When taking a shower, there are surges of scalding hot water, no doubt from toilets being flushed. I'm told the problem can be fixed by replacing a cartridge in the shower head but that I would have to pay about $120 for a plumber to install it. I view it as a deficiency which I should not have to pay for. Has anyone else experienced this problem? My next step is to contact the city's Health and Safety branch.

I have heard this from other residents on my floor. I spoke to the management today and it seems like there are plans underway to get it fixed. I will prefer that building management makes arrangements, buying the parts, and arranging for plumbers etc. Not sure yet if managment intends paying for it or if they will want residents to pay it. I guess they will need OK from board of directors if they were to pay.
 
Installing over the counter microwave

I'm going to replace my hood fan with over the counter microwave and wonder if anyone already did that and can share his experience? the installation will cost me $250. My plan is to get rid of the stupid island and put a nice and big dining table instead.
 
Toilet Problems?

I noticed that my toilet starting running a few weeks ago (and it made some extremely loud sounds over the past week)

When I finally got around to looking at the problem, I noticed that the water shut-off valve had started to extend/protrude out of the wall! (if you look at the pictures, you can see the plastic tubing come out)

Anyone have experience with this? Im sure this wasnt like this last month, and I can assure you I didnt pull it!

sgofvc.jpg

18ystt.jpg
 
I noticed that my toilet starting running a few weeks ago (and it made some extremely loud sounds over the past week)

When I finally got around to looking at the problem, I noticed that the water shut-off valve had started to extend/protrude out of the wall! (if you look at the pictures, you can see the plastic tubing come out)

Anyone have experience with this? Im sure this wasnt like this last month, and I can assure you I didnt pull it

I just checked mine (04 unit) and it looks fine. I replaced the toilet though when I moved in to a TOTO. Also changed out the shower to a rain shower set. The plumber mentioned that the finishes were sub par and the valves used for the bathroom were not the best. Not surprised this is the builder's fault. Talk to the management office.
 
I just checked mine (04 unit) and it looks fine. I replaced the toilet though when I moved in to a TOTO. Also changed out the shower to a rain shower set. The plumber mentioned that the finishes were sub par and the valves used for the bathroom were not the best. Not surprised this is the builder's fault. Talk to the management office.

TOTO, nice choice! :)

Have you guys ever seen the ELECTRIC MIRROR? While in NYC, the hotel I stayed in had an ELECTRIC MIRROR - simply amazing for the vanity! http://www.electricmirror.com/
 
I'm going to replace my hood fan with over the counter microwave and wonder if anyone already did that and can share his experience? the installation will cost me $250. My plan is to get rid of the stupid island and put a nice and big dining table instead.

what are you doing with your island?
dibs !
 
what are you doing with your island?
dibs !

It's in the garbage where it should be. My living room feels like 10 times bigger. I'm sure I made the right choice. I just feel sorry that I did not have the money to mail back my island with the hood fan to Cecconi Simone; I'm sure they know how to use it in their next exciting project.
 
It's in the garbage where it should be. My living room feels like 10 times bigger. I'm sure I made the right choice. I just feel sorry that I did not have the money to mail back my island with the hood fan to Cecconi Simone; I'm sure they know how to use it in their next exciting project.

LOL @ Cecconi Simone. I think they are a poor excuse for designers. Hell, I can design almost as good as them at a fraction of the cost. What designer sticks a drop down light in the bathroom so you can't even see yourself in the mirror is beyond me. Let's see how easy it is to design - I'm heading over to LOWES and I will bulk-order this vanity set in SMOKED ASH - http://www.lowes.ca/bathroom-vaniti...isku=7348867&linkloc=cataLogProductItemsImage . There, done! Of course, I would rather go to the 'source' for that bulk order, which would mean the vanity set would ultimately be much cheaper than LOWES - but you get my drift. I really would be curious how much Cecconi Simone get paid by the builders for their sub-par designing.
 
LOL @ Cecconi Simone. I think they are a poor excuse for designers. Hell, I can design almost as good as them at a fraction of the cost. What designer sticks a drop down light in the bathroom so you can't even see yourself in the mirror is beyond me. Let's see how easy it is to design - I'm heading over to LOWES and I will bulk-order this vanity set in SMOKED ASH - http://www.lowes.ca/bathroom-vaniti...isku=7348867&linkloc=cataLogProductItemsImage . There, done! Of course, I would rather go to the 'source' for that bulk order, which would mean the vanity set would ultimately be much cheaper than LOWES - but you get my drift. I really would be curious how much Cecconi Simone get paid by the builders for their sub-par designing.

I don't get why designers don't include medicine cabinets.
 
Has anyone tried to remove the cheap wire clothing racks in their closets? It looks like it's nailed into the wall, but for the life of me, Im not sure how to get it out without ripping out a good chunk of the drywall.
 
New to the X

Hey everyone, I'm new to X condos and I am new to UT! Just purchased at X, haven't moved in quite yet but I was wondering if anyone knows the manufacturer of the standard laminate flooring (greyish-brown colour)? Looking to continue it in the bedrooms. Also has anyone had their ceilings scraped after moving in? I was wondering what the condition of the ceiling was like once it was scraped and how hard it was to plaster.

Thanks!
 
Taken from - http://www.thestar.com/business/rea...per_hit_with_29_million_classaction_suit.html

First there were the multi-million lawsuits over falling glass and faulty balconies, then came the class-action suit against a North York condo developer for allegedly failing to deliver a promised subway connection.

