Jubilee on the Lake

A lakeside property featuring docks and outdoor entertaining spaces becomes a true haven for the homeowners during the worldwide pandemic.

- AUTUMN KRAUSE

Ever since she was a teenager, Janice Glover had fantasized about designing her own home and sketched many floor plans of her dream designs. However, once she grew up, she ended up helping others find their home sweet homes and quickly rose to prominence in the investment real estate business. With a partner, she purchased and improved 15 to 20 properties and, in the process, fell in love with staging and decorating. She and her husband did purchase a waterfront property on Lake Rosseau in Muskoka, Ontario, 20 years ago. “It was a simple, small log cottage and also had a tiny guest cabin,” Janice recalls. “At that time, our daughters were still very young, and it fulfilled a really big dream to own a waterfront vacation property in the highly desirable lake district.”

The proximity to the water was idyllic, but the conditions were cramped and far from ideal. “An especially important facet of this cottage life was to have family and friends visit on weekends as often as possible,” Janice says. “We only had three tiny bedrooms and one bathroom inside the cottage, and the guest cabin was primitive—it had no running water or toilets. So they were only suitable for people who were prepared for a bit of a rustic ‘comfort camping’ experience.” In addition, the family expanded as the girls grew up, creating the need for larger bedrooms and more space as grandchildren arrived. There was only one thing to do: Create the dream home Janice had been fantasizing about since her teen years. Now it’s called Jubilee Haven, and it is, as the name suggests, a joyful sanctuary.