Rental of the Week: $6,000 for a converted Roncesvalles garage inspired by Brooklyn

Neighbourhood: Roncesvalles Village
Rent: $5,995 Size: 2,250 square feet Bedrooms: 1+1 Bathrooms: 2 Real estate agent: Amanda Gaskey, Heaps Estrin

The place

A one-plus-one-bedroom, two-bathroom, three-storey rental just off the Roncesvalles strip. It comes with exposed beams and brick, designer light fixtures and three outdoor spaces. Tenants are within walking distance of High Park, St. Joseph’s Health Centre and half a dozen transit options. And motorists are a short drive from the Gardiner and Lake Shore Boulevard.

The history

This heritage building was the High Park Garage before a local realtor and builder transformed it into four separate units in 2004. They kept most of the original design elements and took inspiration from similar conversions in Brooklyn. The current tenants would love to stay but need more space for their growing family.

Related: $4,800 to live in the top two floors of a renovated Annex semi

The tour

Residents access this unit from the back of the building. That glowing chandelier peeking out the transom window hints at the fun to come.

In the foyer, there’s that chandelier along with exposed steel beams, a mudroom-like nook and floors that pay tribute to the place’s former role as an auto body shop.

Heading up the stairs to the main floor reveals the open-concept space. There’s a direct sightline to the rear courtyard.

In the commercial-grade kitchen: stainless steel appliances, an island bar and tons of storage.

Turn around and you’re in the dining area, which is surrounded by original brick and beams.

All the polished concrete floors come with radiant heating.

A former owner of the loft was a food stylist and had this second kitchen installed.

Here’s a look at the home from the rear.

The living space gets a lot of natural light thanks to those French doors and the wall of windows. Former tenants painted the brick here white to contrast the home’s grittier features—including a neon sign of a word we won’t repeat.

This is the built-in workstation, which houses the entertainment system. Note the skylight.

A quick detour outside highlights the serene courtyard. It has a rough-in for a gas grill.

Now for the laundry closet and main bathroom, which are hidden from the hall using space-saving frosted sliding glass doors.

The main bedroom walks out to a private balcony.

Here’s the view from the bed, featuring an entire wall of cabinets accessed via a rolling ladder.

The balcony has a treehouse feel.

The den acts as a walk-in closet and is currently separated from the main bedroom by those frosted doors.

Finally, the giant rooftop terrace, which takes up the entire third storey.

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