OCTOBER 22, 2024

Dear reader,

It’s not easy to squeeze a family of four into a shoebox condo or a skinny semi, but devoted downtowners in this space-starved city are finding ways to make it work. Toronto started allowing laneway suites in 2018 and garden suites in 2022, and since then, the options for where and what families can build have grown exponentially.

Today, the imperative is to maximize every nook and cranny—and Torontonians are having fun doing it. In Curb Appeal’s top post this week, an army of our best real estate writers profiles the people across this city doing ingenious things with small footprints, from floating laneway suites to stylish campers. 

Also in today’s newsletter: a $28.9-million mansion by the 401. Plus, an Etobicoke house that’s had multiple starring roles on Netflix. And a condo in Yorkville steps from two famous landmarks. Visit torontolife.com or subscribe to our print edition for all of our real estate coverage and more.

—Barry Jordan Chong, city and real estate editor

Torontonians are getting creative and tapping into any available area—backyards, disused garages, even patches of Lake Ontario—to design stylish, affordable and, yes, comfortable living spaces in a city where land is in short supply. See how they’re making it happen. 

What gargantuan mansion sandwiched between Bayview and Leslie would be complete without a cave for sports cars, 11 bathrooms, dual walk-in closets, a cinema with reclining chairs, a pool house and floors that sparkle like diamonds? 

This prairie home by the Humber has appeared in two Netflix productions: Titans and the 2021 Gina Rodriguez film Awake. It comes with 30 skylights and 18 parking spots and is currently going for $8.5 million. 

Here’s a 623-square-foot condo overlooking the Toronto Reference Library, site of the Weeknd’s “Secrets” music video. Along with a suite of amenities, the place is equipped with marble all over, secret storage and a leafy balcony.

In the latest issue: 20 Torontonians doing big things with small footprints. Plus, the ugly truth about Ontario’s reform schools, a Q&A with the city’s traffic czar, vintage cars retrofitted for the electric age and more. Still not receiving Toronto Life at home? Subscribe today.

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