Half-built Toronto home with boarded-up garage still asking over $1 million

In 2020, this Toronto home at 6 Cotton Ave. sold the same day it was listed. And no, it wasn't because it was some jaw-dropping architectural gem.

It was just a perfectly ordinary three-bedroom, two-bathroom bungalow in Scarborough. But it was 2020 — peak COVID Toronto housing hysteria — and that alone was enough.

The new owners immediately went full send, demolishing the bungalow and starting work on a massive four-bedroom, five-bathroom rebuild.

The main floor has tons of roughed-in pot lights. 

Somewhere along the way, though, the momentum stalled. Whether they ran out of money, patience, or sheer willpower is unclear, but by 2024 ,the half-finished house was back on the market.

And it's kind of just… been there ever since.

The kitchen opens to the backyard. 

Originally listed at $1,999,990, the property has steadily slid down to a much more sobering $1,050,000.

What stands today is a hulking, newly constructed detached home with approximately 2,891 square feet of interior space — and absolutely none of the personality that usually comes with a finished house.

A roughed-in bathroom. 

Instead, it's being pitched as a "blank canvas" and sold "as-is," which is realtor-speak for bring money, patience, and a very detailed vision board.

The back of the house with only a few bricks missing. 

To be fair, a lot of the heavy lifting has already been done. The exterior is fully realized with a sharp brick-and-stone façade. The layout is generous, the ceilings are high, and most of the windows are already in.

A closet that opens into a bathroom. 

Inside, though, there are no finished floors. No kitchen to swoon over. No spa-like bathrooms ready for Instagram. There is drywall, though, which feels like the real estate equivalent of a participation ribbon.

A home office or small bedroom. 

Still, if you're the kind of buyer who usually tears out brand-new kitchens anyway, this might actually be a win.

Another roughed-in bathroom. 

Instead of undoing someone else's design choices, you get to select every finish yourself — from tile to taps — and turn this shell into a true custom build without starting entirely from scratch.

A bedroom. 

For some buyers, that's a dream scenario. For others, it's a stress nightmare in framing form.

The basement walk-out. 

One of the more compelling features is the separate walk-in basement entrance with a walk-out, opening the door to an in-law suite, rental unit, or future income-generating setup — a particularly attractive option given where Toronto's housing market is right now.

A bedroom. 

The listing also notes roughed-in central vacuum and other behind-the-walls work already completed, reinforcing the idea that this project stalled late, not early.

The front of the house. 

Location-wise, 6 Cotton Ave. sits less than ten minutes from the Scarborough Bluffs and Lake Ontario, under five minutes from the Scarborough GO station, and close to parks, transit, and a solid mix of local restaurants and amenities.

The temporary stairs. 

That said, it's still a neighbourhood where the average fully finished home — you know, one with floors and a kitchen — sells for under $1 million.

A bedroom. 

So even after a staggering price drop that reflects both today's cooler market and the very real cost required to finish the build, the home still feels overpriced for what you're actually getting.

Another room. 

Then again, it's been sitting for nearly two years, which means if you've got the stomach for a lowball offer, the budget to finish the build, and a clear exit plan, there might be a silver lining here.

The back of the house. 

All you gotta do is complete the home, sell at the very top of the neighbourhood's range — just under $1.5 million — and hope the odds are ever in your favour.