House of the Week: $2.2 million for a modern Summerhill home that looks like a Victorian
Address: 154 Cottingham Street
Neighbourhood: Summerhill
Agent: Andrea Stark, Royal LePage/J & D Division, Brokerage
Price: $2,195,000
The Place: A Summerhill new-build, hidden behind a Victorian-style facade.
Bragging Rights: This contemporary semi flies under the radar of the neighbourhood taste police thanks to its 1908 brick front, which masks the glassy, ultra-modern interior living space. Except for the facade and the side walls, the entire house was demolished and rebuilt in 2007. The original basement was dug out and extended farther back to accommodate the bulk of the new construction.
Big Selling Point: The new interior has all-new mechanical systems and plumbing, floor-to-ceiling windows, Juliet balconies and a kitchen with Douglas fir cabinetry and marble countertops. There’s also a fully finished basement that could double as a nanny suite.
Possible Deal Breaker: Anyone looking for antique character will be disappointed as soon as they pass through the front door, but all that new construction means the buyer can enjoy the large back deck on weekends instead of worrying about home repairs.
By The Numbers:
• $2,195,000
• $13,006.92 in property taxes (2014)
• 3,455 square feet
• 1,222-square-foot lower level
• 8-year-old renovation
• 5 bathrooms
• 4 bedrooms
• 3 storeys
• 2 gas fireplaces
• 2 hot water tanks
• 2 gas furnaces
• 2 central air conditioners
• 2 parking spaces
313269 The house looks like a typical Victorian semi from the front, but almost everything behind the facade was completely rebuilt in 2007. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-1-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-1.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-1.jpg 1201 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-1/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-1 0 0
313270 The foyer has a wall of custom cabinetry made of Douglas fir. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-2-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-2.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-2.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-2/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-2 0 0
313271 The living room, at the front of the house, has a gas fireplace https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-3-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-3.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-3.jpg 1198 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-3/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-3 0 0
313272 The dining area is continuous with the living room. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-4-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-4.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-4.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-4/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-4 0 0
313273 The first floor also has a small office space, wedged between the dining room and the kitchen. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-5-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-5.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-5.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-5/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-5 0 0
313274 The kitchen has more of that custom Douglas fir cabinetry, and countertops of Carrara marble. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-6-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-6.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-6.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-6/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-6 0 0
313275 The family room is right next to the kitchen. It has space for a small breakfast area. The floor-to-ceiling windows seen here continue up the entire back of the house. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-7-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-7.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-7.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-7/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-7 0 0
313276 This is the main-floor powder room. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-8-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-8.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-8.jpg 1199 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-8/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-8 0 0
313277 The visible scratches on this floor are a big reason a lot of people avoid dark wood, though it does complement this home's neutral colour scheme. This is one of three bedrooms on the second floor. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-9-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-9.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-9.jpg 1199 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-9/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-9 0 0
313278 This bedroom, at the front of the house, has a bay window and a vestigial fireplace. It's separated from the other bedroom by a partial wall, so neither kid has total privacy—which could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on one's parenting philosophy. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-10-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-10.jpg 1199 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-10/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-10 0 0
313279 The master bedroom is at the back of the house. It has another slice of those floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as a Juliet balcony overlooking the backyard. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-11-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-11.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-11.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-11/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-11 0 0
313280 The master bedroom's en suite bathroom has a super-long sink counter. No bathtub, though, surprisingly. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-12-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-12.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-12.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-12/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-12 0 0
313281 The master bedroom has a private staircase to this third-floor family room, with more of those huge windows. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-13-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-13.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-13.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-13/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-13 0 0
313282 The basement is finished, with floors of polished concrete. This area is being used as a rec room. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-14-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-14.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-14.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-14/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-14 0 0
313283 A kitchen and a bed mean this part of the house could be used as a nanny suite. There's no separate entrance, though, so renting it could be tough. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-15-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-15.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-15.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-15/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-15 0 0
313284 And here's the house's true face. The back deck was installed in 2010. https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-16-150x150.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-16.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-16.jpg 1200 800 [] https://torontolife.com/real-estate/house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street/slide/toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-16/ toronto-house-of-the-week-154-cottingham-street-16 0 0
Looks Edwardian to me.
I think the Brady Bunch had that same dining table.
Needs a new reno.
I bet you their soon to be x- neighbours realllly love them blocking the back et al
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