What to know
- The $11.5-million home at 35 Riverside Blvd. in Vaughan’s Uplands community sits on a 27,000-square-foot lot and spans 8,500 square feet across three floors.
- The newly renovated mansion has eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a private elevator, a chef-style kitchen, a prep kitchen, a gym, a sauna and a seven-seat movie theatre.
- The property’s outdoor space includes a saltwater pool, hot tub, mature trees and landscaped gardens designed to create a resort-like feel.
- Broker Justin Risi says the home’s price reflects its custom construction, high-end materials and attention to detail, rather than simply its size or number of amenities.
- The luxury market operates differently from the broader GTA market, with buyers often prioritizing privacy, exceptional finishes and proximity to Toronto when deciding which high-end properties are worth the price.
Between an in-house elevator, private movie theatre, and well-equipped gym, a Vaughan mansion replicates a luxury spa experience while maintaining a homey feel for a price tag of $11.5 million.
Located at the heart of the Uplands community at 35 Riverside Blvd., this newly renovated, 8,500-square-foot home is up for sale. The property is part of a 27,000-square-foot lot and is among the most distinguished million-dollar homes in the GTA, offering not only ample space but a timeless architectural style and remarkable finishes.
Now Toronto visited the property along with its broker, Justin Risi, to find out what is behind the million-dollar price tag and what makes this property competitive in the ultra-luxury market.
Thoughtful details and countless amenities
From its impressively modern landscape to the neutral colours to the well-thought-out design details, the owners of the prestigious property wanted it to re-create the feeling of staying at a luxe hotel without leaving their home.
“We’ve all been to different beautiful hotels in the world, and what they wanted was something very neutral, amenities at your fingertips, if it’s the pool, the sauna, the gym downstairs, the hot tub. They were just trying to replicate that easy, luxe hotel feeling,” Risi told Now Toronto.
In fact, the feeling of a luxury spa experience is present in all details of the million-dollar property. The home includes eight bedrooms and 11 spa-inspired bathrooms, designed to make residents feel like they never left their vacation.
While all of the above amenities help to successfully recreate the luxury spa feel, the star of the show is the primary bedroom, which includes a living space with sofas and a TV, a wet bar so residents never have to leave to get a drink, a spacious walk-in closet, and an ample bathroom with a bathtub and a cascade shower.
On the first floor, residents can find a chef-style kitchen featuring a full suite of Sub-Zero appliances, providing them everything they need to have a five-star meal, sit down with family, or welcome guests for a night in, along with a fully-equipped prep kitchen for convenience.
The kitchen leads to a living area, with its warm colours and custom finishes adding to a homey feel despite the home’s impressive grandeur.
“Another example of just custom millwork, the modern, but also very simplistic symmetrical design. It’s almost a beach house. It’s got a beach house with a grandeur, luxe feel to it,” Risi said.
Both spaces are surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows which lead to a stunning view of the outside area, which adds to the beach house look with an inviting saltwater swimming pool and comforting bath tub, surrounded by mature trees and well-kept flowers.
Taking the stairs (or elevator) to the lower floor, residents can continue to enjoy their spa experience, with a private sauna and fully equipped bathroom awaiting after a pool day.
This lowest floor definitely doesn’t feel like a basement, with two of Risi’s favourite amenities also located there. Taking the first spot is the well-equipped gym, which offers extra inspiration for morning workouts.
“This is one of my favourite features in the house. Some of us need inspiration in the morning to work out. I think coming into this room would definitely do it,” Risi said.
“[It’s] well equipped, [has] high ceilings, beautiful natural lighting, which is important. Again, the attention to millwork, even in the gymnasium, they’ve left no detail out.”
The cherry on top of the downstairs area is a private movie theatre, which seats seven viewers and provides a prime screening experience.
“This is really like a family and friends room. This is another place to kind of come together and enjoy. It’s done beautifully. It feels like a real, true theatre experience,” he added.
To top it all off, the house also comes with its own private elevator which services all three floors, so residents don’t even have to worry about taking the stairs when accessing amenities.
What makes this home worth $11.5 million?
Despite its impressive size and no shortage of entertaining and welcoming spaces, $11.5 million is a steep price tag for a home, even in the Greater Toronto Area.
According to a Housing Market Report by real-estate platform Zolo, the average selling price of a home in Vaughan in August was $1.1 million, which is over 10 times lower than the price of the 35 Riverside Blvd. listing.
In a region where affordable housing remains a topic of concern for many, the steep price tag can feel deeply unrealistic. However, at an ultra-luxury market level, Risi says what makes the property worth it is not its size or amenities, but its attention to detail and quality finishes.
From the custom six-millimetre glass throughout the entire property, quality wood flooring throughout, and attention to the house’s colour palette, every centimetre of the home seems to have been thought through to provide the best experiences for residents.
“Start from the bones, right? A lot of times, what we see is just a facade, but behind the walls and underground, we have poured concrete on every floor, and the bones of it are actually steel,” he explained..
“So, what you’d see in a commercial building or condominium is actually how the house was built.”
What do ultra-luxury buyers look for in Vaughan?
According to Risi, Vaughan has become a top destination for ultra-luxury buyers in the GTA.
While markets in major cities like Toronto and Vancouver are known for their steep prices and access to metropolitan areas, the broker said Vaughan offers easy access to the city while maintaining the privacy and tranquillity of a suburban area.
“[Vaughan] became a staple. It was a city above Toronto… You’re less than half an hour away. What makes Upland so unique is that we are a stone’s throw from Highway 407, far enough that you don’t hear the highway, but you can be down in the city in under half an hour,” he said.
Although access to the city is a major selling point, Risi said the one non-negotiable demand of ultra-luxury buyers nowadays is actually privacy. While being close to nature and staying within close access to Toronto ticks some boxes, without discretion and privacy, a home might not be attractive to a lot of luxury buyers.
How competitive is the ultra-luxury market?
Over the past year, the real estate market has been through a slow patch, with sales and prices significantly down from the period following the COVID-19 pandemic’s boom.
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However, these standard market conditions often don’t reflect what is happening in the ultra-luxury market, which has remained competitive. However, stakes are also much higher.
“Truly exceptional properties still command attention. At this level, buyers can afford to wait for something special to come on the market. There’s no rush, so the differentiation matters from home to home, which is where the details of the construction, the finishes, really, really play a factor,” Risi said.
“There’s lots of big price tags, but when it’s such a small pool, they’re educated buyers, and they know what they want, and they know what they don’t like.”
