers shied away from the two
towering concrete structures, Hugh
and Kim instantly saw potential.
While Hugh quickly drew up plans
for the three bedroom residence,
incorporating many of the property's
existing features including the fallen
barn foundation, the couple quickly
j>s
found a buyer for their Sunset
Beach Road residence.
Both Kim and Hugh are longtime
residents of Huron, coming from
Clinton and Dungannon respectively.
The idea of polishing old into new
is something they're no strangers of.
Before moving into the creamery
home, they had already planted roots
at an old farmhouse, which they, too,
extensively converted. That property
even featured a home-based highlight
of Kim's business savvy— a fully
landscaped conservatory that featured
ponds, waterfalls and orange trees.
To leave all that
behind, they must
have known they had
something unique up
on Bisset's Hill Road.
Indeed, in City
Woman's article on the
home, author Melanie
North writes Kim and
Huh showed up at the
crumbling silos with a
ladder in tow to ensure
their expectations
matched the property's
vantage -potential.
"It's such a
wonderful place to
live," Kim says. "From
our home, we can see
the boats coming in
and out on the lake. At
See' page 44
CAREY & OTTEWEL
wish eveavon¢ a
Z9el( /Gleaati CIlt9tn49 and a d (appH New Yeat 2009!
What better time than now to say `thanks" to oyr
many customers and friends for your valued supporf,
Merry Christmasi 4.-c`
;
from the management and staff of
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P. 7-r•
OUR OFFICES WILL BE
CLOSED FROM r ;;
DEC. 24, 2009 AT 1:00:
'AND WILL.
RE"OPEN, JAN• 4, 2009
AT 0:00 1/ AM � r