27 Bannockburn Ave., Toronto
Asking Price: $4.65-million
Taxes: $15,006.33 (2025)
Lot Size: 40 by 130 feet
Agents: Paul Maranger and Christian Vermast, Sotheby’s International Realty Canada
The main floor is open concept with the stairs off to the side that do not break up the flow or connection to the outdoors.Samantha Keay Photography
Downtime
Brad and Tanya Henderson were living in a six-bedroom home with a backyard pool when it became clear the property would soon be too large for the couple and their blended family with four boys.
Three of their four sons were moving on to attend university or start a career, so the Hendersons began to plan for their future as empty nesters.
Mr. Henderson had always wanted to build a new house, and Ms. Henderson was happy to throw herself into the project.
“I think I was a little sad that the kids had left home – I wanted a distraction.”
The couple wanted to remain close to Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club, where they spent much of their downtime.
They began looking for property in the area north of Avenue Road and Lawrence Avenue West.
The vintage bungalow they found in Ledbury Park was on a quiet street with green space across the road.
They hired Toronto-based Peter Higgins Architect Inc. to design a contemporary new home on the deep lot.
Owner Brad Henderson said his experience working in some well-designed Bay Street offices informed what he wanted in his home office. The walnut desk has an integrated lift that allows the computer monitor to slide out of view and will stay with the house. The space has a large window overlooking the sports field of Bannockburn Public School.Samantha Keay Photography
The house today
Mr. Higgins kicked off the process by asking the couple to describe what they hoped for in a new home.
“He said, ‘Tell me what you’re looking for – the deal-breakers versus the nice-to-haves,’” Mr. Henderson recalls. “The early conversation was very much about that.”
From the start, Ms. Henderson envisioned a home with lots of open spaces and glass.
“We wanted the maximum amount of light and airiness,” she says.
Mr. Henderson was keen to have an open concept main floor without a lot of stairs breaking up the flow or the connection to the outdoors.
They were also able to add some luxuries, such as a dog wash station for the couple’s two pups and a Japanese-style spa.
Building the house might have been a dragged-out process, Mr. Henderson says, but the couple ensured they stayed on track.
“From the day it was demolished until the day we moved in was 10 months,” says Mr. Henderson. “We both make decisions quickly and we never second-guess them.”
In 2019, they moved into the house with four bedrooms in 3,224 square feet of above-ground living space.
There’s a lounging area overlooking the street, a dining area in the centre, and a combined kitchen and family room at the rear.
The modern white kitchen has a large island that also serves as a breakfast bar.
The floor plan provides a great deal of flexibility because there are no hard walls between spaces, Mr. Henderson explains.
The floor plan provides a great deal of flexibility because there are no hard walls between spaces.Samantha Keay Photography
“We enjoy entertaining a lot. We really wanted the ground floor to be one continuous space – all the way from the front door to the backyard,” he says.
The dining area can easily be enlarged by borrowing space from the family room, and the dining table, which normally seats eight, can be quickly extended with the addition of panels that Mr. Henderson designed and built himself.
“We can go from eight to 16 people quite easily.”
In 2020, the couple found their nearly empty nest filling up again as boys moved back home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
One son and his bride were forced to pare back their wedding in October, 2020 to only a handful of guests.
In July, 2022, the Hendersons opened up the house to the 100 or so friends and family members who had missed the celebration.
“We basically threw the reception that they didn’t have,” Mr. Henderson says.
The primary suite bathroom has a soaker tub, walk-in shower, and double sink vanity.Samantha Keay Photography
On the upper level, the house has a large primary suite with a bedroom opening to a balcony overlooking the backyard. There’s a large walk-in closet and a bathroom with a soaker tub, walk-in shower and double sink vanity.
There are three additional bedrooms and two bathrooms on that level.
Mr. Henderson’s home office is perched between the two levels at the front of the house. A glass wall overlooking the living room brings light to the main floor.
Mr. Henderson, who is a former president and chief executive of Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, spent eight to 10 hours a day in the office writing his recently published book about management and leadership, The Consistency Effect.
“I’ve had the privilege of working in some lovely offices on Bay Street and in the United States,” he says, explaining that those experiences informed his choices in the workspace he created for himself.
The walnut desk with an integrated lift that allows the computer monitor to slide out of view will stay with the house, he says.
The author says he enjoyed writing with views from a large window overlooking the sports field of Bannockburn Public School across the street.
Outside, the Hendersons built a rear deck with a remote-controlled awning that protects residents from rain and snow as they use the grill and outdoor kitchen throughout the year. There’s a space for lounging in front of the outdoor fireplace, a sun terrace, and a play area.
On the lower level, Mr. Henderson created a room with specialized drywall that helps to reduce the transfer of sound.
“I always dreamed of having a rehearsal space in my home,” says the drummer for a group he describes as a “dad band.” The amateur musicians, who leaned toward seventies and eighties rock, performed at fundraising events in the neighbourhood before the pandemic.
The room also serves as a home theatre and karaoke lounge, he adds.
“We would all do karaoke as a family, which was a lifesaver during COVID.”
A view from the street. A room on the lower level has in-floor radiant heating that warms the black silica to a temperature of 30 degrees or higher. There's also a cedar sauna and steam shower in the home spa.Samantha Keay Photography
The best feature
The traditional Japanese practice of ganban-yoku involves lying on a heated stone bed to promote relaxation and healing.
Ms. Henderson and her friends discovered the therapeutic benefits at a spa in midtown Toronto.
“We would go every week – especially in the winter,” she says. “It was magical.”
When that spa closed, Ms. Henderson began to think about creating a stone bed in her own home.
In the room on the lower level, in-floor radiant heating warms the black silica to a temperature of 30 C or higher, Mr. Henderson explains.
The couple also added a cedar sauna and steam shower to the home spa.