Who says you need to leave Ontario, or even Toronto, for that matter, to find a stunning French chateau? Because a sprawling estate built in the European style recently hit the Toronto market, and it can all be yours for $24.5M.
The ultra-luxurious home, located at 45 Bayview Ridge in Toronto's York Mills neighbourhood, spans a whopping 15,000 sq. ft with its 10 bathrooms and six bedrooms (plus a two-bedroom in-law suite in the basement). And it's not just the house that's enormous -- the lot is too, taking up 3.2 acres.
"It's two lots combined into one," said listing agent Adam Brind of Sotheby's International Realty Canada. "All the other lots in that area are around 115-120 feet each. This one is 235 feet across the front, and then it stretches almost 660 feet back and it has a clear view of Rosedale Golf Course, which is totally unheard of."
As to be expected with a French chateau -- even one that's in Toronto -- the luxurious finishings are seemingly endless. The house, designed by well-known Canadian architect Gordon Ridgely, has everything from a 12-person sauna to a 4,000-bottle wine cellar with a tasting room and ventilated cigar room attached to it.
"The original builder really put a lot of emphasis on the wine cellar," Brind said. "It was sort of his passion, so it's all stone and mahogany on the inside, with small pebbles on the ground so it's the same as the French Bordeaux-style wine rooms, so if you drop a bottle, it doesn't break."
Specs:
- Address: 45 Bayview Ridge
- Bedrooms: 6+2
- Bathrooms: 10
- Price: $24,500,000
- Listed by: The Brind Group, Sothebys International Realty Canada
Everything inside the house is opulent and grand, yet still modern, from the presidential-looking office space to the solarium-enclosed indoor pool -- one of two pools on the property. That, combined with the in-home gym and tennis court, means there's no excuse to not get your exercise in here.
Of course relaxing is equally important, and it shouldn't be too hard to do with seven fireplaces, a hot tub, and a spa-like bathroom equipped with it own massage table. Outside, the grounds are lavishly landscaped, complete with a reflecting pond and vegetable garden.
"And it's west-facing, so you get these beautiful sunsets," Brind added. "It really does give you a sense of the countryside. It doesn't feel like you're anywhere close to the city."
The property last sold in 2009 for $12,825,000. A number of renovations were carried out and additions made since then, including adding the indoor pool, tennis court and a number of light fixtures, and redoing all of the bathrooms.
Although luxury properties can often take longer to sell, Brind says that in today's market, anything is possible.
"It's one of those things where it could sell in the first week or could take a full year to sell," Brind said. "This is a unique product. The ultra luxury market right now is quite strong in Toronto, and we're definitely seeing higher prices in that bracket, and there is hunger for this type of product."
EXTERIOR
INTERIOR
