Park 570 (VanDyk) - Real Estate -

As for the drain plug, the manual says the sink strainer hole thing is 3.5"..so looks for a plug that size? I don't know if there are different sizes or whatever as I've never used one before. You could probably call the sink company too and see which kind you need.

Meaning you didn't get sink plugs either?
 
Sorry I'm only bringing up mostly negative things, but I just want to get some input from you guys as well. There is certainly more positives as one might expect from a new home. That being said I've now spent 3 nights there, and here are some more items:

1) I'm not sure if it's just me, but I can't get into the locker room in the garage. My key does not work. I spoke to Henry (groundskeeper) and he said they ordered new keys as they're not all working as of now... so I have a bunch of storage stuff in my unit until that gets resolved.
2) I'm not sure why my storage is in the garage when there's a locker room on my floor just a few doors down. Would be nice if I could switch with someone, but I doubt too many people want a storage unit in the garage. Would require some paperwork, no doubt.
3) my unit is in the south end... my parking spot is in the north end. again, not a huge deal, but would be nice if I could switch with someone.

That's about it. Some sidenotes:
1) both washer and dishwasher water shutoff valves were turned off... be sure to turn them on when ready to use
2) I just remembered the fire alarm went off Friday night at some godawful time in the morning (3? 4am?) ... I'm not sure whether it went off for 2 minutes or 20 minutes... i just covered my head with a pillow and tried to get through it... but boy was it ever loud!
3) unlike Asmegin, my TP holder was installed on the side of the cabinet (luckily)
4) I have no idea where Vandyk got so many incandescent bulbs from for all the light fixtures. Considering it's a new building, I didn't think they were sold in stores anymore... must have bought them from China or something). I swapped about half a dozen for the efficient CFL variety. Need to go buy some more and/or dimmer switches for certain rooms.

That's all for now... I'll write more when things come to mind.
 
No, I didn't get a sink plug.

1) I'm not sure if it's just me, but I can't get into the locker room in the garage. My key does not work. I spoke to Henry (groundskeeper) and he said they ordered new keys as they're not all working as of now... so I have a bunch of storage stuff in my unit until that gets resolved.
2) I'm not sure why my storage is in the garage when there's a locker room on my floor just a few doors down. Would be nice if I could switch with someone, but I doubt too many people want a storage unit in the garage. Would require some paperwork, no doubt.
3) my unit is in the south end... my parking spot is in the north end. again, not a huge deal, but would be nice if I could switch with someone.

I haven't tried the locker key, but I'll give it a go when I get home. Mine is also in the basement - I'm guessing they didn't make the locker rooms big enough on the floors or the mechanical took up more space then they planned for. Sucks, but I'll probably just have my winter tires in mine so no big deal.

2) I just remembered the fire alarm went off Friday night at some godawful time in the morning (3? 4am?) ... I'm not sure whether it went off for 2 minutes or 20 minutes... i just covered my head with a pillow and tried to get through it... but boy was it ever loud!

Worst thing ever after a night of drinking. I think it was on for a long time but it was brutal. There is an alarm in the bedroom and it was absolutely piercing.

3) unlike Asmegin, my TP holder was installed on the side of the cabinet (luckily)

My TP holder was on the cabinet too - I changed it and it left a hole. Will have to patch up with wood filler or something. The 16" towel rack is where I had my problem as it was glued to the drywall.

4) I have no idea where Vandyk got so many incandescent bulbs from for all the light fixtures. Considering it's a new building, I didn't think they were sold in stores anymore... must have bought them from China or something). I swapped about half a dozen for the efficient CFL variety. Need to go buy some more and/or dimmer switches for certain rooms.

Incadescents are cheaper than CFLs and still give off a light people find more comfortable. The price difference isn't that huge anymore, but when they're buying 1000s of them...every bit of savings makes a difference I guess. Too bad they didn't go with the 12.5W Philips LED bulbs instead...only $23 each :D
 
For lockers/parking spots, I honestly think they just did it at random. They considered nothing when giving them out.

What causes the fire alarm to go off in each persons unit? There is more then one speaker for it in each unit?
I could understand if there was smoke in the hallways/common elements that it would go off in each persons unit, but if there isn't, I am sure it must be super loud.
 
As far as the sink strainers go they should supplied by the builder , they do come with sink .stating to get a little worried from sine if the stories I'm hearing from u guys.for those of you living in the building I'm just wondering how often do u run into the builder employees and if so what type atmosphere is it when they're around?u just got some documents and one that concerns me is which forces you to sign that you will not alter your unit.being in the business u know they don't want you doing anything crazy until the bank gives them the cash and it becomes your but I'm planing in doing quite a bit if upgrade to my unit before I move in . I hope it's not gonna be an issue with the handyman walking around and making a big deal out of it,at most of the buildings I work at we actually get a lot if side jobs from residents and upgrading before closing the deal is quite normal,seeing as how I plan on doing most if my deficiencies my self there really is no need for anyone from the builder side of things to enter my suite.i actually would rather they not enter as I know what really goes on when people aren't home.
 
I actually just met with my lawyer today and she mentioned that when I was signing the forms, that they don't want to you alter anything until final closing or you at least need their permission. I would also like to do some things, backsplash, different lights, handles, etc. Hopefully these types of things are ok....

My locker starts with 2, so I guess its on the 2nd floor?
 
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For lockers/parking spots, I honestly think they just did it at random. They considered nothing when giving them out.

