$2 million for this East York home with Japanese minimalist energy

Address: 46 Virginia Ave.
Neighbourhood: East York Agent: Mike Clark, Keller Williams Advantage Realty Previously sold for: $543,000 in 2013 Last renovated: Newly built in 2016, after a total teardown

The place

A bright, open-concept modern house with a 10-foot ficus in the front foyer. Unlike so many other polished new builds, the place has a homey feel, thanks to the warm woodwork. There’s a wine fridge in the basement, too.

The history

A two-bedroom, one-bathroom bungalow used to stand on the lot, but the sellers tore that down and built this zen-like sanctuary.

Here’s the front foyer. Beside the ficus tree, there’s a spot to lounge:

Very open-concept on the main floor:

The dining room, which gets some rays from that big skylight:

There are marble waterfall countertops in the kitchen:

A tiny spot for breakfast:

The design on the bookshelf in the living room is meant to replicate a Japanese screen:

There’s a landing between the first and second floor. The sellers called this spot the tea room:

Like much of the house, the staircases are made of oak:

Skylights illuminate the second-floor hallway:

The master bedroom has a nice Juliet balcony:

Check out the free-standing designer tub in the master bathroom. It also has a double-sided fireplace that connects to the bedroom:

The other upstairs bedroom:

There’s porcelain tiling in this second-floor bathroom:

The basement rec room has serious Japanese minimalist energy (and a wine fridge):

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the wine fridge is made from oak. It can hold more than 250 bottles, too:

Here’s the three-piece basement bathroom:

A look at the back of the house:

The backyard has a nice thatch of grass:

Big selling point

The front foyer is fun, especially with that ficus tree as the visual centrepiece. Then there’s the beautiful woodwork, supersized skylights and 11-foot ceilings, which combine to make the place feel clean and airy.

Possible deal-breaker

The property taxes are a bit high.

By the numbers

• $1,500,000
• $9,669.53 in property taxes
• 3,500 square feet
• 3 bedrooms
• 5 bathrooms
• 2 gas fireplaces