Legends at Tam O’Shanter, 238 Bonis Ave: A 2007 Tridel Tower Near Sheppard

Legends at Tam O’Shanter is the building I show buyers who want tower living in Scarborough without the shoebox. It is a 2007 Tridel tower of 247 suites on Bonis Avenue, with suites that start at about 555 square feet and run to nearly 1,300, and a fee that already covers heat, cooling, water and parking. At almost 20 years old, its finances matter as much as its floor plans. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A Tridel tower with real suite sizes

Two listing sources name Tridel as developer, and CondoInvestments.ca credits the design to Agrest and Gandelsonas Architects with Global Architect Inc. The tower rises 24 storeys, about 75 metres, which made it one of the taller buildings in this part of Scarborough when it was completed in 2007.

Tridel’s name matters at resale. Buyers recognise it, and in my experience a known developer makes a building easier to sell to people who have not been inside it. That is not a substitute for reading the status certificate, but it is a real advantage over an unknown builder.

The suite range is the bigger story. Condos.ca records suites from about 555 to 1,286 square feet, with no tiny studios at the bottom. Current listings include two-bedrooms in the 800s and 900s of square feet and a three-bedroom, which is rare in a Scarborough tower and rarer still at this price per foot.

Three bedrooms in a tower, and who buys them

Larger plans here bring in a different buyer from the compact towers at Scarborough Centre. I see downsizers selling houses nearby who want one-level living with room for their furniture, and families who want three bedrooms and a concierge without a freehold price.

That buyer mix tends to mean more owner-occupiers and longer stays, which is usually good for how a building is run. The data panel on this page shows the actual owner and renter split.

When you tour, look at the plan before the finishes. In a 2007 building, original kitchens and bathrooms are common, and a dated suite with a great layout is often the better buy than a renovated one with a poor one. Renovations are easy to price; a bad floor plan cannot be fixed.

Check storage as carefully as bedrooms. Buyers coming from a house almost always underestimate how much they keep in a basement or garage. Ask which locker comes with the suite and where it is, and look at closet space in the plan. In a large suite, good storage is often what makes the move work.

What the fee covers at almost 20 years

The fee here includes heat, air conditioning, water, building insurance, common elements and parking. Current listings work out to about $0.87 per square foot, at the higher end of the Scarborough buildings I have reviewed, and the three current fees run from about $754 to $1,064 a month.

Part of that is the inclusion list: most newer towers meter heat and cooling to the suite and charge separately for parking, so the fair comparison is the all-in monthly cost. Part of it is age. A building approaching 20 years is in the window where central heating and cooling equipment, elevators, the garage membrane, windows and amenity equipment start coming due.

That is not a reason to walk away, but it is the reason to read the reserve fund study and the last few years of budgets closely. Ask what has already been replaced, what is scheduled next, and whether the fund is on track to pay for it without a large fee jump.

Hydro is the main bill you add on top of the fee. With heat, cooling and water already included, the monthly cost here is more predictable than in a building where every utility is metered to the suite, and that predictability is worth something to a buyer on a fixed budget.

Kennedy and Sheppard, and the subway coming east

Bonis Avenue runs through a cluster of mid-rise and high-rise residential buildings near Kennedy Road and Sheppard Avenue East, in a part of Scarborough that grew up around the Tam O’Shanter golf course it is named after. Day-to-day shopping is along the two arterials, and the data panel lists what is closest.

The biggest change on the horizon is transit. blogTO reports that the provincial Scarborough Subway Extension will carry Line 2 about eight kilometres from Kennedy Station to Sheppard Avenue and McCowan Road, with completion expected around 2030. That brings a subway terminus onto Sheppard east of here.

For an owner at Legends, the extension is an improvement on a long timeline rather than something to pay extra for today. The data panel on this page shows the nearest current subway and GO stations, schools and parks.

Pricing: about $607 a square foot for big suites

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $607 per square foot. That is close to EQ1 at Scarborough Centre at about $617, even though Legends is a couple of years older, and it is notable for a building with suites this large, since bigger suites usually trade at a lower per-foot price.

The three current listings ask $539,000 to $728,000. For a two- or three-bedroom with a concierge and parking included, that is an accessible way into family-sized space in this part of Scarborough.

For actual traded prices, use the 12-month panel on this page. Large suites trade less often than one-bedrooms, so comparables can be thin. My building sold report goes deeper on what similar suites have done.

Building specifications

Amenities at Legends at Tam O’Shanter

Condos.ca lists a sauna, a party room, a meeting room and a security guard, and REW and CondoInvestments.ca add a pool and a gym. A pool is a real draw in a 247-suite building and also one of the more expensive facilities to run, so confirm it on your tour and check what the reserve fund sets aside for it.

Jatin’s honest take on Legends at Tam O’Shanter

Legends at Tam O’Shanter — 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.