75 Graydon Hall Drive Condos: 1976 Tower With Hydro and Heat In the Fee

75 Graydon Hall Drive is a 1976 tower on one of the greenest streets in North York, with the Don Valley ravine and golf lands on one side and older apartment towers on the other. Its suites are big, and condos.ca lists almost every utility in the fee, including hydro. You pay for that in the monthly number, so the real question is what the building costs to own all-in. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A 1970s tower on a ravine street

Graydon Hall Drive takes its name from Graydon Hall, the late-1930s manor built for the financier Henry Rupert Bain, which is now a conference and reception venue. UrbanToronto describes the area as a raised plateau above the Don River ravine, with the Donalda Club golf course nearby. That is the setting here: trees, ravine and towers set back on their lots, rather than a retail strip.

Condos.ca lists Peel-Elder Developments as developer and builder, and the corporation, YCC-274, was registered in July 1976. I could not find a published architect for the tower. At 25 storeys and 197 suites, it is a substantial building, and it has had nearly 50 years to settle into the street.

The street has also changed around it. Tridel’s Argento at 18 Graydon Hall Drive, which UrbanToronto describes as infill on open land inside an older tower community, brought a new tower to the street in the mid-2010s. Older buildings like this one now sit beside newer ones, which gives buyers a direct comparison on price and fees.

Big suites, three-bedroom plans

The listings on the market when I checked were three-bedroom plans of about 1,300 square feet. One realtor page describes floor plans here as ranging from about 1,000 to over 1,400 square feet, with large balconies. I have not seen a full set of plans, so ask for the floor plan of any suite you view.

In my experience, plans from this period tend to have separate dining rooms, enclosed kitchens and generous closets. Some owners open them up, others keep the original layout. Ask what has been renovated and whether the corporation approved any changes to walls, plumbing or electrical.

The outlook matters here more than most places. On a 25-storey tower near the ravine, a suite facing the valley and a suite facing the neighbouring towers are different products. Ask which way the suite faces before you compare prices.

Large suites also mean large renovation decisions. If you are buying an original suite to update, get a contractor’s estimate before your offer is firm, and read the renovation rules on approvals and working hours.

Hydro in the fee changes the comparison

Condos.ca lists common elements, heat, hydro, air conditioning, cable TV, building insurance, parking and water. Hydro is the important one. In most newer buildings, electricity and often heating and cooling are on your own meter, and in a 1,300-square-foot suite those bills are substantial.

One realtor page also describes high-speed internet as included. Condos.ca does not list it, so the sources do not agree. Confirm what is in the bulk services agreement on the status certificate before you count it in your budget.

Fees across the two current listings ran from about $1,174 to $1,200 a month. That looks high next to a newer building, until you add back hydro, heat, cooling and a parking space there. With so much bundled in, the corporation also carries the energy risk, so ask how the budget has moved in recent years.

Daily life between York Mills and Don Mills

This is a car-friendly location. The Don Valley Parkway and Highway 401 are close, which makes downtown and the rest of the GTA easy by car, and errands usually mean a short drive to the plazas on Don Mills Road or to Shops at Don Mills and Fairview Mall. The panel beside this review covers transit, schools and parks.

What you get in return is quiet. Graydon Hall Drive is a residential street of apartment towers, and the ravine and golf lands limit how much can be built around parts of its edge. For downsizers coming from Don Mills or Parkwoods houses, it is one of the few ways to stay in the area without giving up space.

The trade-off is that you will drive more than you would in a newer building near a subway, and visitors will too, so visitor parking matters. Ask how many visitor spaces there are and how they are managed on weekends, when family gatherings in large suites like these tend to fill the lot.

Pricing: about $454 per square foot

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $454 per square foot. That is low for Toronto and well under what newer towers on the same street ask, which is the age discount at work. With hydro, heat and parking in the fee, the gap in total monthly cost is smaller than the per-foot gap suggests.

Active asking prices across the two current listings ranged from $639,999 to $675,000, with fees from about $1,174 to $1,200 a month. Two listings is a small sample, so I would not read too much into either end of that range.

For recorded sales, use the 12-month data in the panel. If you are comparing this building with Argento or the other towers on Graydon Hall Drive, a building sold report is the quickest way to see where the value sits.

Building specifications

Amenities at 75 Graydon Hall Drive Condos

Condos.ca lists a security guard, sauna, party and meeting rooms, bike storage and visitor parking; one realtor page also mentions a fitness centre and an outdoor pool, which condos.ca does not list. Confirm the current amenity list on a viewing, and check how any pool is covered in the reserve fund study.

Jatin’s honest take on 75 Graydon Hall Drive Condos

75 Graydon Hall Drive Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at York Mills, Don Mills, Lawrence Park, Bathurst Manor and midtown-north Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.