When you think of a secluded beachfront home nestled next to a small sleepy town on a tiny picturesque peninsula, where comes to mind? Carmel-by-the-Sea? La Jolla? Sag Harbour in the Hamptons? Maybe Byron Bay? Well, that’s why we interviewed real estate agent Jennifer Dupuis: To remind us of the somehow-still-secret community of Boundary Bay in Tsawwassen, where she’s currently listing 292 Centennial Parkway (a 5-bed-, 5-bath, 5000+ sq. ft. beachhouse)
She gave us a tour to fully experience the barefoot luxury this (semi)remote coastal sanctuary offers, while reminding us of its incredibly convenient location being only 25 minutes from Vancouver International Airport and 40 minutes from downtown Vancouver.
The Barefoot Luxury Lifestyle
Luxury BC: The listing calls this a “rare West Coast retreat.” In your experience, what is the single rarest quality about this specific property?
Jennifer Dupuis: That’s easy. It’s the combination of your own luxurious beachhouse located in a completely unpretentious, down-to-earth community. You can find big, beautiful homes on the water elsewhere, but they often come with a certain stuffiness or isolation. Here, you have this wonderfully designed home where you can host a formal dinner for twenty, but it’s in a neighbourhood where your kids can still run barefoot to their friend’s house down the street.
“It’s a lifestyle where sandy toes are not only expected but encouraged. It’s beautiful and elegant, but it’s not a showhome; it’s meant to be lived in and enjoyed.”
The beach in front of the home is public, but it’s never that busy, even in the dead of summer. But if you want some summer energy, a 10-minute walk will find you at the bustling Centennial beach with Emdee’s Fish & Chips, massive playground, and plenty of family BBQs. That blend of high-end living and a genuine, old-school beach community? Can’t get rarer than that!
I loved the feeling when you walk through the front door and you can see all the way through to the ocean. What word would you use to describe that?
Jennifer: I’d say “Effortless.” The way the view just opens up, the way the light fills the room… it all just feels so natural and calm. You instantly feel your shoulders drop and exhale. It’s like you’re on vacation every time you get home.
Beyond being a house on the beach, what kind of lifestyle is the buyer truly investing in here?
Jennifer: You mentioned the term ‘barefoot luxury,’ and places like Costa Rica probably come to mind before Canada. But I say that label truly applies in this case. It’s about giving your family the absolute best, without sacrificing the simple joys.
It’s knowing you have this gorgeous chef’s kitchen, but also knowing it’s perfectly okay for the kids to run in from the saltwater pool, dripping wet and grab a popsicle from the freezer in the rec room. It’s a lifestyle where sandy toes are not only expected but encouraged. It is beautiful and elegant, but it’s also meant to be lived in and enjoyed.
This home is clearly designed for entertaining. Can you paint a picture of the perfect summer evening gathering?
Jennifer: Oh, absolutely. Let’s say it starts around 4 PM. The sun is sparkling on the saltwater pool… The wine is of course sparkling too! The kids are all laughing and splashing around. A few friends are lounging on the grass, some are stepping out for a dip in the warm tidal waters. You’ve got a great playlist on the speakers, and the smell of the barbecue is just starting to fill the air. The current owners know how to do it right: they have a BBQ, smoker, and outdoor wok!
The massive glass doors are wide open, so the whole space with the kitchen, living room, terrace, becomes one big party. As the sun starts to dip, the light gets golden, the crew gathers on the massive 2nd floor terrace for cocktails… The magic hours here are extra magical. It’s the kind of evening your friends will tell their coworkers about on Monday like they just got back from Hawaii!
In your mind, who is the ideal owner for this home? What does their daily life look like here?
Jennifer: The ideal owner is a family that is full of life. They’re successful, for sure, but they measure their wealth in experiences, not just things. I see them as people who love to have a full house: their kids’ friends, family from out of town, neighbours stopping by.
