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#81 amor de cosmos

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Posted 21 May 2016 - 12:21 PM

i guess these could apply to people building them also. a commenter said patio walk-outs on the ground floor sort of reflect sound upwards to other units, which you also don't usually hear about.
 

Noisy Adjacencies:

What’s around the suite? Elevator shafts, mechanical rooms, and gyms all create noise. There are measures to protect against all of these noises, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying about these sorts of things. For instance, in my experience, some (many?) condo gyms don’t have the right kind of floor to deal with dropping weights. In these cases, something is usually done after turnover to address the noise complaints.

Exposed Overhangs:

Does the suite overhang the floor below or sit on top of a space that is exposed to the elements, such as a loading bay or walkway? If so, you might get a cold zone if it hasn’t been properly insulated or heat traced. Of course, most projecting condo balconies also create a thermal bridge that can create a cold zone around it. But the first example could be worse. If you live in a place that doesn’t have subarctic winters (Toronto) this may be a moot point.

Transfer Floors:

The most efficient way to build a multi-family building is to repeat the same floor plan as you go up the building. This ensures that everything runs in a straight line. The minute you create stepbacks and offsets, you then need to start “transferring.” This means that structure and services will need to be brought from one location of the building to another. This can lead to deeper structural beams and additional bulkheads which could then impact ceiling heights in the suites. This won’t always be the case, but something to think about when you see dramatic changes in the building’s form next to your suite.

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#82 kirk

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Posted 21 May 2016 - 12:35 PM

Yes good point.   I looked at a condo that had a beautiful private back patio courtyard area with a rock wall.  It was a 2-story condo (which was also nice)  & seemed private, but I did ponder on whether your dinner-conversation would just float up to the 3rd floor.  Decided if you really want outdoor-privacy, that's what a house is for!   

 

Though seems some condos have rooftop patios that can be shared/rented which might work if they are in non noise-carrying areas. 

 

I currently live top floor / corner of a newer wood-framed building & I don't hear a thing!  (One of the reasons we stay here instead of a house)



#83 MarkoJ

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Posted 22 May 2016 - 01:48 PM

 

Thanks for the thoughts!

 

Good point about it's not our job to educate.  

 

Thanks for the info on liens - we did recently switch property management companies but it seems it is also hard for them to act in a timely manner as well. 

 

The biggest barrier to fining people (for things like dumping garbage) is often it's hard to know who did it! 

 

I wonder how many condos have video surveillance now?  Seems like the cost of it must be coming down.

 

I can't even imagine what a mess AirBNB could be 

 

 

AirBnB is not as bad as people think.....at least a bad AirBnB "tenant" is gone after two days.

 

You say there are 26 owners and 9 owner occupiers? Call a special general meeting and probably only the owner occupiers will show up and sounds like investors are so removed from their properties that they probably wouldn't send in proxies.  You need 1/3 to hold quorom so you should be good at 9 people and then 75% of those 9 present will need to vote yet to amend bylaws.

 

Don't screw around with the rental restrictions bylaws to start (as that could cause market value to plummet) but start with various things such as increasing the move-in fee to $250, introducing a no smoking bylaw everywhere in the building.  Start hitting up the investors for move-in fees and use the move-in fee to repaint hallways, etc.  Fine all tenants (owners of units) that smoke, etc.


Edited by MarkoJ, 22 May 2016 - 01:50 PM.

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#84 sebberry

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Posted 22 May 2016 - 06:21 PM

Don't screw around with the rental restrictions bylaws to start (as that could cause market value to plummet) but start with various things such as increasing the move-in fee to $250, introducing a no smoking bylaw everywhere in the building.  Start hitting up the investors for move-in fees and use the move-in fee to repaint hallways, etc.  Fine all tenants (owners of units) that smoke, etc.

 

I wish there was a way to quantify the impact of the big restrictions (rentals, pets, etc...) on resale value. 


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#85 MarkoJ

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Posted 22 May 2016 - 06:59 PM

I wish there was a way to quantify the impact of the big restrictions (rentals, pets, etc...) on resale value. 

 

It would be relatively possible to quantify market impact (i.e. what percentage of condo shoppers have a pet, have kids or are planning on kids, investors vs owner-occupiers, etc.)....

 

How much it affects price is difficult to say, but it does big time for sure.


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#86 Rob Randall

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Posted 24 October 2019 - 10:51 AM

When cracks began to appear all over his condo in Vancouver's West End early this year, Wayne Morrissey didn't understand what was going on.

Then a neighbour told him the owner of the identical condo directly below his had removed several walls.

