Carriage Homes of Avondale, 11 Everson Dr: 2,000 Sq Ft Townhomes

Carriage Homes of Avondale is what I show families who want a house-sized home near Yonge and Sheppard without paying detached prices. It is an 88-home townhouse condominium from 2002, three storeys, with homes of around 2,050 square feet tucked behind the towers. You get a garage, a street-level front door and a fee far below a condo apartment of the same size. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Townhouses, not apartments

This complex is made of three-storey condominium townhouses rather than suites in a tower. Each home has its own front door, its own stairs and, in most plans, three or four bedrooms. That is a different product from almost everything else near Yonge and Sheppard, where nearly all the condo stock is high-rise.

Baghai Development built Phase One in 2002, and a second phase followed under the name Carriage Homes of Avondale 2, with addresses on Avondale Avenue, Humberstone Drive and Everson Drive. If you are shopping the area, look at both phases, because the plans and fees are similar enough to compare directly.

With 88 homes, the corporation is big enough to spread costs and small enough that neighbours tend to know each other. That scale suits families with children, who are the natural buyers for plans of this size.

Around 2,050 square feet over three floors

Condos.ca records the homes at roughly 2,049 to 2,050 square feet, which tells you the plans are very consistent. The two homes currently for sale are a three-bedroom and a four-bedroom, which is the typical range.

Over three storeys, that usually means living and dining on one level, bedrooms above, and a lower or ground level that can serve as a family room or office. Check the stairs carefully if you are buying with older parents in mind, because a three-storey townhouse is not a downsizer’s home.

Storage is the other thing to look at. In a townhouse without a basement locker room, the garage often becomes the storage space, so check whether you can still fit a car once bikes, tires and sports gear are in there.

Ask how the square footage was measured. Townhouse floor areas often include stairwells and sometimes finished lower levels, so two homes listed at the same size can feel quite different when you walk through them.

A lean fee, because you pay your own utilities

Condos.ca lists common elements, building insurance, parking and water as covered. Heat and hydro are not on the list, so expect to pay your own gas and electricity, the way you would in a freehold house.

The two current listings carry fees of roughly $620 to $740 a month. For about 2,050 square feet, that is around $0.30 to $0.36 per square foot, a fraction of what a condo apartment charges. The difference is that there is no concierge, no pool and no shared heating plant to run.

Be clear on what the corporation maintains and what you maintain. In many townhouse condos, owners look after interiors, furnaces and air conditioners, while the corporation handles roofs, exterior walls, windows and the garage. The declaration sets out who pays for which, and it is worth reading before you buy.

Life behind Yonge and Sheppard

Everson Drive sits in the Avondale pocket east of Yonge and south of Sheppard, a short walk from the Yonge and Sheppard intersection. You are close to the subway, the shops and restaurants along Yonge, and the 401, but on a street of townhouses rather than a busy arterial.

Next door at 3 Everson Drive is Everson Townhomes, a larger complex of smaller stacked units. The two are often confused, but they are different corporations with different fee structures, so make sure you are comparing the right one.

The panel beside this review shows the nearest station, schools and Walk Score. For a family, the practical point is that you get a house-sized home and garage within walking distance of the Yonge and Sheppard subway interchange, which is rare in this part of the city.

Price per square foot and what is asking now

Condos.ca puts the average at about $552 per square foot. That is low compared with condo apartments near Yonge and Sheppard, which is typical of townhouses, where you buy more space and fewer shared amenities.

Two homes were listed for sale when I checked, asking between $998,800 and $1,059,000. Their fees ranged from about $620 to $740 a month. Nothing was listed for lease.

That price range puts these homes in competition with older semi-detached houses in Willowdale, and the trade-off is clear. A semi gives you land and freedom from a condo board. Carriage Homes gives you a newer home, a corporation that looks after the shared exterior, and a location closer to the subway than most semis can offer.

For a fair comparison, look at semi-detached and detached houses nearby, and at the second phase of Carriage Homes of Avondale. Remember to add your own heat and hydro on top of the fee before you compare with an apartment.

Building specifications

Amenities at Carriage Homes of Avondale – Phase One

There is no amenity floor, and that is the point: what you get is your own front door, a garage, BBQs allowed and visitor parking. Condos.ca lists the complex as pet-friendly, but confirm the rules in the declaration.

Jatin’s honest take on Carriage Homes of Avondale – Phase One

Carriage Homes of Avondale – Phase One — frequently asked questions

Looking at Willowdale, Yonge & Sheppard, Bayview Village and North York Centre more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.