More than 3,000 people rushed to see “the crazy house on stilts” designed by architect Rohan Walters the last time he had an open house in 2003. Response was so overwhelming that he apparently had to ask his friends to act as “impromptu traffic cops,” says the Toronto Star.
The uniquely designed home, which is best described as a box on stilts, is located at 157 Coxwell Aveenue, near Toronto’s Beach neighbourhood. Each of the three 16-foot by 16-foot floors is perfectly stacked one on top of the other, making it a landmark on a street of much more regular-looking homes. With an asking price of $349,000, it will be going on the market for the first time ever. Before listing the home, realtor Jennifer Scaife asked the advice of other realtors. With no other home to compare it to, pricing the eco-friendly home must have been difficult.
What makes 157 Coxwell unique?
157 Coxwell Ave. is a one-bedroom, 800-square foot detached home. The 23-by-205 foot lot it sits on has a somewhat steep slope, which is probably why it rests on stilts and a concrete slab. According to the Star, the home is “sandwiched between an apartment building and a hodgepodge of houses” – a feature that helps to minimize streetcar vibrations. At $1,272 per year, property taxes are quite inexpensive, and monthly utilities cost a mere $95 per month (on average). The landmark home has been rented to tenants for the past 9 years.
On the outside, the brightly coloured blue, green and red home looks more like a misshapen Rubik’s cube than a house. Inside, it looks like a cottage, not a modern city dwelling. Its biggest selling point, perhaps, is that it boasts all sorts of energy efficient features. In the winter, radiant heat keeps the home warm. And in the summer months, its open concept helps to keep the house cool. Exposed pine joists in the ceiling also help to control excess humidity and heat. A ‘garage door’ on the south wall can be opened to help air circulate throughout the home. There’s even a tiny deck on the third floor where heat can also escape in the hot summer months.
Some of the home’s features could be seen as a drawback, though. The kitchen is exceptionally small and has very little storage space. Although there are no cupboards, there is an antique shelf and a pine cupboard for storing kitchen items. None of the floors have closets – the current tenants use wire railings to hang their clothes. The home desperately needs painting and its walkway entrance could be challenging for some. All in all, though, the home is uniquely designed and sure to catch someone’s attention. It is not only energy-efficient and inexpensive to keep, but it’s also got a warm and homey feel to it. It likely won’t be on the market for long.
If you’d like to see 157 Coxwell Ave for yourself, there will be an open house this weekend on January 21 and 22 in the afternoon. Who knows, it could be the house of your dreams.
Photo by onshi via Flickr Creative Commons.
