Mike and Wendy Hryniw's friends were surprised when the couple decided to leave their jobs and home in calgary and return to southwestern Ontario, where they had left 30 years before.

The Hryniws contracted Mike Harasym, president of Harasym Development, to build their house after visiting a model home he had built in northwest London. The result is a one-floor, 2,100-square-foot home with an open-concept design mixed with some private spaces. It cost $450,000 and they moved in last year.

"We wanted everbody to mingle and we wanted to feel cozy - kind of like a lodge. People could come in and put their feet up. We didn't want it to be formal." Wendy says.