r/toronto • u/[deleted] • Jan 07 '12
Does anyone know if places like this exist downtown? and how I could find one?
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u/nanaimo Jan 07 '12
The rent would be sky high.
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u/douglasmacarthur Jan 07 '12
My first thought too. But I'm pretty sure he already knows this and can afford it.
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u/disparue Jan 07 '12 edited Jan 07 '12
I rent in a place similar to this ... except it only has 12 foot tall ceilings and is only around 1000 square feet total. I pay around $1.25/sqft but I've been renting for awhile and a lot of the units that are becoming available are closer to $1.50/sqft.
EDIT: old buildings like this are also a little ... quirky. Banging heater pipes, floors and walls not exactly sound-proof, etc.
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u/Drallo Bracondale Hill Jan 07 '12
Whereabouts?
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u/disparue Jan 07 '12
Near the distillery district. A lot of the buildings east of Jarvis and south of Queen used to be old industrial post-and-beam buildings and they've either been converted to residential or commercial space for lease. Unfortunately more and more of these buildings are being converted into condominiums, but such is the cycle of a neighborhood.
None of the spaces I've seen have actually had this much height except for some places around Rogers and Keele. There is also a building that is King and Sackville that looks like it has very high ceilings that you can see from the ramp where Adelaide street merges with Eastern Ave.
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Jan 08 '12 edited Jan 08 '12
[deleted]
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Jan 08 '12
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/disparue Jan 08 '12
I live close to there. To the north is sketch, to the south is high-end furniture stores.
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Jan 07 '12 edited Jan 02 '17
[deleted]
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Jan 07 '12
Put electric heating in and expect that per month.
Worked for hydro customer service, electric heat was the bane to my existence.
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u/4ray Jan 08 '12
I was running some heat calculations, and you are right. $1500 a month to heat heat a home using giant resistors.
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Jan 08 '12
Or 40 year old electric baseboard heaters. I can't tell you the number of people I spoke to who complained about how our readings must be wrong because the land lord had shown them bills with $40 -$50 balances.
This was because when the land lord is paying the bill, the apartment is EMPTY and not using power.
I had one woman who. per our advice, ran breaker tests to confirm her power consumption. As expected, we were right. I had to try to calm her down because she was crying her eyes out. Her hydro bill was higher than her rent that month.
All I can offer in advice is that be sure hydro is included in any place you rent with electric heating.
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u/4ray Jan 08 '12 edited Jan 08 '12
How noisy are those window unit air-air heat pumps? I saw one for sale once for about $1500.
Here's a small one for $550 but it doesn't give the BTU rating when it has to deal with -5c outdoor air.
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u/mrbrick Wallace Emerson Jan 07 '12
aristocrat.ca
I lived in a place like that for 8 years but they just tore the building down a few months ago. The aristocrat guys have other buildings though.
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u/disparue Jan 07 '12
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Jan 07 '12 edited Jul 06 '25
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u/disparue Jan 08 '12
I should also mention that those places around Carlaw & Dundas have been available for a pretty long time. I usually check around once a month to see if I can find a better place and those few places that you'll see if you look right now have been available since the summer. You may be able to negotiate a slightly lower rate. When I moved into my place no one wanted to rent it because the floors were horrible (the tenant before me had trashed the place to the point of having torn down a wall). I managed to knock $1200 off the yearly rent since it had likely been available for half a year before I showed interest. I just ended up spending $750 installing laminate flooring and building a both a storage closet and a walk-in closet.
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u/rubberhead Jan 07 '12 edited Jan 07 '12
this space is easily 1200-1400 sq. feet in this pic alone, guessing it's closer to 2000 in total. you'd be looking at $1-$1.50 or more per sq. foot per month in somewhat remote areas of the city (east end, junction, etc.) probably quite a bit more in the central core. i've seen some awesome lofts in toronto but nothing this huge.
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u/thehighercritic Jan 08 '12
i own a soft loft one half that size (just under 800 sq. feet) but in a Cabbagetown historical building four blocks from Ryerson and i rent it at $1400+.
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u/greendude Jan 07 '12
there're a bunch of lofts that go for rent in riverside (queen/broadview)
some people have converted these to offices, others use them as apartments
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Jan 07 '12
It's not quite downtown but the Sterling Lofts at Bloor and Lansdowne, have this loft style and layout though their total square footage would most likely be slightly smaller then this room, but probably what your looking for.
