West Birkdale, 1075 Ellesmere Rd: Low-Rise Condo Living, Rare Resales

West Birkdale is a building most buyers have never heard of, and that is partly why it is worth knowing. It is a 135-suite low-rise condominium community from 2000 on Ellesmere Road near Midland, with a lean fee, pets listed as allowed and very little turnover. There is nothing for sale here as I write this, so if you want in, you need to be ready when something comes up. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A low-rise community, not a tower

West Birkdale is not an apartment building. Condos.ca classifies it as low-rise and records a single storey per building, which together with 135 suites and the one recorded suite size points to a complex of townhouse-style homes rather than stacked apartments. Confirm the exact format of any home you look at, because condos.ca’s records for this corporation are thin.

The format changes what you are buying. In a low-rise community you typically have your own front door, no elevator, no shared corridors and outdoor space at grade. You also tend to have fewer services, a smaller fee and more responsibility for your own home’s systems.

The developer, Kradler Investments, is not a name with a long public track record that I could find, so I would judge this community on its documents and its condition rather than the builder’s reputation.

Size: much larger than an apartment

The only suite size condos.ca has on record here is about 1,940 square feet. One data point is not a range, so treat it as a sign of scale rather than a rule. Even so, it is roughly twice the size of a large two-bedroom apartment in the high-rises nearby.

If the homes are around that size, they suit families who need three or more bedrooms and want a house layout without buying a freehold property. Ask for the floor plan, the number of levels and whether the lower level is finished, because in townhouse-style homes those details decide how the square footage actually lives.

Because nothing is listed right now, I cannot tell you what the current mix of layouts or finishes looks like. When a home does come up, walk it with that in mind and compare it against the other recent sales on the data panel.

A lean fee that leaves the utilities to you

The fee includes common elements, building insurance and parking. That is a short list, and it explains why low-rise communities like this usually carry much lower fees than towers. There is no concierge, pool or gym to run, and the corporation is not paying anyone’s heat or hydro.

Owners here pay their own heating, hydro and, according to condos.ca’s inclusion list, water. Ask the seller for a year of utility bills, because for a home of this size those costs are a meaningful part of the monthly picture, especially in winter.

Read the declaration carefully on one question in particular: who is responsible for what. In low-rise condominiums the split between owner and corporation for roofs, windows, doors, driveways and decks varies a great deal from one community to another, and it directly affects both your fee and your own repair budget.

This community is 26 years old, which is the age when roofs, windows and paved areas start to come up for renewal. Check the reserve fund study for those items and ask whether any are already scheduled.

Ellesmere and Midland: close to the centre, between transit eras

This stretch of Ellesmere sits between the residential streets of Dorset Park and the larger-scale Scarborough Centre area to the east, with the Scarborough Town Centre mall and the civic centre a short drive away. Everyday shopping is along Ellesmere, Midland and Kennedy, and the area has a strong mix of independent grocers.

Transit here has been changing. The Scarborough RT, which served this area, has been out of service since 2023. A dedicated busway on the old corridor between Kennedy Station and Scarborough Town Centre, with a stop at Ellesmere, was reported by NOW Toronto as opening on 30 September 2026, with buses moving onto Ellesmere Road priority lanes past Ellesmere Station. The longer-term replacement is the Scarborough Subway Extension, expected in the 2030s.

The data panel on this page shows the actual distances to transit, schools and parks from this address.

Pricing: a thin market, so be ready

There are no active listings at West Birkdale right now, and condos.ca does not publish a building average price per square foot. That is common for low-rise communities where owners stay a long time, and it means the market here moves in occasional single sales rather than a steady flow.

In that kind of market, comparing asking prices does not work, because there usually are none. What you want are recent sales of similar homes in this community and in nearby townhouse complexes, adjusted for size, condition and whether the lower level is finished.

Thin markets cut both ways. A buyer who is pre-approved and has already read a recent status certificate for the community can move quickly when a home appears, and that preparation is often worth more than a few thousand dollars of negotiation. Sellers, for their part, should not assume a high-rise pricing approach works here.

The 12-month data panel above shows what has actually traded here. If you want to be alerted when a home comes up, or want the comparables pulled for a specific one, use my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at West Birkdale

There is no amenity package in the high-rise sense: condos.ca records visitor parking, BBQs permitted and pets. In a low-rise community that is normal, and the real amenity is your own front door and outdoor space.

Jatin’s honest take on West Birkdale

West Birkdale — 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.