Built 75 years ago, this two-storey detached house is part of Chaplin Estates, a once exclusive enclave of North Toronto where the majority of houses were built in the 1920s and 1930s for the city's emerging professional class. The neighbourhood's appeal to young professionals has never wavered, thanks to its proximity to shopping, restaurants and the Davisville subway station.
The house is occupied by a thirtysomething couple, actuary Deep Sekhon and her bond trader husband Ravi Sankaran, originally from the East Coast. Their neighbours are similarly young and career-oriented, and include former MuchMusic VJ Erica Ehm and Margie Doyle White, an interior designer with the TV show Take this House and Sell It!
Ms. Sekhon, a mother of two small children, says the home has suited their busy lifestyle. "The schools and daycares are close by. … And on top of it, it's very gentrified, a neighbourhood that's also close to parks and tennis courts."
The house is solidly built with some of its original features still intact, among them a cove ceiling in the living room, and leaded stained-glass windows in the dining area.
But shortly after purchasing the home in 2002, the couple embarked on some upgrades. They renovated the kitchen with vanilla-coloured maple cabinetry by Allegra Kitchens and an amethyst-encrusted Brazilian granite countertop that extends upward on the walls to serve as backsplash.
Upstairs, they renovated the main bathroom, adding oil-rubbed fixtures, a marble vanity and soaker tub, and weathered stone-like ceramic tile for a Tuscan country look.
In the master bedroom, which previous owners had enlarged by tearing down the wall on a fourth bedroom to create a seating area with a bay window, they refurbished the three-piece ensuite by introducing an enclosed glass shower and maple cabinetry.
In the finished basement, boasting seven-foot ceilings, the couple created a carpeted family room and an expanded powder room that features a walk-in shower.
- HOUSE: Two-storey house at 96 Chaplin Cres.
- ASKING PRICE: $895,000
- TAXES (2007): $6,072.10
- LOT SIZE: 43 by 100 feet
- HOUSE SIZE: 1,800 square feet, above grade
- NUMBER OF BEDROOMS: Three
- NUMBER OF BATHROOMS: Three
- AMENITIES: Red oak hardwood floor throughout; backyard patio made from interlocking brick; detached garage; dual-fuel stainless-steel KitchenAid range.
- OPEN HOUSE: Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m.
- LISTING AGENT: Rosalee Jackson, Re/Max Hallmark Realty Ltd., 416-462-1888
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