313 Rosewell Ave., Toronto
Asking price: $3,725,000
Taxes: $16,393.86 (2025)
Lot size: 27.3 by 111.3 feet
Agent: Robert Gordon, Sotheby’s International Realty Canada
The backstory
Leanne Nolet was away from home when a line in the water filtration system broke, flooding the condo unit where she was living.
“When the line snaps, the water just keeps going – it just doesn’t turn off,” the mother of three says.
The leak caused extensive damage, Ms. Nolet says, so she decided to move on from the condo and build a new house.
“That was a trying time.”
Ms. Nolet, who owns a commercial plaza in Mississauga and has a background in real estate, decided to oversee the project herself during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic while her practice as a holistic nutritionist was on hold.
The dining area is at the front of the home.Birdhouse Media
She acquired a lot in midtown Toronto.
“I think it was the last bungalow in Lytton Park,” she says.
The property came with redevelopment plans that had already been approved by the Committee of Adjustment.
Ms. Nolet was not keen on the traditional design that the previous owners had planned for a new house, so she worked with a designer to create a more modern interior and exterior while maintaining the square footage and setbacks that had already been approved.
The living area has a large window and doors out to a balcony.Birdhouse Media
The house today
The house, completed in 2021, has four bedrooms and four bathrooms in 2,520 square feet of living space on the upper two levels.
Ms. Nolet says construction went smoothly despite the shortages of supplies and labour the industry faced during the pandemic. She was able to order materials long before they were needed and store them at her plaza, she explains.
The main floor has a foyer at ground level and stairs leading to a dining room at the front of the house, an open kitchen at the centre, and a lounging area at the rear.
The ceiling is 10-feet high, and the flooring throughout is wide-plank hardwood.
The kitchen has floor-to-ceiling cabinetry in a muted shade of green, a quartzite island with waterfall ends and integrated appliances.
The kitchen features floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, a quartzite island with waterfall ends and integrated appliances.Birdhouse Media
There’s also a powder room on that floor.
The living area has a large window and doors opening to a balcony.
Upstairs, the house has two bedrooms overlooking the street and a bathroom with a shower.
A third bedroom has an ensuite bathroom.
At the rear of the home, the primary bedroom has an ensuite bathroom with a double sink vanity, a walk-in shower and a soaker tub.
The lower level has a ceiling height of 12 feet and a separate entrance so that it can be used as a work-from-home office. The foundation is built with insulated concrete forms, which enhance energy conservation, sound attenuation and disaster resistance.
The primary bedroom is located at the the rear of the home.Birdhouse Media
Currently, that level has a games room with a heated floor, a built-in garage at the front of the house, and the potential for a fifth bedroom. At the rear, the house has a walkout to a stone terrace with a gas fire pit.
Ms. Nolet, who travels frequently, installed modern systems that help to make the home turnkey and easy to maintain.
She has a heated driveway at the front and no lawn in the backyard, for example.
The Lytton Park neighbourhood, close to Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue West, is popular with families for the proximity to highly ranked private and public schools.
The primary bedroom's ensuite bathroom has a double sink vanity, a walk-in shower and a soaker tub.Birdhouse Media
The best feature
After her previous water catastrophe, Ms. Nolet had a water softening and filtration system installed in the house. She also added a leak detection system with an app for remote monitoring.
The sensors monitor the dishwasher, refrigerator, kitchen sink, washing machine, laundry sink, two sump pump rooms, the irrigation system and each bathroom sink.
As soon as the system detects something abnormal, Ms. Nolet says, it has the capability of shutting off the main water supply.