East York sits north of the Danforth, between the Don Valley and Victoria Park Avenue. It was its own borough until 1998 and is known for its streets of small brick bungalows and semis built in the 1930s and 1940s, many of them wartime and post-war homes. Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park to the north are dense apartment neighbourhoods.
Taylor Creek and the Don Valley wrap around East York, and many streets slope toward the ravines. The small bungalows typically have low basements that have been finished over the years, sitting on foundations and drainage that are now over 80 years old.
What Causes Water Damage in East York
Low finished basements: little headroom and finished floors right at the level where water first appears.
Aging drainage: clay weeping tiles and laterals failing.
Ravine slopes: runoff toward Taylor Creek and the Don.
Apartment towers: suite-to-suite leaks in Thorncliffe and Flemingdon Park.
Small Houses, Big Impact
In a small bungalow, the basement is often a third of the living space. Getting it dry quickly and properly matters, and so does fixing the cause, whether that’s a downspout, a failed weeping tile or a backup through the floor drain.
East York is part of our Toronto water extraction area. Leaside is just to the northwest, Riverdale is to the south across the Danforth, and Scarborough is east past Victoria Park.
Water extraction and drying for East York's brick bungalows and semis between the Don Valley and Victoria Park.
About the area
East York lies between the Don Valley and Victoria Park Avenue, north of the Danforth. Taylor Creek Park, the Don Valley trails, East York Town Centre, Thorncliffe Park and the shops along O'Connor Drive and Pape are local landmarks.
Local expertise
East York's small 1930s and 1940s bungalows have low finished basements and aging drainage, so seepage and backups are the main causes of water damage.
Neighbourhoods served
East York
Woodbine Heights
Pape Village
Thorncliffe Park
Flemingdon Park
Local landmarks
Taylor Creek Park
Don Valley
East York Town Centre
O'Connor Drive
Frequently asked questions
Why does my East York bungalow basement take water?
Most are 80 years old or more, with clay weeping tiles and laterals that fail, and low basements where any water shows up quickly.
Do homes near Taylor Creek have more water problems?
Streets sloping toward the ravine can send runoff toward foundations during heavy rain.
Can a low basement be dried without removing all the drywall?
Often only the lower part needs to come out. Drywall is cut above the wet line and the cavity dried and checked before rebuilding.
Basement flooding is Toronto's most common water damage problem. The city's older neighbourhoods have combined sewers that carry storm water and sewage…