Their daily life is active. It’s a paddleboard before a Zoom call, it’s walking the dog on the beach at low tide, it’s finishing the day with a glass of wine on their private terrace, watching the lights twinkle across the bay. They work hard, but they know how to switch off and just be with their family.
How does the character of this home transform throughout the day?
Jennifer: With the sun rising over the beach, the morning is all about energy and potential. The east-facing windows just flood the place with bright, optimistic light. By the afternoon, it’s all about fun and relaxation as the sun moves over the pool. But the evenings are my favourite. The direct sun is gone, the light becomes soft and indirect, and the whole house just gets this serene, peaceful glow.
Then you light the fireplaces, and it becomes this incredibly cozy, intimate sanctuary. It really has a different mood for every part of your day. With the multiple fireplaces, including in the master bedroom, even storm watching is a cozy experience. And for those who like to sleep in, don’t worry there are floor-to-ceiling shutters to block out the light.
Diving into the Features
“As a mom of two, I call that the ‘Parents’ Private Escape Hatch.’ It’s more than a balcony… It’s a whole beachfront living room!”
So the 800+ square foot terrace off the primary suite and its view combine for quite the experience.
Jennifer: As a mom of two, I call that the ‘Parents’ Private Escape Hatch.’ It’s more than a balcony… It’s a whole beachfront living room! It completely transforms the primary suite into a self-contained sanctuary. It’s the place you have your coffee in total peace before the kids wake up, or where you can sit and watch the moon on the water long after they’ve gone to bed. It makes the primary suite feel like a five-star hotel suite that you never have to check out of.
One thing that stuck out to me was the two-way fireplace between the primary bedroom and the spa-like ensuite.
Jennifer: It’s pure genius. On a practical level, it’s just incredibly cozy and warm. On a stormy winter night, having that flicker of a real fire you can see from your bed or the bath is just the best. But it also creates this seamless, spa-like connection between the two spaces. It’s romantic, it’s relaxing… honestly, it’s the kind of feature that makes you feel like you’re on vacation every single day.
Could you speak to the design of the chef’s kitchen and the butler’s pantry? How does that layout cater to someone who loves to cook and host?
Jennifer: This is where my event planner muscles kick in! It’s a brilliant ‘front of house, back of house’ design. The main kitchen is a stage in a beautiful ‘theatre’. It’s open, it’s social, it’s where your guests can gather around the island with a drink. But the butler’s pantry is the functional ‘backstage.’ It’s where the caterers can work, where you can hide all the prep mess, or where the coffee machine and toaster live so your main counters are always spotless.
It means you can host a party effortlessly without ever letting your guests see the mess. It’s a game-changer for anyone who loves to entertain.
The listing mentions the home is designed to “bring the coast in.” What’s your favourite example of how the architect achieved that?
Jennifer: My favourite example has to be the massive sliding glass doors that connect the living room to the terrace. When they’re open, you feel truly immersed in the beach vibe. A warm breeze can flow right through the house, you can hear the ocean… You’re not just looking at the coast, you are in it. That, to me, is the ultimate expression of this home’s design.
“Oh, it’s the sanity-saver! It is the absolute hub of summer fun… It keeps the chaos contained!”
The floor plan includes a poolside rec room with its own full bath. How does that specific feature enhance the experience of a pool day or a summer barbecue with family and friends?
Jennifer: Oh, it’s the sanity-saver! It is the absolute hub of summer fun. It means the kids and their friends can run in straight from the saltwater pool, dripping wet, grab a drink and a snack, use the bathroom, and head back out without ever tracking water and sand through your beautiful main living area. It keeps the chaos contained! It lets the party flow around the pool without disrupting the main house. From a practical, family-centric point of view, it’s probably one of the most brilliant features of the home.
So homes are described as ‘open concept,’ but it ends up just being a house with fewer rooms. This house seems to have a truly deliberate flow from the moment you step inside. From a design perspective, how does the layout affect the way a family would live and interact in the main space?
