[asiancolossus]

Hey guys, finally was able to scan the plan for my townhome and I love the critiques on this board so far. By all means be honest and I appreciate any opinions you can give me. Thanks so much, I really enjoy all of your posts. I'm sorry I could only get it in JPG file and the dimensions of the main rooms are not on the plan but here they are:

Total Suite area: 1500 square feet

Main floor 755 square feet:
Dining Room 9' x 10'6"
Living Room 11' x 14'
Kitchen 10'3" x 14'4"
Terrace 121 square feet
Powder Room, Storage room sizes not provided by are similar in size from the diagram

Second floor 745 square feet:
Master Bedroom 13' x 9'3"
Second Bedroom 10'4" x 9'5"
Den 11'8" x 6'9"
Two bathrooms (ensuite with shower and bathtub, second with only bathtub) and washer dryer room sizes not provided

One thing that I will comment on is that I will need some kind of division between LR and DR as I want separation between the two without interrupting the flow of the room. Maybe some kind of shelving unit or pony wall?

 

[lead82]

Looks like a pretty good layout. Not too much wasted space, and nicely rectangular rooms offer good walls for furniture placement.

What's the totals sq ft of the unit?

 

[asiancolossus]

Looks like a pretty good layout. Not too much wasted space, and nicely rectangular rooms offer good walls for furniture placement.

What's the totals sq ft of the unit?

Oops lead82, forgot that I will amend it in my original post.

The total suite area is 1500 square feet, main floor is 755 and upper floor is 745.

 

[cdr108]

good entry closet space (~6 ft);

the long LR/DR (~10 ft x 24 ft) can accomodate many configurations.
if you want separation, consider going across the street to IKEA and get an EXPEDIT tv storage unit. i think it's finished on both sides and see through.

kitchen is nice and large but i'm still not a fan of linear layouts.
does the island have storage below? what does the dotted line represent? ;

how deep does the closet underneath the stairwell go?
if you find that you have enough storage space, you could use the 'storage area' as an open den (~5 ft x 6 ft) by removing the door;

the master bedroom is okay size but the 2nd bedroom is compact considering the upper floor is 745 SF.
it's too bad they didn't put the 2nd washroom + laundry where the den is.
it could have allowed for 2 larger bedrooms + closets.

 

[asiancolossus]

good entry closet space (~6 ft);

the long LR/DR (~10 ft x 24 ft) can accomodate many configurations.
if you want separation, consider going across the street to IKEA and get an EXPEDIT tv storage unit. i think it's finished on both sides and see through.

kitchen is nice and large but i'm still not a fan of linear layouts.
does the island have storage below? what does the dotted line represent? ;

how deep does the closet underneath the stairwell go?
if you find that you have enough storage space, you could use the 'storage area' as an open den (~5 ft x 6 ft) by removing the door;

the master bedroom is okay size but the 2nd bedroom is compact considering the upper floor is 745 SF.
it's too bad they didn't put the 2nd washroom + laundry where the den is.
it could have allowed for 2 larger bedrooms + closets.

Hey cdr, I definitely enjoy reading your assessments of the floor plans on here, you must be in the real estate business because you have a very logical thought process!

Both floors have 9 foot ceilings which I asked the question before whether this would make much of a difference, and the main floor has laminate flooring and the upper floors have loop carpet (I would have preferred upgrading to laminate flooring as well but no such option)

Thanks for the IKEA idea, I heard building a pony wall isn't that big of a deal but if I can achieve that with a decent wall unit that would be awesome, I don't have much light as it is a one sided townhouse so I don't want the light to be filtered too much.

I wondered about that storage room being enough for a den but I don't think 5 by 6 will be great for anything other than a computer desk? As this unit hasn't been built, I don't know about the closet under the stairs how deep it goes.

The island does have a pot storage from what I recall, there is also the microwave in there. It is granite countertop, so I'm pretty happy with that. The dotted line represents and end breakfast area, where you can put two bar stools on either side.

I thought both bedrooms are on the small size considering the size of the unit. The space between the closets is basically unusable. I would have actually preferred two bigger bedrooms rather than the den but I'm sure I'll figure something out with the den. Another configuration has the den downstairs, I preferred this but the unit was facing the GO train tracks, not sure how close, but I didn't like this option.

Thanks again for your input!

 

[cdr108]

you're welcome asiancolossus.

LOL ... i'm not in RE but i should consider it considering i do like going to presentation centres and critiquing floorplans ... hehehe

it's a hobby that started over a decade ago when i first looked at condos and could not believe the amount of crap out there.

IMO floorplans have been getting worse and worse; not better or usuable as developers are trying to market.
and yes, that storage/'den' could only fit a desk ...

btw, what's a pony wall ???

 

[asiancolossus]

Hey cdr, I only recently learned about this concept of "pony wall" watching HGTV, its amazing what you can learn on there!

It is a low wall (probably about half the height or less of the full wall) that is used to segregate a room into different areas. From what I understand it is attached to the wall, and its relatively easy to build but if a wall unit can do the same thing perhaps that is the better option and is less "permanent".

