Toronto Old Mill Towers Renovation

[interchange42]

42, If I may correct one thing you wrote in the part II posting "The problem with the corrugated finish on the exterior is that 45 years of exposure to the elements has weakened it in some areas, and chunks have fallen off" As far as I know NO chunks have fallen off however there has been a variety of large "chunks" safely removed by professional companies.

Ah - thank you for the clarification Ron! Glad to see you on the forum.

I will correct the wording in the home page article.

42

 

[Redroom Studios]

excellent update! I would agree witht he positive comments above... but wow, its gotta be kinda unnerving though to see your apartment with all the exterior windows missing! Make sure you lock up the cat!

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

The floorplans rock!

http://www.princessmgmt.com/39_Old_Mill.html

 

[maestro]

The issue I have with stucco is that it tends to discolour/get dirty a lot quicker than an other material. However, I think their choice of colour here will age more gracifully.

 

[Chuck]

The issue I have with stucco is that it tends to discolour/get dirty a lot quicker than an other material. However, I think their choice of colour here will age more gracifully.

That's because it's usually detailed poorly. Another problem is the general erosion of skill in the construction trades. Go back 100 years, and the stone masons were not only "more skilled," but they also had a thorough understanding of how to place and carve stones to prevent premature deterioration and staining. Today's workers are in many cases effectively clueless unless they have a set of drawings in front of them, and this isn't helped when the architects and engineers who prepared the drawings often don't know how to properly detail a building either.

Bottom line is that when done properly, staining should not be an issue at all with EIFS. Unfortunately this is almost never the case.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Are there any old buildings in Toronto, faced with various types of stone and brick when they were built, that haven't been degraded by the effects of pollution? Cladding a building in said "quality finishes" doesn't render them immune to the ravages of time and environment no matter how solidly constructed. The west side of the 1960 O'Keefe Centre is as discoloured as the 1885 Bank of Montreal building that's kitty-corner to it, for instance.

 

[Chuck]

All buildings age, and all buildings will one day require a major restoration project given Toronto's harsh climate. However, proper detailing and material selection can allow a facade to last several generations longer without a major overhaul. Case in point: late 1800s to early 1900s buildings are only now coming due for their first major restoration cycle. At the same time, so are 1960s and 1970s slabs.

 

[junctionist]

All buildings age, and all buildings will one day require a major restoration project given Toronto's harsh climate. However, proper detailing and material selection can allow a facade to last several generations longer without a major overhaul. Case in point: late 1800s to early 1900s buildings are only now coming due for their first major restoration cycle. At the same time, so are 1960s and 1970s slabs.

Are you kidding? Did you ever see photos of what Victorian buildings looked like by the 1950s? The facades were uniformly black from pollution and weathering. Plenty of buildings from the late 1800s had turrets, towers, and rich exterior trim. Their ornamentation was often stripped in the decades following World War II when they needed significant renovations. In less fortunate circumstances, they were demolished.

 

[Chuck]

Are you kidding? Did you ever see photos of what Victorian buildings looked like by the 1950s? The facades were uniformly black from pollution and weathering. Plenty of buildings from the late 1800s had turrets, towers, and rich exterior trim. Their ornamentation was often stripped in the decades following World War II when they needed significant renovations. In less fortunate circumstances, they were demolished.

Fine, so they lasted 60 years. Not too shabby, and better than what has been built as of late.

 

[junctionist]

Fine, so they lasted 60 years. Not too shabby, and better than what has been built as of late.

They could have also done renovations before that, but few archival photos have been scanned. Also, 1960s slabs are now approaching the half century mark and not all need significant repairs.

 

[interchange42]

I have some new photos to update you with, from two different visits, showing progress on the west, south, and east sides.

First, the west, from June 17:

Work on the south side, June 17:

Windows partially replaced on the east side, July 2. I know the blue is not popular with everyone. Can anti-UV coated windows be colourless? I have to admit I do not know if the new crystal clear low- or no-iron windows on buildings like the Four Seasons Centre For The Performing Arts have UV coatings on them or not. (Anyway, it's a rather interesting pattern for the time being... and won't be there for long.)

Work on the south side:

The whole thing:

42

 

[interchange42]

Time for another update, not focusing on the windows as most are now replaced, but focusing now in the state of the concrete after 45 years of wear, and the installation of the new Exterior Insulation Finishing System, or EIFS.

So, what is this?

That's a shot of the concrete fins between each column of windows on the east side of the building. The acute angle emphasizes the problems with the concrete now, and explains why this renovation is currently taking place. Work has not commenced on the new skin the east side yet, so all subsequent photos focus on the work taking place on the west side.

Here we can see that the weaker spots have been chisled out to remove the rusted and crumbling materials.

Backing out we can see that the previous image only represents what is happening to a portion of the west facade. Each column is at its own stage of work.

A close-up, with mostly raw, weathered concrete here.

Unfinished EIFS now covers the closest of the concrete fins in this image. You will also note the dark sealing coat applied to the concrete of the closest window column.

The central column of this shot features the finished stucco coat over the EIFS, while the fin to the left is just starting its recladding.

Backing out for a better look.

The work area is fenced off around the base of the tower.

The big view.

42

 

[adma]

I'm still skeptical in principle re these retrofit/improvements even when they profess to be "sympathetic".

A terrific case in point: the "Miesian cage" Tower Hill apartments at St Clair + Spadina. The western of the two has lately been done over in a manner superficially "in keeping"; but heavier and boxier than what once was--compare the still-filigree-like delicacy of the east tower...

 

[Superron]

November 21

Wow!!, you should see the building now that the front is more or less done.