325 Kingston Road Condos: Eight Suites, Two Patios Each, by Woodbine

325 Kingston Road is a very small, professionally managed condo: eight suites over four storeys, with an elevator, underground parking and a patio on each side of every suite. It sits on Kingston Road near Woodbine, at the top of the Beach. For the right buyer it is a quiet, low-key alternative to a house, provided the small-building math works. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Eight suites, each with two patios

With eight suites, this is closer to a small apartment house than a typical condo. Condos.ca records four storeys, which works out to about two suites per floor, and describes suites that run through the building with views to the north and the south.

The detail that sets it apart is outdoor space. According to condos.ca, each suite has two patios: a small one on the street side and a larger one at the back. In a building this size, a through-unit with outdoor space at both ends gives you cross-ventilation and light from two directions, which most condo suites cannot offer.

Condos.ca records suite sizes of about 837 to 947 square feet, so the plans are similar to one another. Expect two-bedroom layouts in that range, and ask for the floor plan of the specific suite, since small buildings often have slight variations floor to floor.

Exposure matters more than usual here. A through-suite with a street-side patio on Kingston Road and a rear patio facing the back will feel very different on a summer evening depending on the floor. Visit at different times of day if you can.

Small, but with an elevator and a manager

Many buildings this small are self-managed and walk-up. This one has neither limitation: condos.ca lists an elevator, an underground parking garage, a security system and Comfield Property Management as the manager.

That combination is useful. A manager handles the paperwork and contractors that wear out volunteer boards, and the elevator makes the upper suites practical for downsizers. The cost is that the management contract and elevator maintenance are shared among only eight owners, which shows up in the fee.

An elevator is also one of the larger capital items a small corporation owns. At 25 years old, ask when it was last modernised or what the reserve fund study says about it. Spread across eight suites, that one item can be significant.

What the fee covers

Condos.ca lists common elements, building insurance, parking and water as included. Heat and hydro are not on the list, so plan on paying your own utilities. Ask how the suites are heated and how old the equipment is.

In an eight-suite building, the per-suite cost of running the building is naturally higher than in a large tower, because fixed costs like insurance, management and elevator service are split so few ways. Do not compare the fee here to a 300-suite building and assume it is out of line. Compare it to other boutique buildings in the Beach.

The other side of that math is the reserve fund. A healthy reserve in a small building is reassuring; a thin one is the most important risk you can have, because a large repair lands on very few owners.

Insurance is the other question to ask. In a small corporation, the building policy’s deductible can be large relative to the annual budget, and owners can be responsible for damage that starts in their suite up to that amount. Ask what the deductible is and make sure your own policy covers it.

Kingston Road at the top of the Beach

Kingston Road is one of Toronto’s oldest roads. It grew out of the route Asa Danforth Jr. was contracted to build east from York in 1799, and it took its name from its destination, Kingston, by 1817. In the Beach, its western end is a traditional main street with storefronts and streetcars.

This address sits near Woodbine, close to where Kingston Road begins at Queen Street East. The triangle of streets between Queen, Woodbine and Kingston Road is known locally as the Beach Triangle, and south of Queen you reach Woodbine Beach and Ashbridge’s Bay, named for the Ashbridge family who farmed the area.

Living on Kingston Road rather than Queen is a trade-off. It is a busier four-lane road with less cafe life at the door, but in my experience prices tend to be lower than on Queen, and the lake is still within walking distance. The transit panel on this page covers the streetcar details.

Where 325 Kingston Road sits on price

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $823 per square foot. Applied to the recorded suite sizes, that points to roughly the high $600,000s to the high $700,000s for a typical suite, before adjusting for floor, condition and outdoor space.

That is below The Beach Condominiums V on Queen Street, at about $908 per square foot on condos.ca, and close to The Boardwalk on Boardwalk Drive at about $832. You are trading a Queen Street or park-side address for a smaller, quieter building with two patios per suite.

At the time of review, condos.ca showed one suite for sale. A single listing is not a range, so I am not quoting it. With only eight suites, sales are rare; use the sale data on this page and my building sold report, and compare against other small boutique condos in the Beach and Upper Beach.

Building specifications

Amenities at 325 Kingston Road Condos

There is no gym or party room here. The practical amenities are what count: an elevator, underground parking with visitor spaces, a security system and two patios per suite, one of which is large enough for a barbecue and a table. In a building with no shared lounge, that rear patio effectively is your amenity space, so check its size, exposure and condition when you view.

Jatin’s honest take on 325 Kingston Road Condos

325 Kingston Road Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Leslieville, Riverdale, the Beaches, Danforth and Leaside more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.