47 EDGEVALLEY DR., TORONTO
Asking Price: $1,795,000
Property taxes: $7,688.84 (2014)
Lot size: 60 by 148 feet
Agent: Tasi Farquhar, sales representative, Keller Williams Neighbourhood Realty, Brokerage
It could be the immaculately manicured gardens. Or the ruddy Belden brick driveway that comfortably fits five cars. Or the cedar roof and dormer windows. But there is something people find incredibly welcoming about 47 Edgevalley Dr., says agent Tasi Farquhar.
“I love this house. When you walk in, the house welcomes you,” she said. “It exudes warmth, family and happiness.”
The back story
For owner Jane Stoneman it was literal warmth that attracted her and her husband when they first laid eyes on the home back in 1988.
“There are four fireplaces in this house, which was hugely attractive to us,” she said. “We bought this house because of the dining room fireplace.”
They purchased the house from former Etobicoke councillor Julianne Lyons and her husband, Chisholm. Over their ownership, the Lyons made many changes, including expanding the footprint of the home on the main floor.
They also reconfigured the layout. They moved the kitchen from the centre of the house and used that space to create a master suite with its own separate dressing room and a private entrance to the backyard, and its salt water pool and hot tub.
The end result is that the main floor has three wings: the kitchen and dining room on one side, a spacious living room on the other, and a master suite nestled between the two.
“The design really captured us. It wasn’t a conventional flow,” Ms. Stoneman said.
The upper floors have remained largely untouched in their layout. There are three generously sized bedrooms and a classic shiny-white-tiled, three-piece bathroom with black accents. Meanwhile, the basement features a roomy rec room and another open space with a full bathroom that could easily be converted into a fifth bedroom with an ensuite, Ms. Farquhar said.
Over their 26 years in the home, the Stonemans have added to the comforts of the house. They opened up a lot of the doorways, expanding and squaring them off to make the space more modern. They also added the cedar roof in the mid-1990s and extensively landscaped the yards and added the salt-water pool (plus pool house) out back.
And upstairs Ms. Stoneman’s husband built a window bench under the dormer window that looks out onto the quiet street.
“The late sun shines through this west-facing window,” said Ms. Farquhar as she motioned to the bench. “So it’s a great place to just cuddle up and read a book for half an hour.”
Favourite features
One of the most practical changes Ms. Stoneman made was in the living room. For a 1948 house, there is a lot of storage.
“We took a very large closet [in the living room] and decided to make it useful space,” she said.
They turned that closet into a butler’s pantry, complete with a sink, a hidden mini fridge and a drawer that acts as a liquor cabinet. They also kept the closet doors, meaning that any mess from martinis for your guests can easily be concealed from the party.
With conveniences like that, it unsurprising that the living room is one of Ms. Stoneman’s and Ms. Farquhar’s favourite rooms.
“We used to make a joke that you could put a door on the living room and probably just live in that space since it’s got the servery, the powder room and access to the master suite,” Ms. Stoneman said.
The appeal for Ms. Farquhar is the flexibility of use that the room offers.
“The living room is so elegant. It’s quiet, it’s private, it has that double-door exit to the Pennsylvania Blue Stone patio in the backyard,” she said. “It’s a great place to have a conversation with your spouse or to entertain a large group.”
But it isn’t the only room that Ms. Stoneman loves to entertain in. She has hosted many family holidays in her dining room (which was originally a living room when the Lyons owned the home). And with a few leaves in her table, she has been able to accommodate more than a dozen people for dinner and not feel cramped.
“Typically, people want to leave the dining room after dinner,” Ms. Stoneman said. “But everyone wants to stay in that room because it’s big enough.”
“It’s a very gracious home,” Ms. Farquhar added. “And it lends itself to traditional family living.”