I know what you mean by the crap out there. They are trying to sell 500 to 600 square foot units as being "spacious" when a lot of them have unusable space. I had to save almost 10 years in order to be able to afford a unit with more room. I tried to stay away from those units where there were a lot of curves and nooks and crannies in order to maximize my usable space. Grant it, if everything was all on one floor, it probably would be alot more spacious but I somehow have always liked the idea of having my bedrooms on a different floor than my entertaining and dining area.

So sounds more or less you approve? Not a crap place? LOL

 

[cdr108]

overall good ...
now you've got me wondering how my 1400 SF 2s house has 3 bedrooms + den + 2 1/2 baths ???

 

[taal]

Hey where is this located / what developer / and for what price if you don't mind?

 

[avatarreb]

Hey guys, finally was able to scan the plan for my townhome and I love the critiques on this board so far. By all means be honest and I appreciate any opinions you can give me. Thanks so much, I really enjoy all of your posts. I'm sorry I could only get it in JPG file and the dimensions of the main rooms are not on the plan but here they are:

Total Suite area: 1500 square feet

Main floor 755 square feet:
Dining Room 9' x 10'6"
Living Room 11' x 14'
Kitchen 10'3" x 14'4"
Terrace 121 square feet
Powder Room, Storage room sizes not provided by are similar in size from the diagram

Second floor 745 square feet:
Master Bedroom 13' x 9'3"
Second Bedroom 10'4" x 9'5"
Den 11'8" x 6'9"
Two bathrooms (ensuite with shower and bathtub, second with only bathtub) and washer dryer room sizes not provided

One thing that I will comment on is that I will need some kind of division between LR and DR as I want separation between the two without interrupting the flow of the room. Maybe some kind of shelving unit or pony wall?

Nice unit overall... though I am not a fan of the closet by the terrace entrance; why do you need one there? If you knocked out the closet and kept the same flooring (hardwood) throughout you would do a lot to improve the perceived width of what is right now looking like narrow space.

 

[Josef]

Hi there AC,

I actually replied to this thread yesterday, but with my luck, I accidentally closed the window

I'll short form my response with point forms...

-Fantastic choice of a town home!
-I would personally remove the entrance closet, as I feel it blocks
the overall view of the main floor.
-Lovely ensuite
-I'd add French doors to the den to further define the space.
-Don't consider buying any divider for the living/dining space until you
moved in.

 

[asiancolossus]

Hey cdr, I had the same thoughts, for 1500 square feet and having 2 bedrooms and den, I thought, you can get 2 bedrooms and den under 1000 square feet so what gives? The only thing I can think of is that the living room, dining room is extra large and/or the bathrooms are extra large. Any thoughts? This is the hazard of buying on a floorplan, I keep thinking, why does everything seem so small?

taal, the unit is in Concord Park Place at Leslie and Sheppard and the units run on average 350 per square foot up to 400 per square foot, which is a lot cheaper than Hullmark where I was looking earlier (600+ per square foot), BUT the quality is not as good as Tridel. However, I think it is pretty decent. I would never get that price downtown, but as it is right next to Leslie Subway, that's good enough for me.

avatarreb, I think the reason for the closet is that the terrace faces outside to the courtyard, I can get into the unit either from the inside of the building (garage) or from the courtyard and I would need closet space from either side. But good thought, if I got rid of the closet, it would definitely seem bigger!

josef, thanks for your opinions, much appreciated! I'll see how the closet blocks the view and may take it out. I was definitely thinking of French doors for the den, even maybe a wall with a regular door but I think French doors will be better to let in the light as there isn't any on that side. I will see about the divider, I really like having the LR/DR separated somehow but not sure of the best way to achieve this.

 

[taal]

I hate most townhomes because the units are laid out like:
Floor 1: bugalo ...
Floor 2 - 4/5 - 3/4 story unit with tiny floors!

This unit though, is nice! I like it a lot actually very well laid out.

How's the sound proofing in townhomes / better then condos? I find sound mainly comes from the ceiling so that might be better in townhomes, at least the bottom floor.

Are there tell tail signs to tell how well the soundproofing will be based on information you can attain prior or after construction. You really really can't ask anyone in a building because it's not really in their interest to tell you the truth ... and I don't blame the.

 

[asiancolossus]

I hate most townhomes because the units are laid out like:
Floor 1: bugalo ...
Floor 2 - 4/5 - 3/4 story unit with tiny floors!

This unit though, is nice! I like it a lot actually very well laid out.

How's the sound proofing in townhomes / better then condos? I find sound mainly comes from the ceiling so that might be better in townhomes, at least the bottom floor.

Are there tell tail signs to tell how well the soundproofing will be based on information you can attain prior or after construction. You really really can't ask anyone in a building because it's not really in their interest to tell you the truth ... and I don't blame the.

I think that if the townhome is built associated with a condo, the walls will likely be the same in terms of soundproofing.
I know what you mean about poor layouts for townhomes but it is so true for condos these days as well!

 

[cdr108]

what does the below mean?

I hate most townhomes because the units are laid out like:
Floor 1: bugalo ...
Floor 2 - 4/5 - 3/4 story unit with tiny floors!