Toronto Sun Life Financial Tower & Harbour Plaza Residences | 236.51m | 67s | Menkes | Sweeny &Co

Hopefully, it's just right now and we'll look back 25 to 30 year from now askng, "what were they thinking?" Worst case would be for people to start families in these units having been priced out of the market. It's happen with pre 2008ish towers. The units are more workable. The layouts and square footage have gotten progressively worst since .
 
If that's a condo gym then it's impressive as hell.

Also shame on those landlords still installing cheap, vertical blinds in 2017.
 
You don't need a big living room when there are party rooms, Real Sports bar, Pure Fitness, the lake, and parks.

The living rooms are getting smaller, but TVs are getting thinner too. And most people use portable laptops rather than desktops. Books are replaced by Kindles and iPads. Minimalistic living is going to be the future.
 
The only thing I find annoying is the huge island. It's such a waste of space. I'd rather have a small glass-top dining table by the windows.
 
PC9728 said:
You don't need a big living room when there are party rooms, Real Sports bar, Pure Fitness, the lake, and parks.

The living rooms are getting smaller, but TVs are getting thinner too. And most people use portable laptops rather than desktops. Books are replaced by Kindles and iPads. Minimalistic living is going to be the future.
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All good points. I'm the last one to deny that sustainability means a lower footprint, smaller spaces, and minimalism. But let's not be too generous here: most of those units have really no living space at all, and perhaps my iPad can be enjoyed in a nook, but having family over, playing with kids, enjoying company, etc. cannot. And no, I don't want to invite Mom and Dad over and host them in the party room, and I don't want to learn to watch my toddler crawl on its filthy floor.

These spaces aren't just small, they're impractical and are not intended for the myriad uses that a longer-term occupancy by real people with real lives demands. If you're a couple or a single person looking for a pad to call home for a few years, this works. If you're looking to build a life in Toronto, it doesn't. Calling it minimalistic is at this point just marketing spin.
 
PC9728 said:
The only thing I find annoying is the huge island. It's such a waste of space. I'd rather have a small glass-top dining table by the windows.
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it eliminates the dining table, so its a space saver in a way. Still, the living rooms look too small to even fit a couch and TV in. A small loveseat at most.
 
Yea it might not be suitable for raising a family but it's a good investment property. Location is perfect for singles and young couples who work in downtown; or retirees who want to downsize to a condo, so there's always a demand. Even if you don't end up living in it long term, you could easily rent it out.

Also keep in mind, it's not uncommon for people to own multiple properties nowadays.

Anyway, size-wise, it makes sense to build condos like these in the financial district, where you just want a home to sleep in. But it doesn't make sense to have 400sqft condos in uptown places like north of Yonge and Finch.
 
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PC9728 said:
You don't need a big living room when there are party rooms, Real Sports bar, Pure Fitness, the lake, and parks.

The living rooms are getting smaller, but TVs are getting thinner too. And most people use portable laptops rather than desktops. Books are replaced by Kindles and iPads. Minimalistic living is going to be the future.
Click to expand...


Great points. Shelves with DVDs/Blu-rays are gone because of streaming technology too
 
PC9728 said:
You don't need a big living room when there are party rooms, Real Sports bar, Pure Fitness, the lake, and parks.

The living rooms are getting smaller, but TVs are getting thinner too. And most people use portable laptops rather than desktops. Books are replaced by Kindles and iPads. Minimalistic living is going to be the future.
Click to expand...

Seeing as you don't get a living room at all (just a space for a sofa at the end of your kitchen) one has no choice but to use public space in the building or outside. I thought my place was small but those condos are puny. I'd last about 2 weeks in cubicle sized condos like those shown.

Micro sized units can only go so far before one starts feeling like a caged zoo animal. I watched a documentary on the tiny house trend. Turns out that 80% of the people on that tv show 'Tiny House' don't last more than a year. They end up going stir crazy. Minimalism has its limits.
 
Condos are typically built for one demographic in mind. Singles who rarely cook and aren't home often. kitchens are now limited to just 8 ft of wallspace. Living rooms are the size of dens.

Way too many unliveable condos going up. Remember looking at a 2 bedroom new build that was about 900 sqft and the living room couldn't even fit a full size couch. It had to be a loveseat. That condo recently got sold for $700K.

People are beint forced into these terrible layouts because there's nothing out there because they have no choice.

Small units are fine, but the layouts have to be good.
 
I've thought about this a lot. It's the kitchen that wastes the most space. In Asia, 750 sqft gets you 1 bath, 3 bedrooms, 1 small kitchen, dining area and living room. Quite comfortable and livable too.
 
PC9728 said:
I've thought about this a lot. It's the kitchen that wastes the most space. In Asia, 750 sqft gets you 1 bath, 3 bedrooms, 1 small kitchen, dining area and living room. Quite comfortable and livable too.
Click to expand...

In due time, that will be coming here. We're already seeing tiny linear kitchens in some units nowadays.
 
Also in Asia, the washing machine is usually in the kitchen. And you can totally live without a drying machine in a condo. You can either hang it dry on the balcony or get a dehumidifier.
 
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