105 Bayswater Avenue

The Tesla of homes

It’s been called the Tesla of homes — environmentally responsible yet aesthetically beautiful.

Built to passive house standards, it’s both ultra green while exhibiting an elevated sense of style that’s contemporary, practical and welcoming. “This home is like Park Place on Monopoly; it’s a house you collect rather than buy,” said multi-award-winning designer Nathan Kyle when touring it.

Built by architect and energy adviser Mark Rosen of Building Energy Inc., it’s one of just a handful of its kind in Ontario — and is even more unusual as an urban home, where meeting the requirements of the strict passive house guidelines is difficult.

For the first time, this rare Hintonburg gem is for sale.

“A successful build, in our minds, will integrate both building science and design principles seamlessly,” the owners said as they embarked on their journey to build their own home. Using Rosen’s expertise in architecture and energy science, coupled with the green building talents of The Conscious Builders, the home was set up for success. “We are living a more luxurious lifestyle in our new home, using a fraction of the energy to do so.”

The first year in their home, their energy consumption was less than half of what it was for a typical new home. The furnace, which is the size of a shoe box, uses about as much power as two hair dryers. The home is roughed in for grey water consumption (where water used in the home from showers, etc., is reused to flush toilets, for instance) and is super insulated (walls are two feet thick, making for handy built-in window benches or countertops). The high-efficiency ventilation system ensures a constant supply of fresh, filtered air to the home.

But this is not merely a super-energy-efficient zero-carbon home, it’s also a beautiful one. Key to its design is an open central core inspired by Moroccan inner courtyards. It’s filled with light and greenery throughout the home’s three storeys.

The home also boasts several other surprises, including a full in-law suite in the walkout basement, a sunken tub in the master ensuite, a third-floor getaway space, a kitchen by Astro Design Centre and Gaulhofer triple-glazed windows.

Everything about this home speaks to comfort, from the environment to the finishes to the layout.