House of the Week: $1 million for a Wallace-Emerson home with plenty of outdoor space

Address: 561 St. Clarens Avenue
Neighbourhood: Wallace-Emerson
Agent: Donal Ward-McCarthy, Right At Home Realty Inc., Brokerage
Price: $999,900
Previously sold for: $210,000, in 2001

The place

An updated 1920s-era home with two front porches, lush ivies and a ruby chestnut tree in the front yard. It’s located just north of Bloor Street.

Here’s the living room:

The kitchen:

Another look at the kitchen:

The master bedroom has a door to the second-floor balcony:

And here’s that balcony, with a view of the street:

There’s a bedroom on the third floor of the house:

And the basement is ready for the buyer to use it as a rec room and/or jam space:

The history

The owners bought the property 14 years ago, and have since renovated it. They’ve redone the kitchen and removed some interior walls (they found a gun sealed inside one of them—an antique that probably dated from back when the house was originally built). The also removed years’ worth of bad paint jobs from the exterior brick.

Big selling point

The backyard has a secret garden feeling to it:

And the upstairs deck is hidden among treetops—with high walls for extra privacy:

Possible deal breaker

There’s no driveway, so the only option for car owners is street parking. Luckily, Lansdowne station is only a few minutes away on foot.

By the numbers

• $999,900
• $4,176 in taxes (2016)
• 5-minute walk to Bloor Street
• 3 bedrooms
• 2 bathrooms

The Hunt

Food & Drink

Inside the kitchen of Maggie Frith, the owner of Magpie Cakery

Frith’s two kitchens are stocked with vintage baking supplies, a single-scoop ice cream maker and canned olives