Six millennials buy the kind of downtown house their peers dream about — well a home really — one that radiates charm and warmth with generous high-ceilinged space and enough bedrooms and bathrooms for each of the six homeowners, plus room for guests.When it comes to housing in Toronto, money is always going to be part of the conversation. But for these homeowners, the financial benefits of splitting a mortgage and other living expenses come second to the benefits of sharing their lives — with one another and with a wider community.They call their west-end house Clarens Commons. Each of the six own between 2 and 37 per cent of the two-and-a-half-storey detached house that they purchased last year for $1.3 million. They won’t discuss who owns what shares because, for decision-making purposes, all the owners are considered equal.There are seven bedrooms and three bathrooms, including a guest room and bath in the renovated basement. The front of the house offers a wide front porch. There’s a back yard and two-car garage backing on a laneway. Inside the front door a wide item, open living and dining room and kitchen welcome guests with bright colours, a mix of interesting art and a showstopper back splash of butter yellow and wedgewood blue tile.This is an adult home, not a college dorm or a hippy commune. For the homeowners, it is just a different way of adulting — an alternative that is seldom considered in a society where the convention is to live alone or as a couple. It’s a human enhancement to the technology-based social connections that are increasingly the norm.“I work in mental health, I spent time volunteering on a crisis line. I have just seen time and time again for myself and others that we’re more isolated than we should be or want to be,” says Valery Navarrete, 39, who, like most of the house mates, has lived in groups and alone.Read more:How ‘monster homes’ are transforming Toron ...
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