Sale of the Week: $2.4 million for a cabin-like hideaway in the Beaches

Address: 46 Herbert Avenue
Neighbourhood: The Beaches
Agent: Karyn Filiatrault, Sage Real Estate Limited
Previously sold for: $2,060,000, in 2017

The property

A 3,000-square-foot home in the Beaches. The four-bedroom, five-bathroom house has a cabin-style exterior and European interior design.

The history

The original home was built in 1905. More than a century later, in 2016, German architect Felix Leicher bought it for $875,000, then gutted the place and reinforced the existing structure. His company, Baukultur/ca, designed the new home with sustainable, energy-efficient elements. He rebuilt the façade with larch wood, which is durable and waterproof, and installed white metal panels on the roof and sides, which help to reduce cooling costs. The house also has fibreglass windows coated with a reflective material that maintains the heat during winter and deflects the sun’s rays in the summer. In 2017, the current sellers bought the home and got Leicher to design a detached garage in the same style as the façade.

The tour

The foyer has porcelain tile floors. Before the interior overhaul, this area was a closed-in porch:

There’s a larch wood divider in the living room:

The living room also has a gas fireplace:

There are white oak floors in the dining room:

The kitchen has quartz countertops:

There are nine-foot ceilings in the family room:

This second-floor bedroom has a private balcony:

There’s a heated towel rack in the main bathroom:

This bedroom has a bay window overlooking Herbert Avenue:

It also has an ensuite bathroom with a walk-in shower:

The third-floor master suite has nine-foot cathedral ceilings:

And a 67-square-foot terrace:

The master walk-in closet has built-in shelving:

There are heated floors in the master bathroom:

The basement suite has a kitchen with a walnut countertop and backsplash:

There’s a 72-square-foot bedroom in the basement:

Here’s the back of the house, which has copper cladding:

Here’s the new garage Leicher designed for the current sellers:

The fate

In late 2019, the sellers listed the home for nearly $2.6 million. After two months, there were no offers, so they took it off the market. Then they hired a new agent, a former television producer who’s known for making comedic videos to promote her listings. She brought in a voice-over actor and a cinematographer to produce “Fur-Ever Herbert,” a short film about an old dog who teaches a puppy about the home. In late January, the sellers relisted for $2.3 million and accepted a bully offer of $130,000 over asking.

By the numbers

• $2,430,000
• $8,983 in taxes
• 2,972 square feet (including basement)
• 2 days on MLS
• 5 bathrooms
• 4 bedrooms
• 1 parking space
• 1-car garage