Brownstones on Wallace
November 17, 2008 - 2:33pm — vic
The Brownstones on Wallace townhouses on Wallace Ave., west of Perth Ave. are now being developed. Use this forum to discuss this development site.
Editor's Note: This development was completed several years ago, units are occupied, etc. Further discussion about internal condo policies, etc., should probably be done in a private place. For that, there's a Facebook group (link below). Comments are now closed on this forum.
Gas Fitter Recommendation
I received the notice from Property Management advising people to use a certified gas fitter to connect your natural gas BBQ.
If your looking for a Gas Fitter for your natural gas BBQ, I would like to recommend someone. He came and did mine and my neighbours natural gas BBQ hook-up last Saturday on very short notice.
Reconfigured the gas shut-off valve, connected gas BBQ and tested system for leaks
Cost: $100.00 + $25.00 travel
www.GasGuys.ca
Phone: 416-879-2812
Contact: George
Information & online reviews from HomeStars website
http://homestars.com/companies/2775304-gasguys-ca?service_area=1788508
My husband and I are also
My husband and I are also very happy we bought here. We have a young son and have met many families and kids living in the complex. So far, everybody has been very friendly. We have been keeping a very close eye on the neighborhood since we bought into this development almost 4 years ago now. The neighborhood has changed drastically in that short amount of time. Lots of new businesses have moved in and in general the vibe of the neighborhood seems to be great for young families. My personal feeling is that these places will continue to be a good investment in the next few years since lots of big changes are happening in very close proximity.
As in all new places there are frustrations (like the break-ins) however once the condo board is in place we can hopefully address some of these issues by bringing in some type of security etc....
Recommendations
Hello everyone,
We're looking at purchasing a upper Brownstone unit - likely the ones facing Wallace. I've been taking a look through the messages. It seems like there's some initial issues (particularly with parking spaces and insulation), but I was wondering if anyone could provide feedback on their overall impressions of the property. Are you glad you moved in? If you were in our position, would you move forward with the purchase?
Thanks for any feedback!
Thanks!
Hi everyone, thanks so much for your comments. We're definitely going to go for it!
Hi Jordan, My husband and I
Hi Jordan,
My husband and I moved in in February and we are very happy. There have been a few issues, like the garage break-ins and a little noise from the unit next door, but all-in-all it's a great place to live. So far the neighbourhood is really shaping up to be friendly and engaged, just check out the posts here and on our Facebook. And the neighbourhood is great, there are lots of shops and restaurants opening all the time on Bloor and in the Junction, even on Dupont. I would say if you like the area and love the unit you looked at, go for it!
Amanda
My wife and I live in one of
My wife and I live in one of the units on Wallace. We are very happy with our purchase. With respect to parking, the only issue I'm aware of was a couple a break ins, but such events have occured in any condo I lived in so it doesn't seem out of the norm.
We had a few areas with insulation cold spots but we identified them and the builder repaired them. Still a few things to sort out but this seems to be all part of the new home buying process.
To answer your question: are we happy we moved in...YES. Do we regret this purchase... Absolutely not. As original purchasers the values have already increased substantially and this should continue with the growing popularity of the Junction. Our real estate agent said in terms of square footage, this is one of the best deals around.
Good luck!!
garage break in
I've just bought a unit in BOW and plan to move in at the end of May. After reading these posts, I'm very concerned about the garage break-ins - twice in one week and no replies from the property management company!
Seems like the property management company isn't very responsive at all. I hope I've made a good choice by purchasing in BOW.
The building hasn't
The building hasn't registered yet so technically it wasn't the property management company's responsibility to solve the issue. It's a frustrating situation but it shouldn't last much longer.
In the case of the broken door, the builder did fix the door after we asked repeatedly. The first fix wasn't done very well as the knob was still broken, however the door did lock. A week later the knob fell off (likely due to the fact it wasn't fixed properly in the first place). The builder did fix the door properly the second time.
If you're on Facebook, search Brownstones on Wallace and request to join the group.
