neuhaus said:
...it's a whopping $50,000 option. The sliding door openings are 16 feet wide on each side, occuring at the corner of the building. All 4 of these units are between 1,000 sq.ft. and 2,000 sq.ft., so a $50,000 upgrade on these units priced at $705,000 to $1.4million unit doesn't sound so bad and it makes up for not having a balcony which at this high price point could be an issue at resale.
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It seems nice in theory, but these sliding doors wouldn't replace a decent outdoor space for me. At $1M+ I want a rockin' terrace :cool:
 
waterloowarrior said:
I've always wondered why we don't have more glassed in balconies in condos, like in Finland, considering our climate
http://cocomino.wordpress.com/2012/...ormal-apartment-in-finland-holland-and-japan/

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Practically every condo built in the 80's had them. They were called "solariums".
 
Mississauga Slim said:
I think this is a great option, and it would be great if more projects went in this direction in the future. Condo balconies are one of those things that are better in theory than in practice. At least in a climate like ours. People think of them as a "must have" in their imaginations but, when they actually move in to a unit, in most cases the balcony is extremely under used. In my building, I see hundreds of condo balconies all around me every day, and there is hardly ever a soul to be seen on any of them at any time. My own balcony is no exception.

So, imagine the benefits to be gained by having that much more extra floor space, with the option of a very wide sliding aperture to give you exposure to the outside at those times when you want it.

I think all condos in Toronto should be built this way.
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devjohnson said:
+1
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ProjectEnd said:
There is a new 2012 OBC as some may know. The sliding glass does indeed meet code and aA is not the only firm designing a building which features it.
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I think this is a good idea on paper but fails in practice. With no protective screen, your condo would turn into a insects paradise.
 
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How on earth would there be tension on the screen to keep in it place with a 16' span? There would have to be lots of support in the frame or have some super strong material that's for sure. My cats would love a 16' screen door lol. It would last a whole of 2 minutes intact.
 
I'm curious how the engineering on a corner sliding door works. In most curtain/window wall systems I've seen it's usually the corners that are most susceptible to leaks because of the geometry of the interlocks and compression on the gaskets. I picture these things coming with a giant mechanical arm on them to force one door into a track on the other door, and then to generate enough compression to seal everything up.
 
Any old condo building will likely have dozens of winterized balconies if the corporation allows them. It's what visually separates condo slabs from rentals.
 
Mississauga Slim said:
I think this is a great option, and it would be great if more projects went in this direction in the future. Condo balconies are one of those things that are better in theory than in practice. At least in a climate like ours. People think of them as a "must have" in their imaginations but, when they actually move in to a unit, in most cases the balcony is extremely under used. In my building, I see hundreds of condo balconies all around me every day, and there is hardly ever a soul to be seen on any of them at any time. My own balcony is no exception.

So, imagine the benefits to be gained by having that much more extra floor space, with the option of a very wide sliding aperture to give you exposure to the outside at those times when you want it.

I think all condos in Toronto should be built this way.
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Nonsense. The problem isn't balconies, it's the design of 90% of them. What good is a sliver 3 feet deep with a fragile pane of glass between you and a 100m drop? The balconies I see empty are ones like these and turn into storage areas for bicycles and boxes. Balconies that can actually function like outdoor rooms get used a lot.

For the vast majority of developers the balcony is an after thought. If I'm to live in a high rise I want a balcony, but would never consider a condo unless I can comfortably sit 6 for dinner out there. Glass sides? Not a chance. My building has balconies 5ft deep and 12-16 ft long and people are out on them almost every day from April to late early October. I have breakfast on mine about 100 days/year.

Ideally, I'd want a balcony 10-15 feet deep but those are usually only possible on certain floors in buildings that stagger upwards.
 
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I agree with a lot of what you have to say. I couldn't imagine not having a useful outdoor space with a condo apt unit. Do we want every building to look like an office tower?

As for comments about our climate, we don't live in Nunavut!!! I'm not going to sit indoors in July prepared for when the snow is coming. I guess some people don't enjoy the (normally) awesome summers and falls that we have here.

I'm with you in that I use my balcony from the end of April to at least Thanksgiving. Last year, I had plants still growing outside right up until Dec. 1st.
 
I really hope this project gets approved; I don't understand the cities objection given its on the west side of Church; To me it serves it'll be a perfect transition from the core to old Toronto, where I do agree height should be moderated; And city has done a good job of that, look at all the condos built on the east side of: King / Richmond / Front / Adelaide. Just about all do a great job of fitting into old Toronto ..
 
I noticed last night that they have started painting over the mural above the sales centre. The OMB website doesn't show a decision yet. Anyone know what's going on?
 
I am not sure what the OMB decision will be (I think we can safely say they'll support it), but I do know that Freed is aiming to have construction begin by end of summer.
 
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