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This Sunday afternoon, I decided it was a good time to visit the farmers' market I've
been hearing so much about. It's just three or four blocks down from me so I thought
it would be a good time to pick up some fruit and see what grows locally.
No such luck unfortunately. The market is only open on Saturday!
OK, they do have extended hours in the summer starting in June. But that only means they open on Wednesday as well as Saturday.
Actually, going to the market twice a week to pick up some fresh groceries would be
fine, but it doesn't help me out today. Anyways, I was wandering around the area and saw some construction next to the market.
A sign said that there was a model suite available for viewing so I went in to take a look. They built the model suite inside of a retail building that will be part of the same development, so some of the windows etc. didn't line up perfectly, but at least they didn't put in fake views. I hate it when developers do that.
Here is a picture of the living room. In the real flat, there would be more light because right now the sides are blocked by the commercial building's wall.
And this is a view backwards towards the entrance from the living room. The door on the right leads to the laundry room, but I didn't snap any pictures of that. The laundry appliances aren't included for some reason. Looking through the floorplans for other units, I saw a two bedroom flat where the laundry is reached through an ensuite bathroom of the master bedroom. How is the person living in the second bedroom supposed to do laundry without invading the owner's privacy?
In my pictures you can't really make it out, but the stained maple floor is gorgeous.
In this flat, the kitchen is enclosed on three sides. I'm not sure if I like this better or if I prefer a kitchen with an open counter looking into the living room. In the flats where there is an open counter, the living space is shortened by the width of the kitchen and this space here is used for a den instead. I think that's a better use of space, and it seems most people agree with me since that unit is almost sold out; only one is left.
The bathroom here is nowhere near as luxurious as the one in the Eaton's Lofts, but I think that particular model suite had a lot of upgrades applied to it that aren't included in the base price. On the other hand, in the Eaton's Lofts you have to pay for a parking space I think. Here you get a parking spot, a storage locker and bicycle storage.
All the slate tile in the Eaton's bathroom was very cool though.
I'm not sure this was the best way to do the closet doors. I like the handles, they're a nice feature, but notice the stoppers they have to put on the hinges to prevent over opening. Also note that the rightmost closet door interferes with the bedroom door. If it was my design, I think I would have gone with sliding doors instead. They provide less wide access, but don't interfere with a dressing table or other doors etc.
The master bedroom doesn't have as impressive a window as I'd like. I can see why they didn't go all the way to the floor, but I would have liked it a bit wider; buildings are supported by their steel frames and not by their brick walls right?
This particular unit costs around Cdn$175,000 before upgrades and taxes etc. for 943 square feet. That's not too bad. My first reaction after hearing the square footage was "All that space and only one bedroom?"
I'm going to throw in a few other shots of the area to show what spring looks like in the area.
I thought this house had a cool tree in front. I wonder what kind it is? Raking up all the petals must be a pain though.
And then I walked a bit farther and found out that the tree isn't that special after all. Or is this just some friendly competition between neighbours? (I couldn't find an angle to take the picture without sun glare)
I liked the look of this building. It seems nicely kept, and the balconies are great for spring and summer. I think it is in good condition because it is a seniors' building. I guess they are better at maintenance, on average, than young people?
I like this building too. It has almost an art deco-y office building style to it. I clipped off the cell phone tower antennae on top by accident, but it always makes me wonder whether I would buy a penthouse flat that is right next to a radio tower like that. I don't think there are any particular health risks, but it can cause a really annoying hum in your appliances and audio speakers.
