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87 Gloucester St., Toronto

Asking price: $1.349-million

Taxes: $5,845.94 (2015)

Lot size: 23.17 ft. by 101 ft.

Agent: Brian Elder, Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd.

87 Gloucester St.

The back story

The house at 87 Gloucester St. is a brick semi-detached built in 1879. A plaque by the front door shows that it is listed by the City of Toronto as a heritage property, but the exterior is not protected by heritage conservation regulations. Still, the home’s owners through the decades have preserved many of the Victorian-era details, such as the intricate brickwork and the entranceway’s double doors.

On the inside, successive owners have updated it and added modern architectural features, then sold within their social circle.

The current owners are real estate agent Brian Elder and his partner Charles Duchesne, who purchased it from acquaintances, who in turn had bought it from friends.

The first in that chain was Jeff Laurie, who purchased the house in the mid-1990s. Mr. Laurie, who designs spaces for clients with the firm Otbox, undertook major renovations on the interior. He installed a new kitchen with a central island and created an enclosed three-season room with skylights.

The kitchen at 87 Gloucester St.

The front entranceway has some of the home’s original features, including plaster mouldings, leaded glass and wooden doors. The front hall staircase retains the decorative Victorian banister.

Mr. Elder also points out a tiny ceramic bird hidden in the tiles surrounding the living room fireplace.

“It’s a tiny, little bird that no one would ever know about but every owner tells the next,” he says.

There is a tiny ceramic bird hidden in the tiles surrounding the living room fireplace.

The house today

Mr. Elder and Mr. Duchesne bought the house about eight years ago and added some renovations of their own.

They replaced the roof shingles and made over the exterior with stucco on the south and east walls. A couple of years later, they had the front verandah rebuilt.

On the main floor the pair rebuilt a family room at the rear of the house. Large sliding doors open to a backyard deck.

“You can just open up the whole house,” Mr. Elder says.

Upstairs, the two redesigned the second floor master suite with new built-in closets and an ensuite bathroom. A tub was replaced by a large glass-enclosed walk-in shower.

“We got rid of it because we never used it, and built this wicked shower,” Mr. Elder says.

They installed a skylight, which brings sunlight all the way to the front entrance, Mr. Duchesne adds

A second bedroom overlooks Gloucester St.

A second bedroom overlooks the street. It also has an ensuite bathroom and a door leading to a balcony. More built-in shelves and closets were added.

“We really tried to maximize the amount of storage space,” Mr. Elder says.

The third floor features a bedroom and space for a home office

The third floor is a loft space that provides a third bedroom and an area for a home office. There’s also a small bathroom.

Over three floors, the house has more than 2,500 square feet of living space.

The dining room at 87 Gloucester St.

Mr. Elder says they like the location near Church and Wellesley because they can easily walk to downtown neighbourhoods, such as Yorkville and Cabbagetown. There are two nearby subway stations and lots of bars, restaurants, shops, movie theatres and small parks.

They sometimes stroll with their pup to the off-leash dog area at Allan Gardens at Carlton and Gerrard streets.

“You just walk everywhere,” says Mr. Elder.

“It’s so quiet back here, you’d never know you’re in the middle of the city," says Charles Duchesne of the backyard at 87 Gloucester St.

The best feature

Mr. Elder and Mr. Duchesne had Terry Ryan, a principal at Cubic Yard Design, redesign the outdoor living space. The backyard has a large cedar deck surrounding a mature cherry tree. Steps lead down to a flat area of artificial turf. The low-maintenance scheme includes planters and raised beds. At the rear, a pergola covers a conversation area.

“It’s so quiet back here, you’d never know you’re in the middle of the city,” Mr. Duchesne says.

The house sold Tuesday night.