WANT TO GET MY UNIT PAINTED
I WANT TO GET MY UNIT PAINTED, ADD MY OWN PERSONALITY TO MY UNIT. DOES ANYONE KNOW ANY PAINTERS IF SO LET ME KNOW THANKS..
i just finish painting my unit
I just finish painting my unit, what a differance a little color makes. but i highly recommend sheldon, he does great work. he painted my sisters place first, fell in love with it, had to make him paint mine..love it, highly recommend him.. 416-817-4913
Painter with grate work end reasonable price
I will strongly recomend Jechko His number is 416-8794507.He is european backround
Grate work many years expirience
For rent
Does anyone want to rent the unit?
Parking Garage Break-in
I discovered when I went out for groceries yesterday that the parking garage has been broken into. Someone smashed the handles on the "C" doors to break the locks. I didn't seen any other signs of theft or vandalism, but people may want to check their cars.
Break-ins and community safety audit
Hi Brownstoners [grin],
With the breakins etc. that you have been experiencing, I thought some of you might be interested in the community safety audit taking place on Thursday May 5th. Details are here:
https://www.junctiontriangle.ca/node/1059
Might be a good opportunity to make sure the cops are aware of what's happening, and hopefully get some help dealing with it.
Cheers,
Vic
The C door was smashed off
The C door was smashed off again last night.
My bike was stolen from the
My bike was stolen from the bike room; the handles on both doors to the bike room were also smashed. Now Brownstones Customer Service and the property manager are playing ping pong and the doors aren't going to be fixed until after the building is registered, which as we know could be two months or more. This is an outrage and we should not stand for this.
Noise?
For those living in their units now - can you say anything about the noise from next door neighbours? I am moving in soon, and I don't want it to come as a surprise when I'm settled in and hearing my neighbours breathe through the walls, ha!
Noise
Unfortunately we to here noise, the toilet flushing, people talking, it is awful......... I am very disapointed with the structure of these places. I am in an upper unit, can only imagine the lower units. Can even hear someone moving the clothes hangers in the closet!!!!
Not nearly as quiet as I had
Not nearly as quiet as I had hoped. The walls seem paper thin at times, although my neighbours so far seem pretty respectful and it hasn't been bad. Unfortunately can even hear late night bedroom activities :( Hopefully you're next to some single quiet people :)
If your neighbour has a big
If your neighbour has a big soundsystem / likes to party, you are screwed.
The scenario you provided
The scenario you provided would be an issue with any condo / townhome or semi.
Hopefully you have reasonable neighbours on both sides of you.
Not to be a jerk
But you're wrong. I live in one of the many century old semis that are all around your townhouses and back in the day double layered brick walls were used to divide houses. I only ever hear my neighbours when I'm in my back mudroom addition on the house that is just a wooden structure. As well in high end condos the walls are poured much thicker, nearly prison like..
I really do feel for those of you in the brownstones. You have paid good money for subpar service and a subpar home.
Blanket Statements
I'm sure that we can agree that blanket statements are rarely completely accurate. I've lived in fully detached homes, a condo tower, apartments, a semi, and now a stacked town home and I all I can say for sure, is that I didn't hear my neighbours in the fully detached home. In my experience understanding neighbours are the only thing that guarantees peace and quiet.
In my last home (a semi built in the 50s) the master bedrooms of the two sides were separated by a concrete block and brick wall, we could hear the neighbors at night. When we renovated we discussed the situation with our builder who recommended sound proof drywall, you can place it directly over the existing drywall/concrete and it should reduce the noise transfer. I also saw this used on an episode of Mike Holmes, he called it Quiet Rock. I'm thinking of putting this on our master bedroom wall.
heating/ventilation
Can someone explain to me howthe ventilation/heating system works. I cannot get it below 23 degrees right now for some reason, it does not cool down. What am I doing wrong. There doesn;t seem to be many functions for it so i don;t know what to do. Thx!!
There should be 2 numbers
There should be 2 numbers that are displayed on your thermostat. The larger one on the left is the actual temperature in your unit and the smaller one on the right is the max temperature you want it to be.
If the larger number is 23 Celsius then open a window and your place will cool down. If the smaller number is 23 then press the down button to lower the thermostat. I find that you need to press the button a few times before the number goes down.
Currently, our unit stays around 20 Celsius comfortably.
Underground parking available for rent
One underground parking space is available for rent at BOW. Please contact nancynan11373@yahoo.com for more information. Thanks.