I'd have to agree.

What causes the fire alarm to go off in each persons unit? There is more then one speaker for it in each unit?
I could understand if there was smoke in the hallways/common elements that it would go off in each persons unit, but if there isn't, I am sure it must be super loud.

I have no idea what caused the fire alarm to go off. I'm assuming it went off for the whole building (as Asmegin confirmed he heard it too). I didn't bother getting up to check and see if there was an actual threat (probably not a good habit).
 
As far as the sink strainers go they should supplied by the builder , they do come with sink .stating to get a little worried from sine if the stories I'm hearing from u guys.for those of you living in the building I'm just wondering how often do u run into the builder employees and if so what type atmosphere is it when they're around?u just got some documents and one that concerns me is which forces you to sign that you will not alter your unit.being in the business u know they don't want you doing anything crazy until the bank gives them the cash and it becomes your but I'm planing in doing quite a bit if upgrade to my unit before I move in . I hope it's not gonna be an issue with the handyman walking around and making a big deal out of it,at most of the buildings I work at we actually get a lot if side jobs from residents and upgrading before closing the deal is quite normal,seeing as how I plan on doing most if my deficiencies my self there really is no need for anyone from the builder side of things to enter my suite.i actually would rather they not enter as I know what really goes on when people aren't home.

haha in my last message I did mention that I'm not looking to freak you guys out. Almost everything is great... apart from the small problems mentioned. So I would think this a good place to bring them up initially to get your thoughts before I talk to the builder. Overall I'm still quite happy... it's just the touchups, and MOST importantly the doors that I'm extremely soured about.

I will inquire about the kitchen sink strainer/drain plug.

When there during business hours there is always been someone there while I was around. It seemed to be quite busy. I don't think you'll have a problem with your upgrades; there's enough going on that it wouldn't seem out of the ordinary.
 
Who are we supposed to contact at Vandyk with any issues anyways? The communications lady seems lost in my opinion.
 
There are two alarms in each unit and they are loud!

My locker is 3xx and is in the basement.

I didn't hear anything about not making any unit changes. I'm assuming they mean big things (ripping out cabinets/floors etc)? I've already changed a few light fixtures and bathroom shower/tub faucets.

Also, my experience has been great so far. Sure there are small problems, but nothing seems big for me (I don't mind front door thing really, as there are no barking dogs near me).

As for who to contact with problems, try Javier or Henry (site manage/super) if its unit related. When I realized my AC didn't work, Javier came in and checked it out. Couldn't get it going, so he called whoever and within 10 minutes I had someone from Vandyk sort it out and get it going. They probably know the right person to deal with, rather than emailing someone at the Vandyk office.
 
Also here is that thing in the sink. It's hard to tell from the picture but small things get caught on the blade but it's too far down to get out. Eventually it ends up falling down anyway, but its gross seeing food there for hours...so I'm not sure what the point is? Isn't the actual sink hole and the trap enough to stop against big things going down? Am I supposed to turn it with a big screwdriver...manual disposal unit??? ;)

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Hey guys,

I finally did my PDI yesterday and asked James about some of the things that you all had been mentioning:

When I asked about the gap under the door he did say that it had to be there to be to code. He also went on and on about how we'd be breathing recycled air if the gap wasn't there (or if we were to seal it ourselves). Maybe part of the noise problem stems from the door material itself... They do seem to be trying to save $$ by using cheap materials after all.

Asmegin - Thank you for your comments re: the toilet paper holder/towel rack - I asked James to have them not install these, along with the mirror in the bathroom (which I want to replace immediately with a wider vanity immediately, as there isn't all that much storage space in the bathroom for us ladies!).

One weird thing that I noticed: Asmegin and Layla - In your units, you have a few feet of space in front of your washer/dryer. In my unit, the laundry room is much smaller (i.e., no space in front). I looked into a few of the units near mine, and most seemed to have the few feet of space like you two. I'm jealous!

Overall though, everything went well during the PDI. I found some cracked tiles, paint splatters, small chunks of floor missing, and the bathroom lights were installed crookedly.

The unit was much smaller than I pictured... But hopefully will look bigger once I get some furniture in there.

Some nice surprises: The ground floor patio does seem to be slightly bigger than the balconies, and of the hall closets in my Aspen unit had full closet width shelves installed for linens. My pictures are not all that fantastic (should have brought my camera instead of relying on the iPhone as it was super bright in the afternoon on the West side of the building), but I'll add a few below in case anyone is curious.


EDIT: I tried to post a few photos, but am getting error messages... Too bad.
 
I've never seen a condo with a gap from the bottom of the door as big as ours. I think it could be lower to the ground and still be within ''fire code''.
Honestly, if I move in and its a huge issue for me, I will install the seal on the bottom, even if I am not supposed to.

That guy hasn't even had the decency to return any emails I've sent to him, even though he emailed me my PDI list the same day I emailed him.

Look, here is one entrance door for a condo in Mississauga by square one, looks closer to the floor then ours to me:

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Thanks for the info Suzie.

And I checked the door out. My bottom gap isn't bad. For me, it's the side gap on the opening end that lets in the most air/light.

Bottom:
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Bottom/Left:
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Left side - huge gap/lots of air
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Top - also a big gap
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Right hinge side - proper gap!
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I'm wondering if we can put foam in the sides/top and just leave the bottom (or a combination of that). I get airflow from the bottom and it seems like its enough to keep things 'fresh'.
 

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