Earlier this year, Treasure Hill Developments unveiled a townhouse project on Shaw St. near College St. on a site previously occupied by a Catholic school.
The development — a row of faux Victorian-style townhouses meant to mimic the architecture of the neighbourhood — met with a “tepid response,” according to broker Paul Johnston. “After spending a few months marketing the homes, the developer quickly recognized that this wasn’t what a sophisticated downtown market wanted.”
So in October, Treasure Hill decided to overhaul the project and brought on board a new team, including Johnston, principal of Unique Urban Homes, über-urban interior design firm Cecconi Simone, and architect Richard Wengle, one of the city’s top high-end custom home designers.
“We completely re-imagined the development,” Johnston explains “The site remains the same, the number of homes remains the same, but the front architecture and the programming of the homes from an interior perspective has been completely regenerated and is now decidedly modern.”
The re-launched project, Block, is comprised of 37 four-storey freehold townhouses that range in size from 2,650 square feet to 3,700 square feet. The homes have between three to five bedrooms, depending on the plan and how buyers choose to configure their units.
Prices start in the high $900,000s and go up to $1.69 million.
Sales for Block launched in November and more than half of the homes were sold in the first weekend.
As far as Johnston is concerned, the success of the redesigned project is a testament to the demand in the city for at-grade contemporary housing.
“That response is proof positive that consumers today want a home that reflects the architecture of our time, as opposed to something of an era gone by,” he says. “This is what people want in urban living.”
Interiors at Block include 10-foot ceilings on the main floor and nine-foot ceilings on the second and third floors. Buyers have a choice of porcelain tile or engineered wood flooring on the main floor, and the second and third levels have engineered wood flooring throughout the hallways, bedrooms and closets.
“Cecconi Simone has the ability to program a space in a very efficient and intelligent manner that is remarkably contemporary,” says Johnston.
“But they also have a real capacity to capture the trends and the look and spirit of the time — their design is unequivocally modern. There is not a crown moulding that has passed the doors of Cecconi Simone.”
Kitchens have custom-designed cabinetry available in three colour options, a choice of Corian or composite stone countertops and a Miele appliance package, including an electric or gas cooktop, stainless steel fridge and built-in electric oven and microwave.
Bathrooms have oversized glass shower enclosures with rain-soaker showerheads, a soaker tub (depending on plan), porcelain floor and wall tiles and Corian sink and countertop.
The wood-frame townhouses — which feature staggered facades and wide windows in front — are clad in a combination of pre-cast concrete, masonry and stucco, with metal accenting. They also have balconies and flat roofs with skylights.
While Wengle is well known for designing luxury custom homes in high-end neighbourhoods such as Forest Hill and Rosedale, Johnston says the architect — “a modernist at heart” — was keen to work on a contemporary project like Block.
“Although his practice has been in much more traditional work in the last number of years, this is a direction that Richard is very excited to be moving in because it’s really where his roots are.”
As a result, Johnston says, buyers at Block get the custom home look at a fraction of the cost of a Wengle one-off project.
Each home at Block has a private terrace, back-door entrance and a single-car garage that can be accessed from the rear laneway.
The homes are designed with flexibility in mind, Johnston notes. Buyers have the option of having separate floors for the master bedroom and kids or guest rooms, and the basement can be configured as a gym, theatre or office.
Alternatively, buyers might opt to add an additional bedroom and kitchenette on the bottom floor so that the space can function as an in-law suite, nanny’s quarters or rental apartment, with a separate entrance from the street.
“We’re responding to the fact that the vast majority of people downtown have dynamic needs for their homes,” he says.
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