Jennifer: That’s exactly right, it’s a ‘connected concept.’ The flow is designed so that even when you’re all doing different things, you’re still together. You can be preparing dinner in the kitchen and still be part of the conversation with someone in the living room, while also keeping an eye on the kids playing out on the terrace.
It’s designed to prevent those family moments from being broken up by walls. But it still have shared spaces for privacy, like the large reading nook and office/TV rooms. It’s a very modern, connected way to live, and for a family, that’s everything.
The Unique Location, Community, and Convenience
“It has this relaxed, authentic ‘small town’ feel, without having to live on Vancouver Island or the Okanagan.”
For someone unfamiliar with Boundary Bay, how would you describe the community and its unique vibe compared to other waterfront areas?
Jennifer: Boundary Beach is a bit of a throwback, in the best possible way. It’s not flashy. It’s a place where kids still ride their bikes in the street until the sun goes down and everyone knows their neighbours. It has this relaxed, authentic “small town” feel, without having to live on Vancouver Island or the Okanagan.
And the amazing part is, you get this complete escape, this feeling that you’re permanently on vacation, without sacrificing practicality. That’s our best-kept secret. As someone who’s lived here for most of my life and raised a family, I can tell you the commute to Vancouver is surprisingly easy.
People see us on a map and think we’re ‘far,’ but because we’re south of the Fraser and have easy access to Highway 99, you can often get downtown faster than you could from parts of North Vancouver or the Tri-Cities. Right next to the ferry terminal and less than 30 minutes to the airport.
“And the amazing part is, you get this complete escape, this feeling that you’re permanently on vacation, without sacrificing practicality. That’s our best-kept secret.”
Can you share more on what makes Boundary Bay so surprisingly convenient?
Jennifer: So you can be having a coffee on your terrace, enjoying a private view of Mount Baker with only the sounds of birds and waves, feeling a million miles away from everything and everyone. Then hop in your car and in five minutes you’re in downtown Tsawwassen. Plenty of grocery stores, cafes, restaurants, golf, tennis, pickleball, schools, parks, a rec center, and pretty much any category of shop or service you’ll need.
And what’s really amazing is that thanks to Tsawwassen Mills just outside of town, you have instant access to a giant mall along with Walmart, Canadian Tire, HomeSense, PetSmart, Rona, several drive-thrus. Growing up in Tsawwassen it was a trek through Richmond or Surrey traffic to get to any of these big box stores and now we have it all!
What does a typical Saturday look like for a resident of this neighbourhood? What’s within walking distance?
Jennifer: A perfect Saturday here starts with a walk. You grab the dog, maybe a coffee, and you head down the beach at low tide, where it goes out for half a kilometre. The kids might go out on their paddleboards right in front of the house. Later, you could all hop on your bikes and ride along the dyke trail to Centennial Beach for an ice cream. It’s a very active, outdoor-focused lifestyle. Everything is about the water and the fresh salty air.
And new Southlands Grange community nearby has resulted in some welcome additions to Boundary Bay.
Jennifer: Yes not only are the new additions at Southlands very welcome, they even draw visitors from out of town! The biggest draw being Four Winds Beachhouse & Brewery. It’s a beautiful space with a massive open-air bar and patio serving tasty food and award-winning beer (with some brewed on location). The Red Barn hosts indoor and outdoor events throughout the year, even the occasional concert. The highlight is the Farmer’s Market, which runs through the summer and features local gourmet edibles and craft items.
There’s also paddleboard and watersports rentals, L’aromas Cafe, Cookie’s Ice Cream, and a lovely sustainability and locally-focused home goods store called the Hub Refilery. And after a few beers, it’s only a couple minutes’ bike ride home!
For more info or if you’d like to visit and dip your toe in the beach lifestyle this home offers, contact Jennifer Dupuis at bairdanddupuis.com. You can also follow her at @jenniferdrealtor on Instagram and Facebook.