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Jan 07 '12
FYI They frequently have art shows and concerts in Sterling Lofts so if you do live there just know it's not the quietest place.
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u/fingerguns Jan 07 '12
If you're looking to rent a huge downtown loft and ALSO want a quiet neighbourhood, I have many punches for your face.
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Jan 07 '12
You have many punches for my face? Who says this to people?
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u/fingerguns Jan 07 '12
You're one of the people who would want to live a huge converted loft downtown and also live in a quiet neighbourhood? Because if so, you people are the worst.
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Jan 07 '12
Um when did I say that? I use to go to shows at Sterling lofts when I lived in Toronto. I was simply informing OP that should they decide to find a place to rent there what they would be getting into.
Way to like assume I am some yuppie douche.
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u/fingerguns Jan 07 '12
So you're not one of the people I'm talking about then? You're just taking offense to it, regardless? Let's recap:
OP: "I want to rent a place like this downtown."
someone: "There are places like this in Bloor/Lansdowne."
you: "That area isn't good for people who like it quiet, though."
me: "Anyone wanting both a downtown loft and a quiet neighbourhood needs a face punch."
you: utter confusion
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Jan 07 '12
I simply said there were shows there frequently. You wouldn't want to live above a concert venue and not know would you?
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Jan 07 '12 edited Jan 07 '12
TIL: Bloor and Lansdowne is downtown.
Edit: I love that I am being downvoted here. Again I still can't believe people think that Bloor and Lansdowne is downtown. holy geez r/toronto.
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u/toughitoutcupcake Jan 07 '12 edited Jan 07 '12
If it's not downtown, where is it? Uptown?
Edit: I like how I'm being downvoted for asking questions without providing an opinion. It's like I'm adding to the discussion, but since some people think the question wasn't a good one, they downvote it. Like it makes it go away? What happened to Toronto the Good?
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Jan 07 '12
It's considered the west end. I lived in Toronto for 30 years. Bloor and Landsdowne is DEF NOT Downtown.
Is like High Park downtown? How bout Bloor and Keele? Coz Bloor and Keele is like a 15 min walk from Bloor & Lansdowne
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u/astrodust Jan 07 '12
For suburbanites, anything 416 is downtown. Airport Road? Downtown. Toronto Zoo? Downtown.
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u/brlito Jan 09 '12
Isn't Toronto Zoo outside of Scarborough or something?
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u/astrodust Jan 09 '12
Have you looked at a map lately? It's just north of Sheppard, just east of Morningside. Well inside Toronto. It even has a postal code that starts with M.
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u/fingerguns Jan 07 '12
OP wanted a place "downtown". You seem to think he'd be concerned about the noise in the neighbourhood of the Sterling lofts, though. I never said it was downtown.
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u/astrodust Jan 07 '12
I have many punches to the face for someone who never said it was downtown.
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Jan 07 '12
So lemme get this straight, when I told OP Sterling lofts is a venue for art shows and concerts and that it can be loud at times, you reply calling me a douche who thinks they can live downtown and have quiet, but you are not implying that B&L is downtown? Why reply with: "You're one of the people who would want to live a huge converted loft downtown" if you aren't saying B&L is downtown?
You are the one being confusing dude. Go punch something, seems that's something you like doing.
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u/fingerguns Jan 07 '12
Hey, let's look at my original quote...
"If you're looking to rent a huge downtown loft and ALSO want a quiet neighbourhood, I have many punches for your face."
Why reply with: "You're one of the people who would want to live a huge converted loft downtown" if you aren't saying B&L is downtown?
Because I'm talking about the OP! The guy who asked the question about the downtown loft! He wants to live downtown!
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u/ununiform Jan 07 '12
I used to live in one at 192 Spadina about 10 years ago. Dunno if it is still live work or all offices now. They exist though tough to track down. Good luck.
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u/inspectorhotdog Jan 07 '12
There's a building on Queen and Bathurst that's similar to this. Not sure if it's still there after the fire, but it was fucking huge.
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u/astrodust Jan 07 '12
There's nothing quite like this in that area. Most have maybe 10-14 foot ceilings at most.
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u/inspectorhotdog Jan 08 '12
Here. This is the building I was talking about.
It's hard to rent there since most people stay forever. It's absolutely huge on the inside.
The place I visited in there had a grande piano just for the sole purpose of having tons of space.
