The Collingview

Accessibility

An elevator to the roof, and a website you can use.

Getting around the house and getting around this site are two different things, and it is worth separating them. We can tell you a lot about the website and we are still measuring the house.

This website

Built to WCAG 2.2 AA.

The site is built with semantic HTML and landmarks, one heading structure per page, and a skip link to the main content. Every interactive element is reachable and operable by keyboard, with a visible focus outline. The gallery lightbox can be driven entirely from the keyboard — arrow keys to move, escape to close — and returns focus to where you left it.

All photography carries descriptive alt text written for the actual image. The property film has no narration, and the page lists what happens on screen moment by moment so nothing is lost with the sound off or the video unplayed.

Motion is minimal by design, and if your system asks for reduced motion, the animations and the autoplaying hero clip do not run at all. Colour contrast meets AA against the palette used throughout.

If something here does not work for you, please tell us. We would rather hear it than not.

The house itself

What we know, and what we are checking.

Very few cottages or vacation homes in Ontario have an elevator — even at the luxury end, most are stairs all the way up — and in a three-storey house it is what makes a multigenerational stay work: grandparents get the same access to the roof as everybody else, rather than being left on the ground floor while the rest of the family goes up.

The elevator itself we can answer plainly: there is one, it is a commercial-grade car, and it serves every floor, from the garage to the rooftop terrace, with the stairs alongside it. What we will not do is turn that into a claim that the house is accessible. An elevator is one fact. Door widths, threshold heights and turning space are different facts, and we would rather give you the number you need than an adjective.

It would be easy to write “accessible” here. Getting it wrong would strand somebody on arrival, so if you need a clearance, ask for the measurement.

Elevator
A vacation rental with an elevator is rare in Ontario, and this one runs from the garage to the rooftop terrace. This is unusual in a house of this kind and is the single biggest thing in its favour for guests who cannot manage stairs.
Ground-level rooms
Some bedrooms open directly onto the lawn at ground level.
Every floor
The elevator serves every floor, from the garage to the roof, and so do the stairs. You can park and reach any bedroom without climbing.
Elevator car, doorways and bathrooms
Car dimensions, door widths, grab rails and turning space are not published. If a wheelchair or walker depends on them, ask and we will answer before you book.
The rooftop terrace
The elevator runs all the way to the roof. That is the whole point of it — the best room in the house is the one that would otherwise cost you three flights of stairs.
The drive
The approach is a private gravel drive.

Questions about access and the elevator

Is there really an elevator in the house?

Yes. It is a commercial-grade car, a proper passenger lift rather than a stair chair, and it runs from the garage through every floor to the rooftop terrace. In a three-storey holiday house that is unusual, and it is the single thing that makes the top of the building available to somebody who cannot manage stairs.

Is the house wheelchair accessible?

We will not say yes without the measurements behind it. What we can say is that the elevator serves every floor, from the garage to the roof, so nobody has to use the stairs to reach a bedroom or the terrace. Door widths, threshold heights and turning space are different facts; if a wheelchair or walker depends on them, ask and we will answer before you book.

What measurements are not published?

The internal width, depth and door opening of the elevator car, door widths, threshold heights at the external doors, and turning space in the bathrooms. Those are the numbers somebody needs in order to judge for themselves. If you need any of them, ask when you enquire rather than relying on an adjective.

Are any bedrooms on the ground floor?

Some bedrooms open directly onto the lawn at ground level. Every floor, including the bedroom levels, is also served by the elevator from the garage.

What should I do if access matters for my stay?

Write to us with the specifics before you book — the width you need, whether you are using a walker or a wheelchair, whether stairs are possible at all. We will go and measure whatever has not been measured and give you a straight answer, including if the answer is that the house will not work for you.

Is the website itself accessible?

It is built to WCAG 2.2 AA and tested against it on every route, at desktop and phone widths, including automated checks for serious and critical issues and for tap-target size. Everything works from the keyboard with a visible focus outline, the gallery lightbox included. If your system asks for reduced motion, no animation runs and the hero clip does not autoplay. If something here does not work for you, tell us.

Tell us what you need.

If accessibility matters for your stay, write to us with the specifics before you book. We will go and measure whatever we have not measured yet and give you a straight answer, including if the answer is no.

Ask a question