Condo of the Week: $1.7 million for an artist’s two-level loft in Leslieville

Address: 1173 Dundas Street East, Unit 225
Neighbourhood: Leslieville
Agent: Scott Hanton, The Weir Team, Brokerage Inc.
Price: $1,689,000
Previously sold for: $703,500, in 2014

The place

A live/work loft in the Leslieville studio district, with 18-foot ceilings, two storeys and a raised stage in the great room with hidden storage below.

The history

The building was a textile factory before it was converted into lofts. The first owner of this unit was an engineer, who built the stage area. The seller, an artist and teacher named Christine Andreopoulos, bought the place six years ago. She replaced the electrical and flooring and added an art-hanging system in the living area. Now she’s downsizing into a smaller unit.

Here’s the entry:

The living and dining area:

The steps in front of the stage pull away to reveal quite a bit of storage underneath:

Here’s the kitchen:

And the reverse view:

The guest bedroom is on the first floor:

The Toronto Parking Authority might have something to say about the choice of wall decor in the guest bathroom:

The master bedroom is up on the second floor:

It has a walk-in closet:

And a semi-exposed ensuite bathroom:

What the seller says

“I walked in, and I fell in love with it,” Andrepoulos says. “And it had so much potential.” The stage became her studio. She painted there, taught life drawing and held hula hoop dance classes. “It was just my play place,” she says. “It really was a place for me to explore and extend my art.”

Big selling point

In most condos, storage is at a premium. Here, aside from the roughly 300 square feet of hidden space under the stage, there’s ample closet space, plenty of storage in the kitchen and another hidden area behind the fireplace. It’s the perfect spot for someone whose job or hobby requires a lot of tools.

Possible deal breaker

The unit comes with 500 square feet of unfinished rooftop space. The seller never got a chance to convert it into a proper terrace. If someone is looking for a project, though, it’s there to take on.

By the numbers

• 2,209 square feet
• $762.94 in monthly maintenance fees
• 2 bedrooms
• 2 bathrooms
• 1 parking space