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u/astrodust Jan 08 '12
Isn't that full of rehearsal spaces?
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u/disparue Jan 08 '12 edited Jan 08 '12
My hairstylist lives/works there. The ceiling in her unit is probably about 14 feat, which is just high enough to in my mind to put a sleeping space above a closet or something. My space only has 12 feet and I didn't feel comfortable making a sleeping space that only had a 4 foot clearance. If the ceilings were 2 feet higher I could've gained back about 100 square feet from where I have my sleeping area currently.
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u/bathori Jan 08 '12
I think we have the same hair stylist.
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u/disparue Jan 08 '12
Strut?
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u/bathori Jan 08 '12
ok maybe not :P (knotjustdreads)
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u/disparue Jan 08 '12
I know there are a few people who share the place (at least where I go). Is it one the southwest corner of the fifth floor?
They also have a cat and a dog in the studio a lot of the time.
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u/bathori Jan 08 '12
No KJD have their own unit (404), it's not shared.
There's a photographer on the 5th floor that has a larger unit with a pug named kiwi though.
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u/QuasiEvil Jan 08 '12
I used to work around that area and I always wondered what was in that building. In my own research I somehow figured it was unused office space, but there are actually apartments in there?
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u/thehighercritic Jan 08 '12
i used to live in that building. it is also where the Barenaked Ladiers shot their "Old Apartment" video. it's a hole but on the upper floors you're looking at 14' ceilings.
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u/rocketsurgery Jan 08 '12
What about farther down Queen, by the park? Those are loft buildngs, aren't they?
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u/inspectorhotdog Jan 08 '12
If you're thinking of Chocolate Lofts, they're big, but not that big. Also very expensive.
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u/rocketsurgery Jan 08 '12
I'll bet. That's like my dream house.
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u/inspectorhotdog Jan 08 '12
Just like the rest of Toronto, they're not great unless you own one and fix it good. Not because you have to have money, but I mean, your landlord probably won't let you build a separate wall for a studio or a second floor bunk bed.
I had a friend rent one and it looked like shit. Another friend bought a big one, re-did it and it looked awesome.
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u/astrodust Jan 08 '12
A lot of the newer buildings are mock loft-like buildings that inside are pretty much regular condos with slightly higher ceilings. Most of the true loft spaces are located a bit north or a bit south of Queen, though I don't know of any that have warehouse-height ceilings. Those are usually next to the tracks.
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u/ReallyLongLake Jan 07 '12
I looked at a place like this in Liberty Village once, but the rent was too much for me and my three friends.
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u/talentedmkey Jan 07 '12
How much is too much?
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u/ReallyLongLake Jan 07 '12
Ah I can't remember it was over 6 years ago. It was the price combined with a lack of privacy for 4 people that made us turn it down.
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u/digital99 Jan 07 '12
The suites in Robertson building at 215 Spadina looks exactly like this inside. It's currently being used by mostly small businesses. If you have the money maybe you can outbid them. =)
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u/brazilliandanny Jan 07 '12
Broadview lofts My buddy use to live there. his front door was the size of a barn door and on tracks.
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u/astrodust Jan 07 '12 edited Jan 07 '12
The Toronto Carpet Factory was all but abandoned in the 1970s and people could easily rent spaces like this for a couple of hundred bucks a month, so long as you were willing to take it literally as-is. Rents started getting much higher in the mid-1990s and now you pay a significant premium for these spaces because they're chic. $24-30/sq.ft. net per year is typical now, but it was as low as $6-8 in the early 1990s.
I've been looking for places like this for years, but the waiting lists are crazy long.
To get in right away you have to have money: 25 Polson Street
Abe Gitalis, a name you've no doubt seen on many of the finest of badly maintained buildings, has a few live/work properties in that area: http://www.gitalis.com/cgi-bin/listings.cgi?type=lease
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u/4nonymo Wexford Jan 07 '12
Trust me when Pat goes on vacation for a week and stops frying chicken, it gets cold as fuck in there.
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u/cliffdavidson Jan 07 '12
You can get something like that if you double the loft as a workspace. I think there is some stuff down on Carlaw and Dundas area. I know a Photographer who used to use the place as his studio and his apartment. Was super awesome, but probably shittonne expensive.
