105 Park Cres., Richmond Hill, Ont.
Asking Price: $7,288,000
Taxes: N/A
Lot Size: 75 by 200 feet
Agents: Kevin Lin and Marisa Lin, Exp Realty
Architect Prithula Prosun Roy was drawn to the property on Park Crescent for its position backing onto a ravine that descends to a pond.Riley Snelling/Riley Snelling
The backstory
In the 1920s, the Oak Ridges Moraine north of Toronto provided enough wilderness and distance from the city to be considered cottage country.
Many visitors settled around Lake Wilcox, the largest kettle lake on the ridge, created by a retreating glacier in the last ice age.
By the 1970s, the community of Oak Ridges that had grown up around the lake was swallowed by the expanding Richmond Hill.
Today the area has a mix of vintage cottages, newer subdivisions and condos, and some singular infill houses.
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Architect Prithula Prosun Roy was thinking of the last category when she purchased a teardown bungalow not far from the lake.
Ms. Prosun Roy was familiar with Lake Wilcox Park from family visits over the years.
For kids and their parents, there’s a waterfront promenade, skate park, splash pad and outdoor ice skating rink, among other activities. Natural areas provide a refuge for fish and wildlife.
The founder of Prosun Architects was drawn to the property on Park Crescent for its position backing onto a ravine that descends to a pond on a neighbouring property. She knew that rebuilding would require closely following the rules of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), which oversees the local watershed in the sensitive area.
“We understood going in that there would be some challenges and problem-solving,” she says.
The home's living space is built around an interior courtyard.Riley Snelling/Riley Snelling
The house today
Ms. Prosun Roy set out to build a contemporary house with more than 7,800 square feet of living space designed around an interior courtyard.
The five-bedroom house, completed in June, 2025, is based on biophilic principles, which hold that humans crave a connection with nature, says Ms. Prosun Roy. The towering spruce, maple and other deciduous trees at the back of the property were the starting point.
“A lot of our gestures were matching the scale of these trees,” says Ms. Prosun Roy.
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The architect started with the approach to the house, where guests and residents pass under a portion of the second-storey cantilevered over the walkway.
“You feel the weight and heaviness,” she says of passing under the cube.
The pattern in the exterior stucco symbolizes blowing leaves, she adds.
The space is sheltered by an overhang supported by a row of slender columns.
“It evokes that feeling of walking under a tree canopy.”
The pattern in the exterior stucco symbolizes blowing leaves.Riley Snelling/Riley Snelling
She placed a form around the exterior of the garage to keep that feature from visually taking centre stage, Ms. Prosun Roy explains, and the appearance of the garage doors is subdued by wood cladding.
The idea was to make the façade appear less monolithic, while also considering how the occupants would feel walking to the front door.
“I wanted to create a sense of calm, of retreat, of leaving the world behind when you come home,” says Ms. Prosun Roy.
Inside, a living wall of plants maintains a sense of connection to the outdoors, and the palette of white oak floors, light millwork and natural stone is meant to be soothing.
The large kitchen has integrated appliances, drop-down spice racks and a lift-and-slide door opening to the backyard. Ms. Prosun Roy chose quartzite for the countertops and island.
Instead of a backsplash behind the range, Ms. Prosun Roy placed a window between the lower and upper cabinets.
“When I’m cooking in the kitchen, I’d rather be looking out at the green hedge,” she says.
The wood doors of the upper cabinets have been charred in a traditional Japanese process known as sho sugi ban to create a deep charcoal finish that contrasts with the soft tones in the rest of the room.
The upper cabinets offer contrast to the softer tones of the kitchen.Riley Snelling/Riley Snelling
A butler’s kitchen with a second set of appliances is hidden behind the main kitchen so that the mess of more utilitarian tasks can be hidden from view.
“Your show kitchen is nice and tidy for entertaining,” she says.
The dining and lounging areas are placed around an interior courtyard, which brings light to the interior. An eastern redbud tree provides colour with pink blossoms in spring and yellow leaves in fall. The delicate water fountain creates sound and movement.
“A space right in the middle of the home brings the outdoors in,” says Ms. Prosun Roy.
The double-height family room was created to preserve the view of the wooded ravine, says Ms. Prosun Roy.
Upstairs, the primary suite has a bedroom and bathroom divided by a double vanity and a floor-to-ceiling cabinet with glass doors. There’s a sitting area, fireplace, walk-in shower and stand-alone tub.
There are three additional bedrooms on that floor.
The primary suite is divided by a double vanity.Riley Snelling/Riley Snelling
Ms. Prosun Roy likes to create unexpected moments throughout the house.
On the lower level, for example, she hid a small movie theatre behind a wall of books in the recreation room.
Her children like to pivot the bookshelf away to reveal the secret room to visitors.
“That’s a fun little thing for the kids to show their friends.”
The property on Park Crescent had its pool grandfathered in to its design.Riley Snelling/Riley Snelling
The best feature
Mr. Prosun Roy positioned the new home farther from the ravine than the original house in order to mitigate the concerns of the TRCA, she says.
An existing pool was grandfathered, so she left it in place and had it refurbished.
The canopy outside the family room extends over the sitting area next to the pool.
A lower canopy serves as the balcony for the primary suite and shelters the outdoor kitchen and dining area.
The backyard also provides an outdoor kitchen, pizza oven, cabana, pergola, and landscaped grounds.