Tag Archives: outdoor space
Second offer takes unique three-storey Toronto factory loft
Sydnia Yu – The Globe and Mail
ADDRESS: 200 Clinton Street, No. 1
ASKING PRICE: $1,495,000
SELLING PRICE: $1,300,000
PREVIOUS SELLING PRICES: $471,000 (1998); $349,000 (1996)
TAXES: $5,776 (2011)
DAYS ON THE MARKET: 125
Button Factory Lofts – 200 Clinton Street
THE ACTION: On a residential street between popular restaurants and cafés on Harbord and College streets, this three-storey, ground floor unit at the Button Factory Lofts was slowly cased by about 60 buyers starting in the fall. A lowball offer was turned away, but the seller’s patience paid off with another viable bid by the end of winter.
Comment: Don’t be fooled by the long time on the market, expensive properties like this always take time to sell.
WHAT THEY GOT: In the 1990s, a century-old, uniform factory was redeveloped with 13 raw loft spaces. This one occupying the building’s north, east and south corner was the largest with 2,400 square feet of interior space and 600 square feet outdoors, excluding the private front yard.
The main floor has three entry points, including a door between the carport and the kitchen and dining area and the warehouse’s original front entrance between the garden and fireside living space with 24-foot ceilings, original post and beams, hardwood floors and custom spiral staircase.
A second-floor terrace can be reached from the den and bedroom, while the rooftop deck is at the top of the stairs from a third floor master suite with one of three bathrooms.
Without recreational facilities or concierge on site, monthly fees are just $964.
THE AGENT’S TAKE: “It’s a hidden gem with only 13 units in the complex, so there’s next to no turnover,” agent Christopher Bibby said. “[This unit] is such a unique property, it is the largest in the complex and it has the most exterior space.”
Lofts rarely possess an original front door, skylights, wood-burning fireplace, spiral staircase and outdoor space, much less all those elements combined, he said.
“In a lot of conversions, you’re on a higher floor. Here, the entire unit was at grade, so it really felt more like a freehold property, but it did have lofty characteristics,” Mr. Bibby added.
“It’s not common in a loft to have 2,400-square feet spread over three floors.”
Comment: Amazing, I sold one in this building a few years ago. Even with multiple offers, it only went for a bit over $800k. I cannot believe how much prices have risen here!
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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information – 416-388-1960
Laurin & Natalie Jeffrey are Toronto Realtors with Century 21 Regal Realty.
They did not write these articles, they just reproduce them here for people
who are interested in Toronto real estate. They do not work for any builders.
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New in Toronto Real Estate: 383 Sorauren
Sarah Ratchford – blogTO
383 Sorauren Avenue as a condo development is basically still a fetus. The sales office just opened last weekend, and the condos themselves won’t be ready for moving day until fall 2016. As the city expands ever outward, though, condo life is getting pushed farther west. Behold: the latest condos in family-focused Roncesvalles.
383 Sorauren Avenue
SPECS
Address: 383 Sorauren Ave.
Floors: 11
Total number of units: 161
Elevators: 2
Types of units: studio, one bedroom, one plus den, two bedroom, three plus den, townhouses on the first floor, penthouses.
Unit sizes (in square feet): 470 to 1500
Ceiling heights: 9’0″ to 10’0″
Prices from (available units): $250,000
Maintenance fees: $0.48
Developer: Gairloch and Centrestone Urban Developments Inc.
Amenities/building features: Fitness room, outdoor lounge, guest suite
THE GOOD
The developers have paid attention to the importance of outdoor space here. Every unit will be equipped with a balcony of sorts, and there’s a communal outdoor space as well. And while these condos are definitely, um, condo-sized, their stark whiteness comes off as more gallery-esque than boring and drab. There’s also en-suite laundry, and en-suite baths off of the master bedrooms. Ceilings will be exposed concrete, and there’s a choice of interior finishes.