"In July of this year, they finally turned around and opened up my walls, and determined the homeowner below had in fact removed supporting beams, causing my place to collapse," Morrissey told CTV News from his home on Wednesday.

 

 

https://bc.ctvnews.c...Rhme_Gx-RGIpM0Y



#87 Nparker

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Posted 24 October 2019 - 10:55 AM

:eek:  :eek:  :eek:



#88 grantpalin

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Posted 24 October 2019 - 02:37 PM

Same story at the CBC, these lines stuck out:

Morrissey alleged, however, that once he notified the strata council about the wall, he was told the strata planned to wait for one year to see if the damage got worse.

Morrissey's lawyers sent a strongly-worded letter to the strata council and the property manager who serves as its agent on May 7, 2019. 

"We understand from our client that when the council and property manager were first made aware of the issue, the decision was made to wait for one year before taking any action to 'see if it gets worse," Morrisey's lawyers wrote.

 



#89 Rob Randall

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Posted 24 October 2019 - 03:52 PM

Name any potentially life-threatening scenario. Tell me if "Let's wait and see if it gets worse" is a viable course of action in any of them.


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#90 Victoria Watcher

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Posted 24 October 2019 - 05:07 PM

"removed several walls".  how can anyone be so ignorant?  i'm all in favour of quietly removing walls but you have to know some of them are important.



#91 Mike K.

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Posted 24 October 2019 - 09:33 PM

Someone watched one too many “open space concept” HGTV specials, I guess.
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#92 laconic

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Posted 25 October 2019 - 07:37 AM

Name any potentially life-threatening scenario. Tell me if "Let's wait and see if it gets worse" is a viable course of action in any of them.

 

That's the standard operating procedure (pun intended) for most doctors.



#93 sebberry

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Posted 07 November 2019 - 11:38 PM

Been paying a little more attention to some of the smaller condos on the market lately.  

 

What's with the 1 bedroom / 2 bathroom configurations?  Seems to be somewhat common.  Wouldn't it make more sense to have a 'cheater' bathroom and more storage?  


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#94 sebberry

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Posted 10 November 2019 - 09:34 AM

Took a gander at the open house for this listing yesterday.  Now I'm in 1100sq-ft, so that place is surely too small, but I wanted to get a feel for what that size is like and it got me thinking - how many other condos in town have small garden/patios like that?  It's a nice private little grassy/paved area, perfect for BBQ, a dog to play in (but not to BBQ your dog...).  I'd be interested in a 2BR with a garden like that, or a 1BR+Den.  


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#95 Nparker

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Posted 10 November 2019 - 09:38 AM

...It's a nice private little grassy/paved area, perfect for BBQ, a dog to play in (but not to BBQ your dog...  

Space enough to wok your dog? :blink:



#96 Mike K.

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Posted 10 November 2019 - 10:21 AM

These suites are becoming more common but they're still a relative rarity. One of the nice things is the strata maintains the space, even though its fenced off for your use, as it falls under common property.

 

Uptown Place brought these units into the spotlight and the same developer also included them in the Radius project, although it's a rental.


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#97 sebberry

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Posted 10 November 2019 - 10:50 AM

It’s very tempting, I very much want to get a dog and the place allows for 2 dogs up to 40lbs each. Interestingly during the open house the realtor had a few people with 80 lb dogs expressing interest then later disappointment.

The layout is very livable, I could see it being a great starter condo but downsizing that much would be a pain I think, even with the better overall lifestyle. If I kept it for the lifespan of the typical 40lb dog, I’d be pushing 50 before I sold the place. That’s just too small.

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#98 Redd42

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Posted 10 November 2019 - 11:04 AM

Been paying a little more attention to some of the smaller condos on the market lately.  

 

What's with the 1 bedroom / 2 bathroom configurations?  Seems to be somewhat common.  Wouldn't it make more sense to have a 'cheater' bathroom and more storage?  

 

When I was last in the condo shopping market, storage was exactly what I was going to do with the 2nd bathroom if I ended up buying one like that. It is weird thinking - 2 bathrooms in a one bedroom but very little closet space. 


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#99 Mike K.

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Posted 10 November 2019 - 12:18 PM

Could it have something to do with the plumbing stacks?

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#100 Matt R.

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Posted 10 November 2019 - 12:28 PM

I see a couple 3 bedroom townhouses for sale in Parkside place in the $410 range. Pets allowed, the backyards are a bonus. They are limited common property and the strata doesn’t maintain them inside the fence.

Tonnes of storage.

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