Homes and streets of Cliffside
Cliffside sits in southwest Scarborough, along and south of Kingston Road, between Birch Cliff to the west and Cliffcrest to the east. The ground drops toward the Bluffs and Lake Ontario, and some streets end at ravines or parkland. Housing is mainly detached storey-and-a-half homes and bungalows from the 1940s and 1950s, with a scattering of newer rebuilds where older houses have been replaced.
Kingston Road carries a strip of small shops and low-rise apartments. Behind it, the residential streets are quiet, leafy and close to Bluffer's Park.
Common plumbing issues here
Cliffside's housing predates much of the rest of Scarborough, and that shows in the pipes.
- Cast iron stacks and clay laterals that have cracked or rusted at the joints
- Roots from big old maples and oaks in sewer lines
- Galvanized and even some lead supply pipe still in service
- Damp basements on sloping lots where water runs toward the house
- Outdoor taps and lines that freeze on exposed lakeside walls
Storey-and-a-half houses add a twist. Their upstairs bathrooms often sit under a sloped roof, with supply pipes running through knee walls that get very cold in January. Frozen lines in those walls are a familiar winter call here. Insulating the knee wall space, or rerouting the pipe inward during a renovation, usually ends the problem for good.
Local water and sewer notes
Homes here are on City of Toronto water and sewer. Because many Cliffside houses date from before the mid-1950s, a lead water service is a real possibility. The City replaces the public portion of lead service lines on request or during street work, but the stretch on your lot is yours to deal with. Our guide to lead pipes explains how to check.
Jobs we handle in the area
- Tree root removal from clay sewer laterals
- Drain camera inspection before buying or renovating an older home
- Repiping of galvanized and mixed supply lines
- Lead pipe replacement on the private side
- Sump pump installation for damp basements
Many of these come up together. A camera inspection can show roots in a lateral, while the same visit finds that the water line coming in is lead or galvanized.
Nearby zones
To the west, Birch Cliff shares Cliffside's age and character. East along Kingston Road you reach Cliffcrest, and further on, Guildwood and Scarborough Village. The Bluffs tie them together, and so does a housing stock that is starting to need its first major plumbing updates. If you live anywhere along that stretch, the same advice applies: know your shut-off, keep an eye on the floor drain, and get the lateral looked at before it becomes urgent.