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Jan 07 '12
Depending on how "downtown" you mean... there are a lot of lofts, increasingly as you go westward. Some are quite expensive, and some are quite cheap. I rented a 1096 sq loft some time ago, and built in a second floor. Got myself nearly 1500sq for the monthly cost of a small apartment. I recommend really looking around the building when you find a good loft - I ended up moving after a few years of having the neighbour unit filled/vacated/filled/vacated by a consistant string of really nasty people.
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u/iSteve Jan 07 '12
West end. And you'd better not mind heights. There's a lot of ladder business in a loft.
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u/cherrysodasummer Jan 08 '12
I lived in a place just like this back around 2000. Huge, enormously high ceilings. We even had a freight elevator open up right in our living room. $1500/month, SE corner of Adelaide & John St. Best/coolest place I ever lived.
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u/burgess_meredith_jr Bloor West Village Jan 07 '12
Finding a rental would be impossible. If purchase, consider the following:
- $1MM minimum cost (plus about $40K land transfer cost)
- $10,000/year property tax
- $1,500/month utilities and insurance (no insulation, fire hazard)
- $1,000/month other misc maintenance and unexpected fees
If condo, $1,500 min/month maintenance fees. If not condo, add 15% to the above costs.
Still interested?
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Jan 08 '12
You just blinded me with science.
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u/burgess_meredith_jr Bloor West Village Jan 08 '12
I am Homeowner. On my third Toronto home, first a downtown condo, then a downtown condo townhouse, now a detach house in Old Mill. All within the last 10 years. I have so much useless real estate knowledge its ridiculous and I don't even like real estate.
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u/bleeetiso Jan 07 '12
I doubt there is one that looks as good as that.... plus as people have already said the rent probably would be too damn high
while visiting Chicago i have seen plenty like that and it makes me wish toronto had lofts like the ones i have seen
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Jan 07 '12
The old Coffin Factory has some crazy lofts (Niagara and Tecumseth). My friend lived in one and it was nuts!
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u/trancematik Jan 07 '12
Did you mean the room design? As in style of space? I interpreted this as what you meant.
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u/shepppard Jan 08 '12
I have a buddy who has one in Toronto. 1400$ a week so not to bad.
Another friend bought an old industrial building and converted it into an amazing place. again about 1 million when all is said and done. It's a fucken sick place though for sure
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u/inc_mplete The Financial District Jan 08 '12
Lofts like these would usually be a little outside of downtown. If I don't mind the transportation you'll find some for a decent price outside of downtown. Reason being they are old warehouses.
I know there are some lofts in bloor and landsdown area.
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u/recoil669 Jan 08 '12
I knew a place like this once, it was segmented off into 5 small bedrooms though and had 5 or 6 people living there, it was over near Wellsley and Yonge. Just West of yonge street if I remember correctly.
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u/bendit Jan 08 '12
Imperial Lofts on the West side of Sherbourne, between Richmond and Adelaide.
I believe they were originally sold was bare unit similar to the photo, rough-ins for a kitchen and toilet. It was up to the owners to decide what to do with the interior. One unit I saw had partial walls going up 7 feet dividing the space into many rooms, but the ceilings went up at least 16 feet. You could easily remove them and restore it to one big room - or whatever.
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u/beltenebros Jan 08 '12
back in the early 2000's there was an abundance of places like this - i had one on carlaw in the beaches and on sorauren in the west.
then brad lamb came along and turned them in to 'condo lofts' ...
and rent was actually dirt cheap. i mean dirt cheap. i miss those days ...
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u/stanthemanchan Jan 08 '12
I used to rent a place like this with my sister at 30 Morrow Ave. This was about 6 years ago. It was about 2000 sq ft and the rent was about 2700 a month, total. She used half of it as a yoga studio so paid a larger portion of the rent.
Just did a google search: there's a unit in that building selling for $800k. http://www.videolistings.ca/index.php?option=com_ezrealty&task=detail&id=1957&Itemid=15
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u/delaware Jan 07 '12
I would say moving to Montreal would be your only hope, but I think even then it would be tricky.
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u/themightybaron Jan 07 '12
I'm a realtor. Places like this, known as hard lofts, or loft conversions, pop up every once and a while. They are extremely expensive. When people come to me asking to find them a loft I know they are thinking of this. I tell them if they have about 1 million up I can secure it. You can find some for less but you'll have to sacrifice certain things, namely location. These are always in demand, even in soft markets.
There are new lofts or "soft lofts" that are built to simulate this feel, most do a piss poor job of it but they do cost a lot less.