Upper West Side development in Thornhill goes for grandeur

theglobeandmail.com
Nov. 26, 2015
By Sydnia Yu

Upper West Side - Thornhill, Ontario

Builder: Conservatory Group

Size: 3,616 to 8,027 square feet

Price: $1,584,990 to $2,304,990

Sales centre: 61 Keatley Dr, west of Bathurst Street in Vaughan. Open Monday to Thursday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.; weekends and holidays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Contact: Phone 1-289-553-4156 or visit conservatorygroup.ca

Developer the Conservatory Group says one particular characteristic is setting its new Thornhill project apart from its competitors: Sheer size.

“We are maximizing the square footage of the houses,” says partner Mark Libfeld. “While other competitors go around 4,000 square feet, we go up to double - to 8,000 square feet in total,” a size more common in areas like The Bridle Path.

“You feel the sense of true wealth and luxury - at a reasonable price.”

Conservatory’s Dalston plan, for instance, features a dining room nearly 20-feet wide, a great room 40-feet wide and a master retreat larger than both, combined with a rotunda, dressing room, shoe closet and ensuite bathroom with an oval tub.

There are “a lot of cathedral ceilings - even in the master bedrooms - some as much as 14- or 16-feet high,” that add to the feeling of grandeur, Mr. Libfeld said. “In some of the models, the master bedroom is open to a loft above...which is something you only see in seven-, eight- or $10-million homes.”

Less than $2.3-million can buy most models at Upper West Side. Conservatory is adding 175 homes to the low-rise community at the northwest corner of Bathurst Street and Major Mackenzie Drive. The company said 520 out of 700 properties on the site have already sold.

“This is a unique enclave of custom homes,” said Sam Moses, vice-president of Norman Hill Realty, which is handling sales for the infill site, which is likely the last off Bathurst Street. “It’s a very high demand area...if you want to go suburban. It’s got all the conveniences; shopping and infrastructure is there.”

The company is offering 41- and 50-foot lots, including some abutting forested areas and parks with paths and ponds.

“It has the feel of Forest Hill, where a lot of the houses were custom done by different architects and builders,” Mr. Moses said.

The collection offers two-storey elevations with garages, grand eat-in kitchens and great rooms and even auxiliary spaces, such as sitting rooms, serveries or a spiral staircase. Minimum nine-foot ceilings are standard, as is upscale hardwood flooring, granite kitchen counters and stainless steel appliances.

Occupancy will start next summer. The company is adding a $40,000 bonus for decor.