Rental of the Week: $3,500 per month for a loft in a former church near Dufferin Grove

Address: 701 Dovercourt Road, Unit 303
Neighbourhood: Dufferin Grove
Agent: Laleh Rouhani, Right At Home Realty Inc., Brokerage
Price: $3,500 per month

The place

A two-level, two-bedroom apartment with a rooftop terrace, built inside a century-old church building.

Here’s the kitchen:

The master bedroom, with skylights and exposed steel trusses:

And the rooftop terrace:

The history

The unit is on the third and top floor of what used to be Centennial Methodist Church. In 2009, Bernard Watt Architects transformed it into 28 lofts, with balconies and modern windows tucked into the church’s nooks and crannies. The renovation maintained many of the church’s original features, including exposed brick walls, vaulted ceilings, wooden doors and steel trusses. This unit’s landlord, who is also the listing agent, bought the suite pre-construction in 2007. She asked the developer to install a fireplace and shower in the bathroom on the first floor, and to knock down the second bedroom’s sliding door to create an open floor plan. She moved in two years later and lived here until 2014, when she decided to rent the unit out.

Major perk

The unit has two skylights, which flood the place with light. With stained glass windows and 19-foot sloped ceilings, the living and dining area will feel bright and roomy even when full of guests.

Possible deal breaker

The lack of windows in the second bedroom makes it the only space in the apartment that could feel a little bleak:

By the numbers

• $3,500 per month
• 984 square feet
• 19-foot ceilings
• 2 bedrooms
• 2 bathrooms
• 2 skylights
• 1 fireplace
• 1 parking space
• 1 rooftop terrace
• 1 balcony

The Hunt

Real Estate

Before and After: How a $225,000 reno turned this creaky Pelham Park house into a modern wonder

Goodbye fading colours, cramped quarters and vintage vibes. Hello black and white, vaulted ceilings, and European elegance