Thesb
Active Member
Hm... have you been to George Popper's office to see the standard finishes, symmetrydev? They're better quality than the upgraded finishes in my current loft. As for the layout, different strokes for different folks, I guess.
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- Thread starter capturetheflag
- Start date
Hm... have you been to George Popper's office to see the standard finishes, symmetrydev? They're better quality than the upgraded finishes in my current loft. As for the layout, different strokes for different folks, I guess.
symmetrydev
Active Member
Yes, I've seen the finishes.
I mentioned that I wasn't excited by them, not that they weren't of a decent standard. George is one of pioneers of infill development in Toronto and I have tremendous respect for his work.
You bought into the project....the finishes must have appealed to you, which is fantastic.
The building architecture has some great industrial lines and meets the street with a simple elegance
My issue with the layout was simply that if you begin with 1088 sq.ft and subtract 150-200 sq.ft for the stairs
and further subtract closet space, etc, you're left with a few hundred feet on each floor. It's part of townhouse living
and a lot of people love the zones created by the individual floors. Capturetheflag was looking for 1100 sq.ft
of loft space, I assumed spreading it over 3 floors may not suit his needs.
Congratulations on your purchase...I live a few blocks away and the location can't be beat. You're a minute's walk to
Reliable Fish & Chips. That alone justifies any investment in this project
Cheers
Thesb
Active Member
Yeah, but the title of the thread is "looking for a pre-con condo, loft, or townhome"... I figured the whole "lofthouse" thing covers all the bases
My wife and I have done the open-concept loft thing for a year now and are looking forward to those "zones" you're talking about. The older we get, the more we value an hour a day to nap or read... tough to do if one of us want to watch a movie or listen to tunes without headphones, or even shake, rattle and roll in the kitchen making noise with the pots and pans. Pretty funny when we can't wait for the day when we'll be able to say "I'll just be upstairs with a book. Gimme a shout if you need me!"
My wife and I have done the open-concept loft thing for a year now and are looking forward to those "zones" you're talking about. The older we get, the more we value an hour a day to nap or read... tough to do if one of us want to watch a movie or listen to tunes without headphones, or even shake, rattle and roll in the kitchen making noise with the pots and pans. Pretty funny when we can't wait for the day when we'll be able to say "I'll just be upstairs with a book. Gimme a shout if you need me!"
symmetrydev
Active Member
Yeah, but the title of the thread is "looking for a pre-con condo, loft, or townhome"... I figured the whole "lofthouse" thing covers all the bases
My wife and I have done the open-concept loft thing for a year now and are looking forward to those "zones" you're talking about. The older we get, the more we value an hour a day to nap or read... tough to do if one of us want to watch a movie or listen to tunes without headphones, or even shake, rattle and roll in the kitchen making noise with the pots and pans. Pretty funny when we can't wait for the day when we'll be able to say "I'll just be upstairs with a book. Gimme a shout if you need me!"
I sheepishly admit to not having noticed the "townhome" in the thread
My wife and I have had the EXACT experience as you. We lived in various lofts for 3 years after getting married. Then moved to a rowhouse in Leslieville and had our first child.
The zones suit us perfectly. I've used the "I'll just be upstairs with a book. Gimme a shout if you need me!" line numerous times. In fact, this evening, I'm being quarantined
to the 2nd floor since my wife is too scared to be within a 100 feet of me while I watch Paranormal Activity 2.
I do sometimes miss our old lofts...the flexibility and volume of space, the balconies and the views, the convenience of condo living and the community within the buidings.
Loft living is more immediate, more urgent and has a flavor all it's own.
capturetheflag
New Member
tesb: Thanks for the suggestion of the leslieville lofthouses. The floorplans look pretty good and I really like the area, though I wish the website showed prices and maintence fees. I'll just have head over and check it out on the weekend and grab chinolocos on greenwood. In terms of space, its pretty much the same as what we have now (1000 sqf over 2.5 floors - we have 3 staircases). I really like having the different levels or "zones" to get away from people/noise. What I don't really like about these layouts is the same thing I don't really like about our current home - all the floors are pretty small. Though I'm sure this would be an upgrade in terms of finishes.
symmetrydev is bang on when he talks about the different levels providing you with "zones" but taking away a lot of square footage for living. When you get a lot of people over, it gets very tight unless people like holding a drink on a staircase =p. If we could afford it we'd probably just get a larger townhouse, but most larger townhomes are into well into $800k.
symmetrydev: I actually really like the unit at Motif, but the maintence fees are really high. I understand why with it being a small building and needing to build a reserve fund quickly. It's more than double the fees I pay now for a little more space (or a lot more "useable" space).
