Bridlewoode Place III, 25 Bamburgh Cir: Big Suites, All Utilities In

Bridlewoode Place III is the building I show buyers who need real square footage and are willing to trade a newer lobby for it. Suites here run up to almost 1,800 sq ft, the fee covers every utility including hydro, and you have both an indoor and an outdoor pool. It is a 1988 building, and that age is both the bargain and the homework. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The third of three Bridlewoode towers

Bamburgh Circle is a loop off Warden Avenue just south of Steeles, lined with 1980s condominium towers. Bridlewoode Place is three of them: Phase I at 55 Bamburgh Circle from 1985, Phase II at 75 Bamburgh from 1988, and this building, Phase III at 25 Bamburgh, also from 1988.

They share a name and a look, but they are separate corporations. Phase III is MTCC-767, with its own board, budget and reserve fund. If you are choosing between a suite here and one in Phase II next door, compare both status certificates rather than assuming they are run the same way.

I could not confirm the original developer. Condos.ca leaves the field blank, and I would rather tell you that than guess. For a building this age, the builder matters less than how the corporation has maintained it for the past 35-plus years, and that story is in the reserve fund study.

Suites sized for families, not investors

The smallest suites here start at about 707 sq ft, and the largest reach about 1,796 sq ft. That is a different world from a new Scarborough tower, where a 500 sq ft one-bedroom is normal. A late-1980s plan typically gives you separate dining space, real closets and bedrooms that fit a queen bed and a dresser.

With sizes like these, the stock leans toward two- and three-bedroom plans, some with a den. Multi-generation families and downsizers from houses are the natural buyers here, because they can bring their furniture with them.

The trade-off is finishes. Many suites in a 1988 building still carry original kitchens, bathrooms and windows, or a renovation of uneven quality. Price the suite you are looking at on its condition, and budget for updates if it has not been touched.

One more thing to check on renovated suites: ask whether the work had board approval. Older buildings often have rules about flooring underlay, plumbing changes and moving walls, and a renovation done without approval can become your problem after closing. The status certificate and the corporation’s rules will tell you what is allowed.

Every utility in the fee

Condos.ca lists air conditioning, heat, hydro, water, building insurance, common elements and parking as included. That is the full set. Apart from internet and your own contents insurance, your fee is close to your whole cost of running the home.

That makes the monthly fee look high next to a newer building, and buyers often flinch at it. Do the comparison properly: add a hydro bill, a heating bill and a parking charge back onto the newer building before you decide which one is cheaper to live in.

The flip side is that you are sharing the building’s energy costs. When utility rates rise, everyone’s fee rises with them, and a large suite carries a larger share. Ask the manager how the fee has moved over the past five years and whether the board has a plan for energy upgrades.

Life on Bamburgh Circle

The anchor of daily life here is Bamburgh Gardens, the crescent-shaped plaza on Steeles that blogTO described as the largest shopping centre on that stretch of the street. Foody Mart is the main grocery, with long-running Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants around it and a small Steeles branch of the Toronto Public Library at the back.

The area has a large Chinese community, and the plaza reflects that. If that suits the way you shop and eat, this is one of the most convenient addresses in north Scarborough. Steeles is also the city boundary, so Markham’s shopping and employers are a short drive north.

This is a car-friendly location first. Transit details and walking times appear in the data panel on this page, and I would check them against your own commute before you commit.

What Bridlewoode Place III costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $428 per square foot. That sits close to its sister towers, with Phase II at 75 Bamburgh at about $434 and Phase I at 55 Bamburgh at about $393, and in line with Monterey at 175 Bamburgh at about $420. Newer towers in Scarborough are asking well over $600 per square foot.

That gap is the whole value case for this building. You are buying large suites at an older-building price, with the age showing up in the reserve fund and in the condition of the suite rather than in the price per square foot. Large suites also tend to sell for less per square foot than small ones, so compare a big suite here against big suites elsewhere, not against a new one-bedroom.

When I checked there was only one suite for sale and two for lease, so the building has thin current inventory. With so few listings, recent sold prices matter more than asking prices. I can pull the actual figures for suites like yours through my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Bridlewoode Place III

An indoor pool, an outdoor pool and a sauna in one building is a generous package, and it is the kind of amenity newer towers rarely build because of the operating cost. It also means two pools to maintain, so read the reserve fund study to see how the board plans to pay for them.

Jatin’s honest take on Bridlewoode Place III

Bridlewoode Place III — frequently asked questions

Looking at Agincourt, L’Amoreaux, Milliken, Dorset Park and Wexford in Scarborough more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.