BlackBerry Found
I found a BlackBerry Bold on Saturday March 12th outside near the A-block on Elsie Lane. It was soaking wet and dead when I found it but after a recharge it appears to be working.
If your name is David and you're missing a BlackBerry, call me: 416-625-7410.
Gas Bill
Has anyone recieved a gas bill yet?
I really don't know what is
I really don't know what is going on but, i moved in here on September and around February I called the BOW office and asked them how it works about the gas and electric bill and they said they will get back to me and a week later I got a bill form Enbridge and wyse meters....i'v been paying since then....so pls if anyone know what is going on let me know as well..
Nope - Do we pay gas? I can't
Nope - Do we pay gas? I can't recall.
BOW Registration Date
Received a message saying that the BOW will be registered by the end of May 2011 and the builder is asking for antoher two months rent from the tenants.
My daughter stayed over this
My daughter stayed over this evening and there was absolutely NO parking. Please could all those who have an underground spot use it and save the above-ground area for guests. Thank you.
Parking is avialuble for rent
Parking avialuble for rent. If interested call 416-9097694.
does anyone know
does anyone know for sure when is the date the builder going to finally register the property.
news from builder
Hi
got this one today.
" . . . We hope that all conditions are cleared by the City, before the end of April; the 20 day notice will then allow the closings to take place no later than the end of May."
So it's officially two more months.
Cheers
Stefan
I heard some units have
I heard some units have storage lockers, does anyone know if this is true? Are the lockers inside the units, parking garage, or ?
Maybe once the building is
Maybe once the building is registered we should see about the cost of getting some cameras installed. So sorry to hear about your car. I didn't notice anything on mine this morning but will have a better look tonight and see if there are any signs of damage
WARNING!!!
Hello Neighbours,
This morning when I went to my vehicle which was parked in the underground in my parking spot I had noticed my car was vandalized!!!! Someone tried to break my wiper and scratched the hood of my car. This is very upsetting. First it was Bicycles that were stolen and now it's vehicles being vandalized what's next?!? Who ever did this will be caught!
The Scratcher
For the 10 years I have been here there has been a mysterious key scratcher that operated on Wallace. A life long resident told me that it went back another 5 years at least. There is no pattern that anybody has been able to figure out. My car was scratched last year. One of the nice things about BOW is that (once all the units have real people living in them) there will be a lot more eyeballs around which will make a difference.
Notify Property Management:
Notify Property Management: Peter 647-321-4368. Maybe we can get a camera installed.
OMG, that is awful! Any idea
OMG, that is awful! Any idea why your car was targeted were there others that you noticed?
I'm sorry to hear that this
I'm sorry to hear that this happened to you.
Did you notice if any other vehicles around yours were vandalized?
This is AWFUL! I am so sorry
This is AWFUL! I am so sorry that happened to your car! Are there security cameras in the garage??
third bedroom
We use our for a tv room. Our office is the loft upstairs.
Broadways and Columbia Units..... 3rd Bedroom (Main Floor ???)
Hi Gang,
We live in a Columbia Unit, which is very similar to Broadway Unit .... in that the third bedroom on the main floor.
I'm just curious to know what people are using the third bedroom for?????.... it not using it as a bedroom.
We are using ours as a dining
We are using ours as a dining room.
Office for now. May use it as
Office for now. May use it as a bedroom in the future and push the office into the loft.
We are using it as an
We are using it as an office/TV room, this prevented the office from conflicting with the 'Yoga Room' my better half wanted on the thrid floor. :)
I wish we had some more
I wish we had some more detail as that would impact your options.
You might want to try Reliance Home Comfort at 1-888-837-1451 to see what they have to say
Good Luck!
For Sale
How is it that units are up for sale , but not listed on MLS? I spoke to an agent yesterday who was showing people to some units.... I had no idea? One was 207, and the agent told me it is listed for 415,000.00 but it is not on MLS?
What you see on the public
What you see on the public MLS website does not reflect what a real estate agent can see. It can take a few days for a property to appear on the public site when it's first listed and for it to be removed after its sold. Also there is no rule that states a property has to be listed on MLS; real estate salespersons pay a membership fee to the Toronto Real Estate Board to list. Some agents chose not to list the property on MLS and it's shown only through word-of-mouth.
