While searching for another abandoned house, we passed by this one. This house had ‘the look’ and so we stopped to take a closer look. The driveway had weeds, the grass was overgrown, and the roof was in rough shape. I walked around doing a cursory inspection and made my way to the back. The door opened!

The kitchen countertop had used utensils on it. A garbage can was filled with food. The fridge was working and inside were pizza boxes and a case of Heinekin. I didn’t check for any expiry dates. In an adjacant room were several liquor bottles. This could have gone either way… the house looked like maybe someone lived here but it also looked like it could be in use as a ‘hang out’ for youth.

Another room had a virtual golf simulator. The appearance could either be that of a lived in home, or a vacant house. There was really only one way for me to be certain…

I walked slowly upstairs. I wanted to see if there were any beds and clothing. I discovered a mattress but no bed sheets and very little furniture. I surmised that the house was vacant and only being used by kids or squatter.

This house is a mid-century ranch-style home containing four bedrooms and three bathrooms. According to information found online, it’s been vacant for over 10 years now. I can find no reference to what the house’s address or who the former occupants may have been.

The front door is broken off the hinges allowing elements inside. Sections of the roof have deteriorated and collapsed into the house. There’s black mold throughout. There are numerous boxes of wicker furniture new in packaging. One theory is that the owners operated a business out of the house, while another is that it was used for storage. 

In the rear of the property are two outbuildings, a pool and tennis court. The west side of house contains a three car garage. For the forseeable future there seem to be no plans for demolition of the property.

This was an alleged licensed grow operation. On my first visit, I could observe that the electricity had been altered. HVAC tubing had been run from the basement up to the bedrooms. The attic had remnants of plants and shake. Most much every room in this house was altered to grow marijuana. The only room left untouched was the kitchen.

During my second visit on May 23, 2022 I found that most of the interior has been gutted down to the studs. The kitchen is completely gone.

This house has now been demolished as of 2022.

May 23, 2022 Photos

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This house is located in North York, Ontario. The Toronto area is filled with similar properties that have been purchased by development companies with the intention to build new condo housing. This will be the future home of a three storey building with 7 condos. As with many developer properties, the electricity is still working.

This house was a random find as we were ending our exploration day in May 2022. It was next to a gas station in Kleinburg that we stopped at for fuel. The black and white tiled room reminds me of the text adventure game Miser (Mansion). The red stained glass in the front room lit up the hallway in bright red rays. Nothing very exciting about this find. There are some derelict trucks outside.

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This property was found in King, Ontario. Outside there was an in-ground swimming pool, pond, guest house and large barn. The property may have been used to board horses.

The house was built in 1891 and is was included in Ontario’s heritage property list. Additions were made to the house over the years to both sides of the house and shed dorners added to the roof. After renovations to the house, it was removed from the Ontario Heritage Listing. The property offered privacy as it was situated away from the road at the end of a long driveway.

As I made my way to the stairs leading into the basement, I observed mold on the walls. Over time, the basement had flooded to about two feet of water and the entire room was now filled with mold. The basement contained a pool table, ping pong table, Foosball table and a very old Mason & Risch piano from the early 1900’s.

The surrounding land is used for farming. In fact on the same day we drove past here, we observed a truck go down the driveway. We waited for it to leave and then parked off-site.

GPS: 43.947432 -79.516483

This house was built in 1979 and is situated on 39,000 square feet of land. It was listed for sale at $5,500,000. There’s an outdoor tennis court, five bedrooms, seven bathrooms. The house has an almost commercial appearance to it, and lacks the warmth of a residence. It was last in use as a private Christian school by the name of Heritage International School. They are listed as offering grades 7 through 12 with a strong academic curriculum as well as Arts programs in Visual Arts, Drama (Musical Theatre), Music (Band, Orchestra), Physical Education, and extra-curricular program. The students are primarily Korean.

The MLS listing indicates there’s an indoor pool but on my visit, it was covered over with plywood. Several of the bedrooms have panic buttons, leading me to think this was some sort of residential setting for youth. Out back is a children’s tree house.

In 2018, a developer applied for a permit to build nine, three storey townhouses with rooftop terraces on the land. Since that time, the property has remained untouched.

An online blog post from 2020 shows a much different house, one that appears ready for occupancy. My exploration photos are from 2019. It appears that the house has once again been relisted for sale, this time for $5,800,000.

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