Now a frustrated Toronto condo owner has launched a $29 million class-action suit over a relatively small, but potentially dangerous, issue — wildly fluctuating water temperatures in a Charles St. highrise project that are being blamed on the installation of improper water valves.

In a lawsuit filed late last week, Etienne de Muelenaere alleges that Great Gulf, the developer of his 44-storey X Condominium building, is “negligent” and in breach of contract because the wrong water valves were installed in some 417 units.

After Great Gulf failed to act quickly to fix the problem — the lawsuit says some residents have been scalded — he spent $4,000 to have tiles in his two bathrooms cracked and the valves replaced.

Great Gulf not only refused to compensate him, says de Muelenaere, but he couldn’t find replacement tiles four years after the building was finished and was forced to use more affordable plastic liners which, he believes, have devalued his unit.

“It’s been really frustrating. You try to be patient. But I’m tired of getting emails back from Great Gulf saying we’re working on a solution and there’s never a time line,” said de Muelenaere, 26.

A class-action suit may seem like a drastic move over a little plumbing problem, but it’s unlikely to be the last as Toronto’s condo boom continues to play out across the skyline.

The law firm driving this latest legal salvo against condo developers, Charney Lawyers and Sutts, Strosberg LLP, has also heard from condo owners who have just moved into brand new condos, bought from blueprints two or three years ago, to find promised nine-foot ceilings are only eight.

“The more new buildings that go up, the more we’re finding there are some issues common to the whole building,” says lawyer Ted Charney, who is handling de Muelenaere’s suit.

“Part of what we’re trying to do is hold developers accountable.”

Not long after he moved into his 5th floor condo in January, 2012 and took a shower, de Muelenaere realized there was a problem which he suspects has been an issue since the building was completed in late 2010. Every time someone in a nearby unit flushed a toilet or started up their dish or clothes washer, the water in his shower suddenly got hot or cold.

There were numerous complaints which the condo board, Great Gulf and even officials of Ontario’s new home warranty program, Tarion, investigated. So did de Muelenaere.

“I work in construction, so I did a bit of research,” he says, suspecting that non pressure-balanced valves were used instead of pressure-balanced valves which keep temperatures constant, despite fluctuations in the hot or cold water supply lines.

Great Gulf became aware of the valve problem in 2012 but says it took until 2013 to discover the reason. No one has been scalded, it stresses.

Great Gulf has “been working on a solution for several months,” and has tested a prototype device in a few units which would stop the temperature fluctuations without having to crack out the tiles in all 417 units, many of which have two bathrooms, says Great Gulf spokesperson Madeline Zito.

“We advised the condo board and the residents who complained that we were working on a solution. But we have to be careful to come up with a solution that works and where we’re not being intrusive to a homeowner and creating problems for them,” Zito added.

Great Gulf is about to start implementing the fix, which is expected to cost less than $1 million, she said.

Charney said he became aware of the X Condominium water problem through an anonymous phone call, pointing him to a number of frustrated residents, including de Muelenaere.

So far Charney has launched a number of condo class-action suits against developers and sub-contractors, four of which have been certified to move ahead by Ontario’s Superior Court.

Three related to glass panes which fell from buildings and a fourth relates to faulty balcony railings that left the outdoor space off limits to many residents for months.

Since then, Charney has also initiated a $30 million class-action suit against Elad Canada Inc., claiming that it failed to deliver on marketing promises of “easy underground access” to the Sheppard subway line and nearby Fairview Mall from its Emerald City Condominiums project at Don Mills Rd. and Sheppard Ave. E.

Instead, residents were surprised to find on move in that there was no tunnel.


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so it looks like the pipe / toilet problems are real.. probably due to water hammering causing it to protrude.
 
LOL @ Cecconi Simone. I think they are a poor excuse for designers. Hell, I can design almost as good as them at a fraction of the cost. What designer sticks a drop down light in the bathroom so you can't even see yourself in the mirror is beyond me. Let's see how easy it is to design - I'm heading over to LOWES and I will bulk-order this vanity set in SMOKED ASH - http://www.lowes.ca/bathroom-vaniti...isku=7348867&linkloc=cataLogProductItemsImage . There, done! Of course, I would rather go to the 'source' for that bulk order, which would mean the vanity set would ultimately be much cheaper than LOWES - but you get my drift. I really would be curious how much Cecconi Simone get paid by the builders for their sub-par designing.

Totally agree!
They constantly recycle their mediocre trendy designs with little regard for quality and detail. Those bulky islands has been used in a bunch of different developments and take up way too much space while offering very little usable storage. There are so many developments that use them which is unfortunate because their designs lack refinement and instead rely on trendy gimmicks and design clichés, which are a deal breaker for me as it would cost too much to fix these design and quality issues. I was looking at some units at 1 Bloor for a friend and was shocked how poorly the floor plans were designed which is unacceptable for something that were selling for almost $900/sq.ft. at the time. I don't think the designers there know how to live in condos nor know how they are really used.

As for the plumbing issues in the news lately, I am not surprised and saw it coming. Cecconi Simone specifies knock offs from China of brand name fixtures and also not specifying pressure-balanced fixtures was a very stupid mistake or oversight. They are not totally to blame, the developers tries to cut costs wherever they can and they should have reviewed the designer's specs more carefully, and Tarion should have moved more quickly and be more assertive to resolve this problem.
 

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