As for the neighbourhood, it has most of the amenities of downtown living, minus a little noise, the hectic atmosphere and subways (do I sound like Rob Ford?). Mitzi’s and Balluchon are just down the street for brunch and coffee dates. There are countless awesome fruit and veggie markets on Roncesvalles, just a main street over. Even with all of this, the area is quiet enough that you can hear birds singing and children playing other such things that make people feel happy and warm inside.
THE BAD
These condos run the risk of feeling very cell-like. The washrooms look like they belong in a middle-of-the-road hotel. The suite pictured goes for $391,900. If I’m spending $391,900, I don’t want to feel like I’m chillin in a HoJo. The model kitchen is also rather anonymous (read: I almost walked through without noticing it). There are condo-sized appliances and very minimal counter space. In fairness, though, this is a pretty common issue when it comes to condo living, and unless cooking is a major hobby, the space is serviceable. But then there are the terribly teensy closets, and that, ladies and gentlemen, could be a deal-breaker for the fashion-inclined.
The model I toured is really light on storage. Other than the aforementioned narrow bedroom closets, there’s a hall closet, and that’s about it. (Again, a common hazard with condos, and could be remedied by vertical storage solutions). The gallery-esque appearence I refer to above also just might have something to do with the fact that the model suite I visited was fully outfitted by an interior designer. Your unit might not look so pretty.
For some, the family vibe of this neighbourhood might actually be a bad thing, as well. The ‘hood is pretty tame. There are a few bars nearby on Roncesvalles, but most spots close pretty early, and the area can be pretty dead by 11 p.m. or so.
(Though Betty notes that not too far east on Dundas you can find Wallflower, 1602, Mr. Pong’s, the Henhouse and Black Dice.)
OUR TAKE
If you want a relaxed space in a sought-after neighbourhood, and you’re not an aspiring chef or a snob for lovely washrooms, then this place is..alright. It just depends on what you’re after. Some people are into the plain Jane condo feel, but overall this place seems like it’s coming up short of its potential.
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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information – 416-388-1960
Laurin & Natalie Jeffrey are Toronto Realtors with Century 21 Regal Realty.
They did not write these articles, they just reproduce them here for people
who are interested in Toronto real estate. They do not work for any builders.
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Incoming search terms
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The great living space in the sky
Ryan Starr – Toronto Star
Spring has sprung in Toronto and with it has come the thrill of returning to life outdoors.
So developer Henry Strasser thinks it’s a great opportunity to gush about the large exterior living spaces he’s got on offer at Jade Waterfront, the 38-storey, 370-unit building to be built at Lake Shore Blvd. W. near Park Lawn Rd. in Etobicoke.
“We have balconies that are up to 400 square feet,” says Strasser, a principal with Phantom Developments, the project’s developer. “That’s more than half the size of the actual unit size in some cases.”
The balconies at Jade Waterfront — dubbed “Sky Yards” — will range in size from 60 square feet to 200 square feet, depending on the unit. Most of them are in the 150 square foot range, Strasser says.
Condos at Jade Waterfront range from 465-square-foot one-bedroom units to 1,450-square-foot two bedroom-plus-den suites. There are also penthouses.
Units are priced from $240,000 to $950,000. The project is currently 40 per cent sold.
Strasser reckons Jade Waterfront’s big balconies should prove attractive to professional couples, young families, or local move-down buyers — those looking to escape the hassles of home garden maintenance but still wanting to enjoy life outdoors.
“We believe people want to be outside more, and the atmosphere here is very scenic,” Strasser says, referring to Jade Waterfront’s dog-walker/jogger-friendly Humber Bay location. “With these balconies, people can be outside a lot entertaining.”
Expanding home living spaces to the outdoors is a big trend these days, notes Tania Richardson, a principal with Tomas Pearce Interior Design Consulting and Jade Waterfront’s designer.
“A couple of years ago it was closet organization,” she says. “But now the trend is creating these beautiful extensions of your interior living space on the exterior.
“We’re seeing it in the furniture market; exterior furniture looking as though it’s interior furniture.”
That’s what Richardson and her team have in mind for Jade Waterfront, where on the balconies they’re installing what they call the “Outdoor Hub.”
