What: A newly built Georgian-style home on the edge of a Rosedale ravine. The house has five bedrooms in 7,000 square feet on a 60- by 161-foot lot.
Where: 11 May St.
Amenities: The owner had an English country squire's estate in mind when he commissioned this custom-built home at the end of a cobblestone street. The house takes advantage of its well-treed setting with many levels of windows and balconies overlooking the ravine. One of the centrepieces of the home is a two-storey library with an inlaid stained-glass ceiling. Classic Georgian features include copper flashings, oil-rubbed bronze hardware on the doors and windows, vaulted ceilings, acanthus leaves and plaster crown mouldings. The flooring is mainly oak, with some areas in Brazilian cherry, limestone and marble.
Asking price: $3.695-million
Taxes: $14,897 (2005)
Agent: Bosley Real Estate Ltd. (Penny Brown and David Rose)
The property: The owners worked with architect Paul Wright of ACI Architectural Consultants Inc. to build a house that adheres as closely as possible to traditional Georgian style while still providing a comfortable and modern family living space.
The owners paid a lot of attention to details; carpenters worked for one year on the millwork alone. Jacobean twist railings, for example, are custom-made.
The library features a circular wrought-iron staircase to a second-floor music room with a promenade overlooking the space below. American cherry cabinets line the walls in the library.
Throughout the home, various nooks and crannies and built-in window seats add coziness.
One nod to modernity is the generous use of windows at the back.
"They wanted houses that looked inwards," says of the English landowners building homes during the Georgian era. "We wanted a house that looked out -- at least at the rear."
The homeowners also decided to have two barbecue areas -- one that was easily reached from the kitchen for family meals, and another for entertaining in the garden.
A great room downstairs with a built-in bar can be used as a media room. A Georgian-design fireplace includes limestone inserts.
A custom-made stained-glass window in the staircase is reminiscent of the one in the 1913 Woolworth Building in New York City.
Upstairs, an alcove in the music room is designed to hold an upright piano.
A small kitchen area means the owners don't need to make a long trek to the kitchen for late-night snacks or breakfast in bed.
The master bathroom also offers luxury, with a steam area and shower in a marble enclosure, and heated floors throughout.
Outside, the landscaping includes a secluded pond and waterfall surrounded by greenery.
"There's a real sensitivity to the ravine," agent Penny Brown says.