No hot water
hi Neighbours,
We just made our official move in today and discovered we have no hot water in our bathtub. I have left three messages with BOW customer service that have not been returned. Anyone know what we can do? As I'm sure you can imagine we'd like to shower after carrying all our worldly belongings up three flights of stairs!
Thanks!
Our master shower had no hot
Our master shower had no hot water, had to call it in and they had to replace something. Rest of our unit had hot water.
Yes, that was exactly the
Yes, that was exactly the problem -- and our hot water tank was on vacation. We had it fixed first thing this morning. Thank you to everyone for your help!
You may need to turn up the
You may need to turn up the temperature on your hot water heater. When we moved in it was on "Vacation" mode - luke warm. We turned it up a few notches and it is good now. The hot water heater is in your utilityroom, and the temperature adjustment is near the bottom of the tank.
Yes, we had the same
Yes, we had the same experience. The water pressure is lower than it should be and the shower heads that came with the units are not that great.
Our solution was to buy a better quality shower head that has different settings. We got one of the ones with a hose for about $25.00. This made a noticeable difference. I recommend doing it.
Water Pressure
How is everyone's water pressure in there showers? I asked the office and they said they know it is lower than expected, but nothing they can do about it. I have taken out the low flow things on both shower heads, and its OK now, but not great. Anyone buy a new shower head, if so did it make a difference?
IS ANYONE INTERESTING IN ASSIGNING THEIR UNIT
I have a client that is interesting in an assignment. He is looking for one of the units that has the master ensuite and windows on both sides. If your plans have changed, and you are interested in assigning your Agreement of Purchase and Sale please give me a call at 416.807.4149 as I have a motivated buyer. Thanks, Eugenia
I have a 3 bedroom upper unit
I have a 3 bedroom upper unit with den & private rooftop patio that I would like to sell once I take ownership. Several people have made offers to purchase the unit that I have not acted on as the offers were a bit too low.
I saw that some units have recently sold on MLS for $400-410,000 and there are others listed on MLS right now even though we can't list our units for sale according to our contract with the builder. Does anyone know how others were are able to list on MLS?
thanks!
351bow@gmail.com
It's my understanding that
It's my understanding that the builder will give you permission to sell on assignment in exchange for covering their legal fees (~$1000) and paying a $6000 fee. The three most recent sales at 351 Wallace all sold on multiple offers for over $400,000.
I was under the impression
I was under the impression that the highest amount that a unit has sold for at BOW was $401,000?
Sale
My agent told me it went for 411K, she was going to send me listing after it officially closed.
Anyone have any idea what the lower 3 bedrooms are being listed or being sold for?
Can't understand why there
Can't understand why there has been a listing for 3$99,000 up for a few weeks now if the same type of unit actually went for $411,000?
Prices escalate quickly in
Prices escalate quickly in multiple offers. There were three Columbia units which sold over about 2 weeks. The first had 5 competing offers the second 7 competing offers, and the third 3 competing offers. After the first sale it was the same group of purchasers competing on the subsequent two. In addition, each of the units was the only 3 bedroom unit available so there was a risk if you didn't win you wouldn't get another chance. In truth the difference between $400,000 and $411,000 is less than 3%. The latest asking price is $415,000 for a Broadview at BOW, and prices for the Broadview units at BOB are now above $450,000. BOW is basically the only game in town for this amount of space near the subway and for this price range. Not to disapoint but the unit listed for $399,000 is the same unit that sold for $411,000, the listing just hasn't been updated.
the broadway units are for sale yet at bob
hi, the broadways haven't been occupied yet at BOB those are 2 bedroom units listed for 450,000. I would assume the broadways will go for more.
That makes sense, presumably
That makes sense, presumably these are Greenwich models then?
A few of the upper level
A few of the upper level broadway/columbia units have creeped above 400,000 range. These units have been in multiple offer situations.
Also, sometimes there is a delay in removing the listing after a sale has been made. The 399,900 unit you are talking about may actually be sold already.
Brownstones on Wallace Facebook Group
Hi Neighbours,
Join us on the new, official Brownstones on Wallace Facebook Group! Click here http://on.fb.me/wallacebrownstones or search "Brownstones on Wallace."
