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[Fairfield] The Zen condos (1121 Fort St.) | 4 storey condo | Built - completed in October 2011

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#61 gumgum

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Posted 18 April 2011 - 07:44 PM

Hmm.. I have mixed feelings.

#62 Nparker

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Posted 18 April 2011 - 09:02 PM

Hmm.. I have mixed feelings.


Me too. There seem to be an awful lot of eposed cinder-block walls, as the taggers have already discovered. Unless a lot of density springs up next to this soon, I have a feeling it is going to be quite an eyesore.

#63 phx

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Posted 19 April 2011 - 06:06 PM

The largest unit will be comparable in size to the smallest at the Fairfield Rise, though is a bargain in comparison: $264,900 vs. $489,900.

Both buildings are four storey wood frame construction.

It'll be interesting to see which one sells-out first.

#64 ZGsta

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Posted 20 April 2011 - 11:08 AM

Don't want to judge until I see what happens with those blank walls, but if they stay the way they are then this one is a disaster (looks wise).

#65 gumgum

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Posted 20 April 2011 - 12:15 PM

Those blank walls are obviously built with the assumption that something similar size will be built on either side. And I can't see that happening for a very, very long time.

#66 Mike K.

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Posted 20 April 2011 - 02:04 PM

The only saving grace would be to commission a mural.

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#67 jonny

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Posted 20 April 2011 - 02:20 PM

Those blank walls are obviously built with the assumption that something similar size will be built on either side. And I can't see that happening for a very, very long time.


Aren't "firewalls" such as these required when a building is constructed right to the property line?

As it stands now, the cinder blocks look awful.

#68 Kapten Kapsell

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Posted 04 August 2011 - 04:31 PM

14 of the 23 units are now sold.

This project should be complete by early October (hard hat tours will be given in just over 2 weeks).

#69 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 13 October 2011 - 09:49 AM

In my inbox today:

The Zen is now complete.

Come join us this Saturday and Sunday between 1 and 4pm for the Grand Opening of the Zen 1121 Fort Street just up from the corner of Fort and Cook

Look forward to seeing you there.

Blair

Blair Watling

Newport Realty

1286 Fairfield Road


<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#70 Baro

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Posted 13 October 2011 - 11:36 AM

This building is interesting as all the hallways are actually EXTERIOR. You come in the main entrance and you're actually still outside, there's not much of a roof. And all the hallways between the suites are open and technically exterior but only have a few small open-air sections.
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#71 phx

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Posted 16 October 2011 - 05:17 PM

I checked out Zen this afternoon, out of idle curiosity.

The units are indeed small, though they seem to work for some people as 16 of the 23 have been sold.

The construction quality is on the "value" end of the spectrum.

#72 Holden West

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Posted 05 February 2012 - 11:16 PM

I saw a few units at an open house today. They are indeed small, but the layout is fairly decent for that size. That is, with the exception of one third-floor unit that was just over 300 square feet. It appeared to have been born from the leftover bits of the rest of the suites. It was dark, cramped and awkwardly laid out. I have seen other buildings with sub 350 units that actually work well. This didn't but maybe it just had to be creatively staged to convince me it's actually liveable.

The Meares-facing suite was quite nice. A quiet, south-facing view. Being on the low end, they all had laminate flooring and countertops but fairly tasteful. One dumb thing I noticed was the cheap Danby microwave in each unit. Because the kitchens are so tiny, a coffeemaker, toaster and microwave would take up all your counterspace. I would rip out the cheap range hood and install a decent microwave/range hood fan. Or even a convection/microwave and then ditch the oven, replacing it with a ceramic countertop stove.

I thought they were about ten grand too expensive but maybe I'm just behind the times with market values.
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#73 aastra

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Posted 15 April 2012 - 04:09 PM

Some interior pictures:
http://www.jordyharr...s.php?id=301361

#74 phx

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Posted 07 January 2013 - 08:05 PM

The largest unit will be comparable in size to the smallest at the Fairfield Rise, though is a bargain in comparison: $264,900 vs. $489,900.

Both buildings are four storey wood frame construction.

