Capt. Samuel Crangle House, 35 Rosedale Rd: A Four-Suite Rosedale Condo

Capt. Samuel Crangle House at 35 Rosedale Road is one of the smallest condominiums I know of in Toronto: four suites, three storeys, an outdoor pool and a South Rosedale address. Buying here is less like buying a condo and more like going into partnership with three neighbours on a large house. That can be wonderful, and it can be hard, and you should know which before you offer. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Four suites is a different kind of ownership

Almost everything that makes a condominium predictable comes from numbers. With 200 owners, a roof replacement is a modest share each, the board has a deep bench and there is always a recent sale to compare against. With four owners, none of that holds.

Here every major cost is split four ways, the board is in effect every owner, and a decision that one owner opposes can be very hard to carry. When the relationships are good, a building like this runs with very little friction. When they are not, small disagreements become expensive.

So the first thing I would want to understand is not the suite. It is the other three owners, how long they have been there, and how the corporation actually makes decisions.

It also changes how you insure and finance. The corporation’s building insurance covers the structure, but with so few owners a single large claim can move the premium for everyone. Ask what the corporation’s insurance deductible is, who pays it in different situations under the declaration, and make sure your own suite policy is set up to cover that deductible.

Large suites on a South Rosedale street

Suites run from about 1,651 sq ft to about 3,302 sq ft, so the smallest is the size of a generous townhouse and the largest is the size of a detached house. With three storeys and four suites, at least one suite is likely to span more than one level, and every plan is effectively one of a kind.

Rosedale Road runs through South Rosedale, the older part of Rosedale, which the City’s heritage study describes as having developed between two major ravines that still define its edges. It is a street of large houses, and this building sits in that context rather than among other condominiums.

I could not verify the history behind the name, or whether the building was converted from an older house or built new for its 1983 registration. Ask the seller and check the City’s heritage register, because the answer shapes everything from ceiling heights to what you can change.

Heritage rules and the outdoor pool

Much of South Rosedale falls within the City of Toronto’s South Rosedale Heritage Conservation District, and other properties on Rosedale Road are listed within it. Under the Ontario Heritage Act, properties in a district generally need a heritage permit for demolition and for exterior alterations visible from the street, while interior work, painting and like-for-like repairs generally do not.

Before you buy, confirm whether 35 Rosedale Road is within the district and how it is rated, because that decides how freely the corporation can change windows, doors, roofing or the facade. Your own suite’s interior is largely your business; the outside of the building may not be.

The outdoor pool is the other big item. Listing data shows a pool and BBQs permitted, which is a rare thing in any condominium and almost unheard of in one this small. A pool shared among four owners is a pleasure in July and a meaningful line in the reserve fund every year, so look at what has been budgeted for its upkeep and eventual replacement.

What the fee does and does not cover

The fee is listed as covering water, building insurance and common elements only. Heat, hydro, air conditioning and parking are not listed as included, so budget for those as you would in a house.

In a four-suite corporation, the fee is a direct reflection of what the corporation actually pays: insurance, landscaping, snow clearing, the pool, management and the reserve fund contribution. Ask to see the budget line by line. It is short enough to read in a few minutes, and it will tell you more than any comparison with another building. If the reserve fund contribution looks low for a building of this age, that is a warning, not a saving.

Pricing at 35 Rosedale Road

There is no meaningful building-wide price per square foot for a four-suite condominium. Sales here are rare, and when one happens, it describes one suite rather than the building.

The more useful comparisons are outside the building. Price a suite here against South Rosedale houses of similar size, and against larger condominium suites nearby. 40 Rosehill Avenue in Moore Park, for example, averages about $950 per square foot for suites of 1,130 to 3,337 sq ft, and 2 Lynwood Avenue in South Hill averages about $732 for suites of 1,470 to 4,600 sq ft. Neither is a true comparable, but together they frame what large-suite condominium owners in midtown pay.

There were no suites listed for sale or lease when I checked. If you are watching this building, ask me for the building sold report so you know the recorded history before a suite comes up.

Building specifications

Amenities at Capt. Samuel Crangle House

There is no concierge, gym or party room; the shared amenity is an outdoor pool, which is a genuine luxury for four households. Everything else about daily life here is closer to living in a house than in a condominium.

Jatin’s honest take on Capt. Samuel Crangle House

Capt. Samuel Crangle House — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yorkville, the Annex and Midtown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.