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Work Done?
Has anyone had work done on their unit since it was inspected PDI? Nothing in my unit has been fixed yet? I have no cold air return on the main floor. I paid for a rough in for an alam system and it was drywalled over? My door bell doesn't work? Also, does anyone hear a banging noise or drip sound when the toilet is flushed? This is esspecially loud at night?
What if we don't belong to
What if we don't belong to facebook? Or don't want to? That is not really fair to us who do not or wish to have a facebook account.............
Facebook is the best option
In terms of creating a virtual meeting place a Facebook group is the best option, and quite frankly I'd bet the majority of people do use facebook. You can create a basic account for the purposes of joining the group, which will keep you in the loop but that does mean you have to use the account for anything else.
Just a note for those people
Just a note for those people who are leaving recycling on the ground by the dispensers when they are full or not functioning. In the future don't be so lazy, if it is full either walk it to the dumpster and throw it out or if you are so concerned about recycling take it back home and try again when there is space. If you just leave it there on the ground its called littering not recycling and in the end someone else will have to pick up your garbage off of their property.
Technically, if it is not on
Technically, if it is not on the PDI or 30 day form, they can force you to wait until the 1 year warranty form.
But I recommend following up with the builder to see if they can do things sooner, but technically, they are not required to.
Also, give Tarion a call... but they will probably tell you the same thing.
BTW - Welcome to the neighbourhood!
Facebook
OK, I was finally able to find the "Page" on FB. You have to search for "Brownstones on Wallace" specifically. Because it's a page you have to "Like" in order to join up. No one is there right now.
I did some reading and it sounds like it would make A LOT more sense to create a group for this purpose. Here is a quick summary from Mashable (http://mashable.com/2009/05/27/facebook-page-vs-group/).
"Groups are great for organizing on a personal level and for smaller scale interaction around a cause. Pages are better for brands, businesses, bands, movies, or celebrities who want to interact with their fans or customers without having them connected to a personal account, and have a need to exceed Facebook’s 5,000 friend cap."
Facebook would allow us to build more of a Community rather than just exchange simple anonymous messages as we do right now on this board (which is still FAR better than nothing at all). What are everyone's thoughts?
Yes, you're right. I was
Yes, you're right. I was experimenting with both. A group has now been created and you can join here: http://on.fb.me/wallacebrownstones.
I purchased an assignment and
I purchased an assignment and moved in recently. I noticed that there are items missing/broken not listed on initial PDI. Does anyone have advice or recommendations as to how to handle this with the builder? I sent them an email and a left a message, but so far no feedback.
Questions about Assignment
Hi! I've been thinking of purchasing an assignment also, but not entirely sure of the benefits. I'm debating whether I should wait until a building is registered or not. What does an assignment involve - are there any hidden or extra costs?
re:Questions about Assignment
The benefit is that you get to move in earlier. In addition you may get a discount because you are buying before registration, however the Columbia models are currently selling at $65,000-$75,000 above the orginal sale price due to demand so that discoiunt may now be gone.
On the other side, because of the demand and multiple offers, you will be unlikely to be successful with any conditions on your offer (other than reviewing the assignment contract), and will need to offer a very quick pre-closing (possession), which will require a fair amount of work to meet. Many of the units for sale now have never been occupied so for the premium over the original sales office price you get still get a new unit, and you can move in immidieately.
free car storage
There is a beige Mazda Protege that has been parked for at least a week along Elsie Lane. It never gets moved, it just gets more and more buried under snow. It seems abandoned...
So at what point do we have it towed? The visitors' parking is obviously not intended to be free car storage.
Car Parking
There is also people parking underground when they do not own a spot.....
Our visitors have no choice
Our visitors have no choice but to park underground because the home owners who own underground parking choose to continue to park their vehicle in the visitors parking, everynight the "visitors parking" is full!
Visitor parking at Brownstones Davenport Village
Hi, I'm from Brownstones on Davenport and we are having the same issue with our visitor parking. We have 10 spots for 80+ units and it is almost always full. I see the same cars so I to suspect that some are home owners with multiple cars or even from the older development who are sneaking in as the street parking is usually full.