It’s a large exterior cabinet that serves as an entertaining unit (it can hold a TV), a storage place for drinks, glassware and cushions, as well as a surface to prepare food on.
Units at Jade Waterfront also have a double-sided fireplace.
“It’s making entertaining accessible to all the purchasers,” Richardson explains.
“Because I know for myself the cost of putting in an outdoor TV and entertaining space or fireplace out there would be astronomical.
“Here the purchasers already have this done and it’s just a matter of buying a TV and putting music out there. It’s bringing entertainment to a balcony, essentially in a box.”
No outdoor space is complete without a bit of greenery. To help buyers at Jade Waterfront learn how to create great gardens in the sky, the developer has enlisted the services of Citytv personality Frank Ferragine, a.k.a. Frankie Flowers, who will be running workshops at the sales centre in the coming months.
As one of its amenities, Jade Waterfront will have an outdoor community planting area, something that impresses Ferragine. “That’s a top trend right now, community gardens,” he says.
“If people don’t want to garden on their patios, they can do it in the communal space, and maybe share their food. Or people can grow together with other experienced gardeners.
“I don’t know how many condos have community garden space,” he says, “but it’s quite cool.”
Optimizing the outdoors
Tania Richardson and Tiffany Love of Tomas Pearce Interior Design Consulting offer tips on how to maximize use of your condo’s outdoor space.
• Flexible furniture: Select multi-functional furniture. “A typical patio set used to be a table, four chairs and an umbrella. Now we do it with an exterior sofa, table and two chairs,” says Richardson. “That way you’re creating two-dimensional outdoor spaces: an eating space or move the table and have a conversation or relaxation area.”
• Durable stuff: Get outdoor furniture that can withstand bad weather. “Then you can take the upholstered items and put them in your locker and keep the pieces on the balcony and maintain the look in the off season,” Love suggests. “It will still look welcoming and livable and will add to the interior space and make it look bigger.”
Gardening alternatives: You don’t need to be a green thumb to garden. “There are some phenomenal artificial trees and flowers out there that you don’t have to worry about,” Richardson says. “I’m not talking silk flowers, I’m talking artificial boxwoods, cedars. And they’ll look gorgeous. From inside the condo they look very much real.”
•Ryan Starr
Balcony garden greatness
Gardening guru Frank Ferragine (a.k.a. Frankie Flowers) has some surefire ways to make your balcony garden come alive this spring.
• Cool containers: “People in condos have to think creatively about how they’re going to garden, and basically it all comes down to different containers,” says Ferragine. “Containers can make boring spaces interesting places, and you can grow edibles in containers no problem.”
• Environmental awareness: Before you select plants, understand your balcony conditions (sunlight, wind, access to water, etc. “There are plants for every different scenario, so you want to figure out your variables up front,” Ferragine says. “The ultimate goal is to find the right plant for the right place.”
• Flowers for you: For areas with full, hot sun and high winds, Ferragine recommends Dragon Wing Begonias, “a foolproof plant that looks great.” Oleanders do well with sun and wind, too. In areas with partial light and low wind, Ferragine likes red leaf bananas. “They’re so sexy, and with a nice deep red leaf.”
• Veggies in the mix: Tomatoes (cherry, mid-size, yellow, heirlooms) and potatoes do well on balconies, but require full sun. For shaded spots grow greens, like a mesclun mix. Herbs are great, too, but Ferragine advises: “Just grow the herbs you use. Pick your top three herbs and do big pots of each.”
• Fruitful: Grow an apple tree on your balcony. “You build an insulated planter and then prune the apple tree so it can hug the wall,” Ferragine explains. “If you have an outdoor space and the opportunity, an apple tree costs you $40. I guarantee people spend a lot more than that on wine that only lasts the night.”
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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information – 416-388-1960
Laurin & Natalie Jeffrey are Toronto Realtors with Century 21 Regal Realty.
They did not write these articles, they just reproduce them here for people
who are interested in Toronto real estate. They do not work for any builders.
—————————————————————————————————–
Incoming search terms
Related posts:
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