Do maintence fees ever go down? In my experience they don't, but I've never lived in a small boutique building.
Would having no ammenities allow a board to lower the maintence fees once they reach a certain amount in reserve?
symmetrydev is bang on when he talks about the different levels providing you with "zones" but taking away a lot of square footage for living. When you get a lot of people over, it gets very tight unless people like holding a drink on a staircase =p. If we could afford it we'd probably just get a larger townhouse, but most larger townhomes are into well into $800k.
symmetrydev: I actually really like the unit at Motif, but the maintence fees are really high. I understand why with it being a small building and needing to build a reserve fund quickly. It's more than double the fees I pay now for a little more space (or a lot more "useable" space).
Do maintence fees ever go down? In my experience they don't, but I've never lived in a small boutique building.
Would having no ammenities allow a board to lower the maintence fees once they reach a certain amount in reserve?
symmetrydev
Active Member
Capturetheflag: I just emailed you preliminary pricing for units of the size you're seeking. About the maintenance fees at Motif, I'm not sure what they are so I can't comment.
I really like what Motif has to offer in terms of finishes and location. My only criticism is that the kitchen is a bit small and lacks storage space.
As a general rule, maintenance fees rarely go down whether it's a boutique building or a skyscraper. Having no amenities does make it easier to control maintenance fees;
if a a reserve fund targer is reached or exceeded, it may very well be possible for a board to reduce fees. Quality of construction and efficiency of design really helps in ensuring
that reserve funds are dipped into infrequently.
I do agree with lofts being great for entertaining. The atmosphere and flow in an expanse of open-concept space with high ceilings is killer.
I really like what Motif has to offer in terms of finishes and location. My only criticism is that the kitchen is a bit small and lacks storage space.
As a general rule, maintenance fees rarely go down whether it's a boutique building or a skyscraper. Having no amenities does make it easier to control maintenance fees;
if a a reserve fund targer is reached or exceeded, it may very well be possible for a board to reduce fees. Quality of construction and efficiency of design really helps in ensuring
that reserve funds are dipped into infrequently.
I do agree with lofts being great for entertaining. The atmosphere and flow in an expanse of open-concept space with high ceilings is killer.
cdr108
Senior Member
Yeah, but the title of the thread is "looking for a pre-con condo, loft, or townhome"... I figured the whole "lofthouse" thing covers all the bases
My wife and I have done the open-concept loft thing for a year now and are looking forward to those "zones" you're talking about. The older we get, the more we value an hour a day to nap or read... tough to do if one of us want to watch a movie or listen to tunes without headphones, or even shake, rattle and roll in the kitchen making noise with the pots and pans. Pretty funny when we can't wait for the day when we'll be able to say "I'll just be upstairs with a book. Gimme a shout if you need me!"
such is the folly of the desire for open-concept living.
although esthetically, it looks nice b/c it gives the impression of more space, one's level of noise tolerance isn't pretty high or if one desires more privacy then it'll be a problem.
i currently have an open-concept LR/DR/kitchen and at times i feel like screaming by the amount of noise that comes from the kitchen to the LR, or vice versa.
Thesb
Active Member
Hi capturetheflag: there is no sales office on site. George's office is in the Bloor/Spadina area... you'll have to call for an appointment with him there if you're interested. The pricing for the remaining units was $459K if I recall correctly. Maintenance fees are $0.18/sq ft. Basically, there'll be minor landscaping, snow removal, window cleaning and the garage washing to pay for, and that's about it. No elevators, no amenities, no security/concierge, no hallways to vacuum etc. keeps the costs down.
elena_va
New Member
You are definitely right that it is very hard to find a pre-con under $500 in the downtown core, however I did find a few project that are actually under 500/sq ft. If you are still interested in these; you can take a look at the list of these projects:
http://elenavankevich.com/buyers/top-15-under.html