3746 Highway 1, Allains Creek, NS B0S 1A0

This distinguished stone house adjoins an 18-hole golf course in the historic town of Annapolis Royal. Commissioned in 1929 by a far-sighted Pittsburgh industrialist as a standby against another possible World War, it took 6 years to build, using first-class materials, 50 craftsmen and a dozen masons. The result is a one-off landmark. The present owners - only the third - recently undertook a marathon, 7-year modernization from the ground up, not merely respecting, but enhancing the original owner's design. With low taxes and limitless fresh water, it is strategically positioned on 380 manageable acres of both arable and woodland. Sporting a handsome, canopied driveway, the house includes 17 rooms, 18" thick walls, an 8-foot high basement (untouched) and a massive copper roof. It is literally rock-solid. Designated by the Province of Nova Scotia as ideal for the growing of champagne-style grapes; zoned both residential and agricultural (taxes are currently under $12,000 and capped); and with ready access to Halifax International as well as 3 private airports, the property is eminently suited to a discreet and comfortable family compound, summer retreat, equestrian farm or vineyard. Significantly, it is also exempt from Canada's "foreign buyers ban," which applies to urban areas only; and with zoning permission readily obtainable, it could also become a health centre, retreat, or luxury retirement home.