3 WOODMERE COURT
LIVING SPACE: more than 3,600 square feet not counting the finished basement
LOT SIZE: irregularly shaped, it measures 110 feet wide at the front and 155 feet deep on one side
ASKING PRICE: $3.5-million
TAXES: $10,720 (2007)
AGENTS: Bev Jones and Steve Broadhurst, Re/Max Professionals Inc.
WHAT: A luxury Etobicoke residence built in the 1960s on a secluded street lined with evergreens. A builder bought it in 2003 for his own home, upgraded the mechanics, expanded the original plan, and fashioned new built-ins and millwork for each room.
AMENITIES: This spacious Georgian residence with a circular driveway and attached, double garage includes four bedrooms, five bathrooms and a main-floor family room.
The living room features a gas fireplace, and adjacent to it is the dining room, which has built-in china cabinets.
A large centre island with double sinks and shelving anchors the kitchen, which also has a desk, walk-in pantry with cabinets, shelves and a freezer.
The kitchen opens to the family room, which boasts a fireplace, built-in audio cabinets with surround sound, and a walkout to a stone patio and gardens beyond.
On the second level, double doors open to the master suite's large dressing room. To the left is a five-piece bathroom; straight ahead is the approximately 400-square-foot sleeping area.
The basement provides an additional 1,469 square feet of space. Included in that is a recreation room, an office with a separate back entrance, storage rooms, and a new climate-controlled wine cellar with a glass door and racking 500 bottles.
Among the mechanical features are systems for security, sound, automated lighting, central vacuum and outdoor sprinklers.
Luxury homes with price tags of a million dollars and up — both custom-built dwellings and extensively renovated older properties — generally don't come under the scrutiny of a professional inspector.
This 1960s Etobicoke residence, which was completely renovated by a local custom-home builder and is now on the market for $3.5-million, was an exception. Real estate agent Bev Jones was so sure of the quality of its construction, she wanted an expert's evaluation to further impress potential buyers.
Her instincts were right: The inspector "couldn't find any faults" and gave it the highest rating possible, according to Ms. Jones.
"If you're buying a house, it's a real comfort to know the inspector has never given a higher grade to any other house," she adds.
The remodelling is the work of the home's owner, Tony Gornik, whose company, T. Gornik Build/Design Ltd., has built or renovated about 85 residences.
This house is located in a small enclave of million-dollar properties flanking St. George's Golf and Country Club, southwest of Royal York Road and Eglinton Avenue. Like Mr. Gornik's business projects, this was not a conventional reno. He created built-in cabinets and shelves on site, and added intricate millwork to walls, windows, ceilings and doors.
"What's unique about him is that unlike most builders, he does his own designs and own builds," Ms. Jones says. "He's incredibly meticulous, so he oversees everything from start to finish."
This is one of the reasons his homes typically cost more than a million dollars to construct, and are among the most recognizable in Etobicoke, she adds.
"The most expensive home that has ever sold in the Kingsway area was a house that he had built for an end-user," she says. It went for $5.6-million.
One of Mr. Gornik's favourite rooms at 3 Woodmere Court is the kitchen, which was finished with Carrera marble countertops, onyx backsplashes and stainless-steel appliances.
He used solid wood and exposed hinges on the antique-style cabinetry, built an oak table into the space, and created an island with seating and a cookbook shelf.
"It's the first time we built the kitchen on site for myself," he says. "It's nice to enjoy it at the end of the day."
Quality craftsmanship is also evident in the foyer, where there are display cabinets with lighting, Spanish marble floors and a curved oak staircase illuminated by a large skylight composed of sandblasted glass and custom mouldings.
"We wanted to get some natural light into the centre of the home," Mr. Gornik explains. "It filters the light … during the day, and when you're looking up at it at night … I've got rope lights running around the perimeter, so it still looks like sunlight is still cascading through."
Lighting in general can be controlled through an automated system. It enables you to repeat lighting sequences while on vacation, causes lights to flash if there is a break-in, and turns on the coach lights half an hour after sunset.
Fireplaces in the family and living rooms can be controlled by switches located next to those for lights.
One of the major changes made to the house was the extension of the interior over the double garage, to create a space for the master suite. The exterior of the addition blends seamlessly with the existing facade as Mr. Gornik found a brick with a similar texture, then stained each to match the colour exactly.
The master bedroom has a cove ceiling finished with elaborate mouldings and rope lighting. A space adjacent to the bedroom that was part of the original house was turned into a dressing room with built-in armoires, drawers and closets.
The ensuite bathroom features heated marble floors with inlaid mosaic accents, a steam shower and an air-jet tub in a window alcove.
Mr. Gornik designed the grounds to include a circular driveway, garden lighting and symmetrical box hedges. "I wanted to give a real English look to the exterior structure and landscaping."
While the lot narrows at the rear, the backyard is still spacious enough for a stone patio and open green space. "We've got two little girls … and I just wanted to have a large area for them to play as well," Mr. Gornik explains.
This residence has served the Gornik family well for the past few years, but they will be moving across the street where Mr. Gornik plans to build a new home that backs on to St. George's fairways.
"I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do yet," he admits. "I have an appreciation for so many different styles, but I might have my most challenging client — my wife — so I'll see if I can make her happy."
Special to The Globe and Mail
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