A $5 million Ontario estate where you can canoe to your own island

In Ontario, there are luxury homes, and then there are properties that make you wonder whether you've accidentally wandered into a private resort.

That's exactly the feeling you get at 16735 Shaws Creek Rd. in Caledon, a newly built estate that has just hit the market.

The property last changed hands in 2022 when it was sold as vacant land for $1,500,000.

The back of the house. 

Four years later, it's been transformed into a sprawling custom estate.

An aerial view of the property and the surrounding forest. 

The 20-acre property has been developed into a luxury retreat, complete with over $700,000 in landscaping, lighting, and irrigation, plus a $500,000 elevated boardwalk that winds through the property's marshes and ponds.

The boardwalk. 

It leads all the way to the water, and yes, from there you can actually canoe to an island.

An aerial view of the boardwalk. 

It's the kind of feature you'd expect to find somewhere secluded, far up north, rather than less than an hour from Toronto by car.

The living room. 

The home itself was designed to blur the line between luxury residence and boutique resort.

The great room. 

A soaring two-storey great room anchors the interior, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the surrounding forest and a massive natural stone wood-burning fireplace creating a dramatic focal point.

The open concept main floor. 

Wide-plank white oak floors, custom millwork and integrated lighting carry throughout the home, giving the sprawling space a warm, contemporary feel.

The kitchen. 

The kitchen is built for entertaining, with quartz countertops, an oversized island, a walk-in pantry and a custom wine display.

The primary bedroom. 

The primary bedroom is complete with custom walk-in closets and a spa-like ensuite.

There are five bedrooms in the home. 

Every additional bedroom comes with its own ensuite bathroom.

The basement recreation room. 

Downstairs, the lower level is almost an entire wellness centre.

The home gym. 

There's a second kitchen, a fully equipped home gym, radiant-heated floors, a sauna, a cold plunge tub, and direct access to the garage.

The second kitchen. 

The home is also packed with high-end infrastructure that most buyers will hopefully never have to think about, including 400-amp electrical service, a whole-home standby generator, spray-foam insulation, radiant heating, dedicated HVAC systems, whole-home water filtration and even snow-melt systems to keep outdoor walkways clear in winter.

The outdoor kitchen. 

Outside, the luxury continues with a covered four-season porch featuring an outdoor kitchen, a custom fire pit, illuminated walking paths, extensive stonework, a private dock, an attached three-car garage and a separate heated and air-conditioned three-car garage that doubles as a workshop.

The dining area. 

The result is a property that feels less like a house and more like a year-round cottage compound where every possible luxury has already been built in.

A pond with a water fountain. 

It's not hard to imagine canoe trips in the summer, forest walks in the fall, and pond hockey games in the winter. 

The wine display. 

However, that luxury doesn't come cheap. 

The cold plunge tub. 

The asking price of $5,199,000 certainly puts it well into dream-home territory. 

An aerial view of the property. 

But for buyers looking for Muskoka-style living without the long weekend traffic on Highway 400, it might be one of the more unique estates currently on the market.