10 CAVELL AVE., TORONTO
ASKING PRICE $1,549,000
SELLING PRICE $1,761,010
PREVIOUS SELLING PRICE $430,000 (2004)
TAXES $7,429 (2014)
DAYS ON THE MARKET Four
LISTING AGENT Suzanne Lewis, Keller Williams Advantage Realty
The Action: Last fall, real estate inventory was so low in Riverdale, this detached house near Withrow Park banked roughly 75 visitors daily and three pre-emptive offers days before the scheduled offer date.
What They Got: A local award-winning architect reinvented a 1 1/2-storey home on a 25-by-120-foot lot into this modern three-storey space outfitted with square and rectangular windows, a side rather than a front entrance off the driveway, and maple floors from wood reclaimed from the Don River.
The main floor is fairly open with a dining area between the fireside living room and rear kitchen with an island, stainless steel appliances and walkout to a deck, as well as a second-floor family room with a second gas fireplace off the main staircase.
More enclosed is a lower-level recreation room and three upper bedrooms, including a second-floor master suite with a walk-in closet and one of three bathrooms, and a third floor bedroom with a deck.
The Agent's Take: "Most of the lots in Riverdale are 20 by 100 feet, so when you have [properties] above that size, they're unique," says agent Suzanne Lewis.
"When they built the house about 10 years ago, it was really avant garde and different, one of the very first box houses in Riverdale. So by the time it came to market, everyone was dying to see it."
In fact, privacy was a key component in the 2,191-square-foot design, from its set back from the sidewalk to its strategically placed windows.
"[My clients] built it in a way that offered a ton of light, but in a way people couldn't easily stare into the home, so there were a lot of windows above eye level and the whole back was all glass, facing a private backyard," Ms. Lewis explains.
"[Plus] it had a beautiful window well in the basement … where they had plants in it, so it made it look like a beautiful piece of art or a picture."