It'll be interesting to see which one sells-out first.


The sign at Zen says they are now all sold. Meanwhile, it appears only 3 of the 8 units at Fairfield Rise/Ross Bay Landing have sold.

Somehow I'm not surprised.

#75 City of Grand Entitlement

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Posted 17 June 2015 - 10:16 PM

There are commercials on CHEK too.

311-486 sq. ft. units starting at $180k.

Click on unit 204 or 304. http://www.zenvictor...floor_plans.php 311 sq. ft.? Would that be the smallest condo in all of Victoria? Is there a legal minimum?

I was just going through this thread, as I actually own one of the studios in Zen. In fact, my wife, and I live in the 311 square foot monster which is unit 204.

We purchased our unit in October 2011, and were two of the first inhabitants of the complex. When we tell people our condo is 311sq.ft., they react similarly to the way VicHockeyFan did... with a general sense of disbelief. Those who have been to visit however, are completely shocked with how large, and spacious our unit actually is. I believe the 9.5' ceilings are the reason for the overall sense of roominess. (or should I have said, false-sense...?)

While we have the smallest unit in the building, (and possibly all of Victoria) we have the largest balcony. (in the building, not in Victoria) Unfortunately, the design of the building's exterior makes going outside feel similar to the way a lion must feel while in captivity at a zoo. The four apartments above us, all have tiny balconies, which hang over our wide-open, privacy-free balcony. We're pretty private folk. As a result, I think that between the two of us, we've spent a combined total of two hours maximum in our outdoor space. (and 98% of that was spent cleaning)

I saw another member referred to the building as 'The Generica'...and he was pretty spot-on. The open-air hallways are a nice touch, but other than that, Zen has no real character to speak of. Another thing there are very few of, is closets. Our unit has a grand total of 0. 

No, we're not insane, just seemingly blind. We never would have knowingly purchased a condo without at least one closet, but it turns out we were more than happy to do just that, unknowingly. It seems that our nervous excitement, coupled with the building being incomplete, with no finish work done at that time, was enough to make us overlook the absence of a place to put our clothes... or much of anything else.

Almost four years later, we are much happier with our completely renovated 311square feet. A new kitchen with quartz countertop, and appropriately-sized 24' built-in European appliances, (instead of the cheap Formica, and apartment-sized, but-still-far-too-big, contractor-grade General Electric units that came with our home) the row of storage cubes, which extends two entire walls of our bed nook, renovated bathroom, with appropriately-sized 15 X 9" vanity, with sideway sink, (instead of the grossly oversized 32 X 24" vanity which Homewood's crack designers though was a good match for our micro-bathroom) interesting, and attractive paint scheme, (the original super-beige colour palette was the most bland either of us had ever seen. Period) plus many, many other upgrades, tweaks, and small improvements have made our life at 'The Generica' a touch more bearable... and at times, almost interesting.

 


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#76 Mixed365

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Posted 18 June 2015 - 06:57 AM

Is this the building with CBRE on the ground floor City of Grand Entitlement?


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#77 lanforod

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Posted 18 June 2015 - 07:11 AM

I'd love to see some photos of that!


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#78 Mike K.

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Posted 18 June 2015 - 07:12 AM

It's one block east on the opposite side of the street, yes?

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#79 Rob Randall

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Posted 18 June 2015 - 08:49 AM

Yeah, I remember the people that staged those smaller suites were completely clueless about using small space efficiently. They just crammed standard appliances and fixtures in there. Maybe it was all leftovers from a previous project. They would have been better off just leaving the suites unfinished. I'm certain the Janion won't make that mistake.



#80 Sparky

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Posted 20 June 2015 - 07:19 AM

^^^^^ Hi there City of Grand Entitlement, I think I will call you CoGE. Thank you for your post and welcome to vibrantvictoria. I found your post interesting and informative. Rarely has a newcomer shared so much right out of the gate. I think I will giggle a few times today when I think of your term "privacy free".

 

It was a good read. I am sure I am not alone when I say I look forward to reading more about the "micro" lifestyle, although I note that you did not use that term.

 

Welcome aboard.



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