House of the Week: $1.2 million for an extra-wide Victorian semi in Moss Park
Address: 344 Berkeley Street
Neighbourhood: Moss Park
Agent: Vincci Kumabe, Realosophy Realty Inc., Brokerage
Price: $1,190,000
The place: A Victorian-era home in Moss Park with an inviting front porch.
The history: This 1875 bay-and-gable-style home is typical of the time period. A previous owner renovated the interior in 2009, which helped modernize the space.
Big selling point: There’s a certain grandeur in the front-facing living room, with its bay window that overlooks the garden and spacious front porch. At a glance, it’s easy to imagine the lives of the home’s first owners back in the late 1800s. For the more pragmatic buyer, the home’s 24.75-foot lot gives it a little more horizontal space than the average semi-detached in this part of the city.
Possible deal breaker: The half-finished basement is not exactly Versailles, but with some insulation, drywall and a few coats of paint, the buyers could probably add an extra bedroom.
By the numbers:
• $1,190,000 • $5,465.25 in taxes (2015) • 1,956 square feet (plus 1,069 square feet below grade) • 24.75-by-122-foot lot • 141 years old • 3 bedrooms • 3 bathrooms • 2 parking spaces • 1 fireplace
The covered porch has a little space for seating.
The house is over a century old, but the interior was refreshed in 2009.
The ground-floor layout is still fairly Victorian, with separate living and dining rooms and a kitchen at the back of the house.
Here’s the dining room.
The kitchen.
And, at the very back of the house, there’s a family room with a door to the backyard.
There are three bedrooms on the second floor.
Wall-to-wall carpeting in older homes is underrated, as anyone who has ever tried to keep a wood floor dust-free can attest.
This bedroom is being used as an office.
The master bedroom, which looks out over the front yard.
The master bedroom’s ensuite bathroom.
The basement is finished, but could probably use some sprucing up.
And here’s the backyard.
