Glass houses still too niche for most buyers

Cedarvale home has been up for sale for more than two years, its price dropping like a stone

- MANUELA VEGA

This house at 561 Arlington Ave. has two walls made entirely of glass. It's been on the market for two years, and the price is down $1.3 million compared to two years ago.

Soaring ceilings, modern finishes and two entirely glass walls characterize a custom-built home in Cedarvale listed for $2.3 million.

But the detached house at 561 Arlington Ave. has been on the market for more than two years, and it was originally priced at $3.6 million, according to the listing history on online real estate listing platform HouseSigma. After multiple attempts to sell it at different price points, the owner listed it at a new price, again, in May.

Have glass walls, a contemporary architecture trend seen in biophilic design, had their heyday?

Experts say designers and homeowners have been incorporating more glass into houses since the 1990s, but it’s really in the past decade that the glass-wall design style has picked up steam. Still, realtors told the Star it remains a niche interest in Toronto, especially given how cold the winters can be.

“It’s still, in a way, a novelty,” said Sotheby’s International Realty Canada broker Bosko Scecpanovic.

Is there a market for glass houses in Toronto?

The luxury home on Arlington Avenue includes a chef’s kitchen on the open-concept main floor, three bedrooms, four bathrooms and a finished basement. Outside, dark brick colours the sides of the house. There’s also a private driveway, but no garage.

The glass walls differ somewhat from each other: The front wall is frosted, allowing natural light to flow in without revealing details of the home’s interior; and the back wall is transparent, providing a clear view of the ravine — as well as the living room from the backyard.