cdr108
Senior Member
Greening a multifamily mansion
Neil Spiegel and Ann Shin have transformed a massive old house on High Park Blvd. into an environmentally-friendly four-plex
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081211.reRaymaker1212/REStory/RealEstate/home
DEREK RAYMAKER
From Friday's Globe and Mail
December 11, 2008 at 4:54 PM EST
High Park Boulevard is easily among the most elegant residential addresses in Toronto. Only three blocks long, it extends east from Parkside Drive to Roncesvalles Avenue. While it's a long way from Forest Hill and Rosedale, and nowhere near upscale shopping or country clubs, there is not a single home on the street that is anything less than a stately mansion.
Some are in better condition than others, however, and purchasing one would likely be only the first step in bringing it up to par. It's impossible to buy a house on High Park Boulevard for less than $1-million, then there's the added expense of renovating the aging structure to suit the needs of the modern family.
Real estate agent Neil Spiegel and television director and producer Ann Shin have spent the past 15 months renovating an 8,000-square-foot mansion on the boulevard into four 2,000-square-foot condominium residences.
In the process, they have transformed the residence into a model of energy efficiency in keeping with their dedication to walking the walk when it comes to sustainable living. (Mr. Spiegel is a two-time federal Green Party candidate in Parkdale-High Park.)
The couple and their two young children will live in one of the four-bedroom residences. Another couple that were partners in the project, will live in a similar suite. But the other two new units are on sale for $689,000 each.
Both are large enough to accommodate all the needs of a family with one or two children, and while there is no backyard per se, there is a 400-acre backyard a half-block away in High Park.
During an open house last weekend, there was a steady stream of interested gawkers coming through the project, known as Urbangreen. It's unique not only in that it incorporates much of the latest energy-efficient technology, but because the developers would be your neighbours, and it offers buyers the chance to hold title on an extremely coveted street for less than seven figures.
"I like to call it fresh thinking in an old neighbourhood," Ms. Shin says. "This is an example of how you can make green features affordable."
The two couples originally intended to develop the house under a single title with co-operative ownership among four unit-holders.
After numerous complications that would have made construction and mortgage financing difficult (not to mention a significant obstacle to resale), they moved to the condo ownership model.
In the role of developers, the couple rigorously examined every detail of the project, but they also conferred with people in the surrounding community in charettes, a French term that roughly means a peer review and feedback opportunity on the design.
"A lot of care has been taken in the upgrades of the building and the attention to all the details," Ms. Shin says. "We wanted it to reflect the patterns of our lives as well as trying to be mindful of the indoor-outdoor relationship."
To that end, the development has included a basement wine cellar and workshop that can be shared by all of the building's residents. Each unit has two levels, with the two upper residences sporting rooftop decks that extend seamlessly from the living rooms.
Among the myriad of conservation features is a geothermal heating and cooling system for which four wells were drilled deep into the earth to extract water to drive the temperature-control systems. The system is likely to reduce heating and cooling costs, and use 25 per cent less electricity, even compared with other high-efficiency systems.
The suite on view (which is among the two currently for sale) is a sleek marriage of modern design and family comfort. The kitchen, living room and dining room are combined in an expansive open-concept space fed by light from large windows on two walls.
There is an additional family room on the basement level, which has a polished cement floor, along with two bathrooms featuring the latest fixtures, such as rainwater showerheads.
Ms. Shin was originally skeptical that this sort of living arrangement would be comfortable for her children as well as herself.
"I became a convert in the process," she says. "Not just long-term in terms of the need for environmental sustainability, but also in terms that this could deliver what a working mother with kids would want."
Neil Spiegel and Ann Shin have transformed a massive old house on High Park Blvd. into an environmentally-friendly four-plex
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081211.reRaymaker1212/REStory/RealEstate/home
DEREK RAYMAKER
From Friday's Globe and Mail
December 11, 2008 at 4:54 PM EST
High Park Boulevard is easily among the most elegant residential addresses in Toronto. Only three blocks long, it extends east from Parkside Drive to Roncesvalles Avenue. While it's a long way from Forest Hill and Rosedale, and nowhere near upscale shopping or country clubs, there is not a single home on the street that is anything less than a stately mansion.
Some are in better condition than others, however, and purchasing one would likely be only the first step in bringing it up to par. It's impossible to buy a house on High Park Boulevard for less than $1-million, then there's the added expense of renovating the aging structure to suit the needs of the modern family.
Real estate agent Neil Spiegel and television director and producer Ann Shin have spent the past 15 months renovating an 8,000-square-foot mansion on the boulevard into four 2,000-square-foot condominium residences.
In the process, they have transformed the residence into a model of energy efficiency in keeping with their dedication to walking the walk when it comes to sustainable living. (Mr. Spiegel is a two-time federal Green Party candidate in Parkdale-High Park.)
The couple and their two young children will live in one of the four-bedroom residences. Another couple that were partners in the project, will live in a similar suite. But the other two new units are on sale for $689,000 each.
Both are large enough to accommodate all the needs of a family with one or two children, and while there is no backyard per se, there is a 400-acre backyard a half-block away in High Park.
During an open house last weekend, there was a steady stream of interested gawkers coming through the project, known as Urbangreen. It's unique not only in that it incorporates much of the latest energy-efficient technology, but because the developers would be your neighbours, and it offers buyers the chance to hold title on an extremely coveted street for less than seven figures.
"I like to call it fresh thinking in an old neighbourhood," Ms. Shin says. "This is an example of how you can make green features affordable."
The two couples originally intended to develop the house under a single title with co-operative ownership among four unit-holders.
After numerous complications that would have made construction and mortgage financing difficult (not to mention a significant obstacle to resale), they moved to the condo ownership model.
In the role of developers, the couple rigorously examined every detail of the project, but they also conferred with people in the surrounding community in charettes, a French term that roughly means a peer review and feedback opportunity on the design.
"A lot of care has been taken in the upgrades of the building and the attention to all the details," Ms. Shin says. "We wanted it to reflect the patterns of our lives as well as trying to be mindful of the indoor-outdoor relationship."
To that end, the development has included a basement wine cellar and workshop that can be shared by all of the building's residents. Each unit has two levels, with the two upper residences sporting rooftop decks that extend seamlessly from the living rooms.
Among the myriad of conservation features is a geothermal heating and cooling system for which four wells were drilled deep into the earth to extract water to drive the temperature-control systems. The system is likely to reduce heating and cooling costs, and use 25 per cent less electricity, even compared with other high-efficiency systems.
The suite on view (which is among the two currently for sale) is a sleek marriage of modern design and family comfort. The kitchen, living room and dining room are combined in an expansive open-concept space fed by light from large windows on two walls.
There is an additional family room on the basement level, which has a polished cement floor, along with two bathrooms featuring the latest fixtures, such as rainwater showerheads.
Ms. Shin was originally skeptical that this sort of living arrangement would be comfortable for her children as well as herself.
"I became a convert in the process," she says. "Not just long-term in terms of the need for environmental sustainability, but also in terms that this could deliver what a working mother with kids would want."