Robert Banks is a moonlighter. By day, he runs a highly successful Yorkville-area recruitment agency called Bankside Chase, servicing the computer industry. By night (and on weekends) he renovates houses. He has fixed up three homes so far, a highly lucrative hobby, judging by the quality of the reno on his own Leaside home.
With his wife, Renee Ernewein, he purchased the house for $585,000 in 2002. Now, he is listing it for more than $1-million. The price increase seems fair: Not only did Mr. Banks more than the double the home's square footage from 1,200 square feet when he bought it to 3,000 square feet today, he transformed the interior from cramped and narrow to airy and spacious.
Formerly a boxy three-bedroom, one-bathroom house, the home now boasts four bathrooms and four bedrooms, one with a new skylight. A back-end addition has made room for a new kitchen with family room and, upstairs, an enlarged master bedroom with garden views. The red brick exterior is newly stuccoed.
While upgrading all the electrical and adding larger windows for more light, Mr. Banks maintained much of the original house at the front.
"The original house was solidly made, from materials produced at the Brick Works in the Don Valley that I can imagine were brought up the hill in horse-drawn carriages," Mr. Banks said. "Even the inside framing is made from two layers of solid brick. It's the main reason why in Leaside people don't tear down the old homes. No one wants to destroy that level of craftsmanship."
While respecting the home's traditional qualities, Mr. Banks updated the overall look with pot lights in the ceilings and stainless-steel appliances in a kitchen that also features granite countertops and a centre island serving as a breakfast bar.
John Dykes, an Ontario College of Art & Design graduate who is owner of his own carpentry company, called Mitchel Design Group, created the custom cabinetry, in addition to the built-ins in the adjoining family room, the vanities in each bathroom and the home office in the lower level.
"Our aim was to maintain the integrity of the old home, but gain the space and the flow of a new home," said Mr. Banks, basking in the sunshine that bathes his home as a result of a delectable southeast exposure.
Details
- HOUSE : Two-storey house at 165 Rumsey Rd.
- ASKING PRICE : $1.095-million
- TAXES (2007): $4,743.31
- LOT SIZE: 28 by 134 feet
- HOUSE SIZE: 3,000 square feet
- NUMBER OF BEDROOMS: Four
- NUMBER OF BATHROOMS: Four
- AMENITIES: Family-room fireplace, bedroom skylight, heated floors in master three-piece en suite; walk-in shower with built-in marble bench.
- OPEN HOUSE: Today and tomorrow, 2 to 4 p.m.
- LISTING AGENT: Ashlynn Porter, Chestnut Park Real Estate Ltd., 416-925-9191.
