- 89 RIDGE DR.
- ASKING PRICE: $1.95-million
- TAXES: $9,782 (2007)
- AGENT: Chestnut Park Real Estate Ltd. (Janet Lindsay)
WHAT: A Georgian-style house with three bedrooms and four bathrooms on the edge of an escarpment in Moore Park. The house has 3,797 square feet of living space, and sits on a lot that is 50 feet wide, sloping at the rear to a length of 181 feet.
Amenities: The formal living and dining rooms have large windows looking out to the garden. Principal rooms include crown mouldings, two fireplaces, panelled walls and hardwood floors. The family room is a sun-filled solarium with a walkout to a deck.
The kitchen has a breakfast area and sliding doors that also open to the deck.
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Upstairs, the master bedroom has his and her closets and a four-piece ensuite bathroom.
The recreation room downstairs has a wood-burning fireplace, and opens to the garage. The large deck overlooks the dramatically sloping backyard. Winding steps lead to perennial gardens below.
The gracious house at 89 Ridge Dr. presents a lovely facade to the street and provides a wonderful view at the back, says real estate agent Janet Lindsay of Chestnut Park Real Estate Ltd.
In between, the new owner will likely want to make some changes, the agent adds.
"It's all about the opportunity," Ms. Lindsay says. "The drama of having a Georgian with the whole city at your feet."
The owners bought the house about 40 years ago, when Toronto's skyline was relatively uncrowded.
Over the years, the owners have updated and expanded the house, which is approximately 80 years old.
There is an L-shaped kitchen and a main-floor sunroom that is fully winterized to provide a year-round sitting room with views of the trees and skyline.
But Ms. Lindsay envisions an addition at the rear to create a large kitchen and family room overlooking the garden, with a new master bedroom above. The houses on each side have already undergone similar transformations, she points out.
"You could do a lovely main-floor family room extension."
In addition, the three-bedroom house has attic space that could be turned into a third-floor master suite, media room or two additional bedrooms, she adds.
Ms. Lindsay notes that the residence has a very appealing location on a quiet, tree-lined cul-de-sac in Moore Park, which is one of the more desirable neighbourhoods in mid-Toronto.
"It's a 12-minute drive downtown to the financial district — eight minutes to Bloor Street," she says.
The home's perch at the top of a precipice offers views of downtown — all the way to Lake Ontario on a good day. The backyard's steep descent leads to a plateau where the owners have been avidly gardening for years.
"This is a lovely cul-de-sac. Kids are always playing hockey or basketball," she says.
In addition, a nearby walkway leads over the railroad tracks that divide Moore Park from Rosedale.
Just over the walkway is a row of shops, a bank and a video store.
The property is close to public and private schools, including Branksome Hall. Whitney Junior Public School is at the end of the street, she adds.
"The schoolyard is just 100 feet away."
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