I think the only way to fix this would be to obtain daily visitor permits from management. Maybe a homeowner could obtain permits in advance and you get like 15 per month....just an idea. if there is a time when you need more in a month than you can request more but at least management would know/could check if you are abusing the spots.
I doubt this issue will be looked at now but i hope that once building is registered this issue will be addressed as it isn't fair/right.
I agree, I see the same cars
I agree, I see the same cars there in the evening and the morning constantly. It seems that some people have chosen to use Visitor parking instead of purchasing or renting parking spots. This is not the intention of visitor parking, especially when all the spots are taken and our friends and family coming over aren't able to park there.
Parking Issues
I have been trying to get the "property management" company to do something about the parking. I've contacted them twice about it and haven't even received a response. I vote that when we go condo, we get a new property management company!
In our rent - and later in our condo fees - are the cost of 17 visitor parking spaces. There are 168 units and 175 underground parking spots... I don't know how many are left for sale - we bought an extra one in 2007. Thing is, we're all subsidizing the people using the visitors' spots - they get free parking! If you have a spot you're not using, why not rent it out to someone who owns a unit in BoW who needs a second spot? We're paying $100 per spot in rent right now to BoW... the opposite also applies - rent a spot! Don't use the visitor parking!!
It's going to be worse when the GO link to Pearson is finished - people are going to try to park at BoW and take the train to the airport. We're going to need some kind of visitor parking pass so we can have cars without one towed away. Right now, ANYONE can park there - I don't even know if the owners ARE the owners of a townhouse!
Anyway, if you see someone parked in a fire zone - the end of the lane near the garbage bins where we're supposed to enter and exit parking, the grassy/brick area on the east side of Elsie or the wrong side of the street, take a picture showing the sign and the vehicle plate and fax it to Toronto Police Parking Services (West) at 416-808-1602 or to make a request to have a vehicle tagged or towed, call Parking Services at 416-808-6600 or 416-808-1600.
I agree with the parking
I agree with the parking situation however, let's not go crazy just yet. For example, I sometimes just park my car for 2-3 minutes (maximum) in the grassy brick area just to unload my groceries. I would hate to have my picture taken for soemthing like this. I have a child and cannot carry groceries from the undeground parking.
Also, i find it a shame that it will likely lead to having to pay for visitor parking as a result of abuse. Can't we settle this responsibly and use the spaces as they are meant to be used: for visitors!
It is a shame that the majority always have to pay for the minority who abuse the system. I agree it is frustrating. It may help us all out once we all know eachother and become more of a community... where we can talk about things as neighbors...
Lookign forward to meeting people.
I don't think anyone is
I don't think anyone is complaining about a few minutes to unload groceries and basic stuff like that. It's the blatant disregard of the purpose of visitor parking spots by some residents.
Ok good, was just worried I
Ok good, was just worried I guess as it seems to be a sensitive issue. ;o)
Of course residents are going
Of course residents are going to have to stop and empty their cars from time to time... but if you look at the visitors' spots, it's the same dozen or so cars every single day and night. These are the cars that should be ticketed/towed because the rest of us are being taken advantage of. If you're only there for an hour or so, I can't imagine that anyone would call for a tow - unless you're in a fire lane - and then you SHOULD be towed. Remember the fire on NYE? The fire department was blocked by the one or two cars parked illegally - imagine if there had been more! Also, the folks parking at the ramp to the garage are risking an accident - especially when the ramp is slippery... there's plenty of street parking if they really need a spot on a continual basis - and street parking is only about $12 per month!
Correct me if I'm wrong but I
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe BOW residents are excluded from being able to purchase parking permits for the street. I think it was one of the conditions of the development.
There seem to be a few rental spots available. Unfortunately, some people will continue to take advantage of the lack of enforcement for as long as they can.
The spaces are definately
The spaces are definately being abused. I thought about calling the office and mentioning it to them. But I decided not to as I don't want to cause them to do anything that will hurt our legimate guests down the road. The last condo I lived in they made an arrangement with the city that any cars parked in the visitors spots over night would be towed.
Problem is that if those of us who don't abuse the spots want to have friends or family stay the night then there would be no where for them to park for the night.
We need a solution that will address the root of the problem.