Grace's Places Blog

2011-12-25T14:43:00.005-05:00

Recent Upgrades at 36 Dalton

2011-11-13T08:49:00.001-05:00

Environmentally-friendly bamboo laminate flooring in the bedsitting room

Energy-efficient LED Lighting

Double sink with single-handle pull-out faucet

New appliances including a smooth-top range

When I acquired the 36 Dalton Road property back in 1997 I was concerned that few tenants would want to live in a basement bachelor apartment.

As it happens I needn't have worried.

Another bright idea - L.E.D. light bulbs

2011-05-13T17:27:00.000-04:00

Grace’s Places has always been committed to reducing its energy footprint and began converting the lighting in hallways and common areas to compact fluorescent bulbs more than sixteen years ago. These investments, as well as investments in EnergyStar appliances (and helped by responsible tenants who share my ideals) have allowed Grace’s Places to reduce electrical consumption at its 334 Seaton Street and 36 Dalton Road properties by more than 40%.

Convinced that we could do better I began experimenting with L.E.D. bulbs a few years ago. Unfortunately many of these early L.E.D. bulbs failed to live up to my expectations due to their weak output and unattractive colouration. Last week, however, I found an MR16 bulb which is arguably as bright as the halogen bulbs they replaced, while using 90% less energy. For now I have installed them in the entrance foyer at 334 Seaton Street, and plan to convert the hallways at 36 Dalton Road and 1873 Gerrard Street in the coming weeks.

Induction cooking comes to Cabbagetown

2011-01-06T13:52:00.000-05:00

It’s unfortunate that when the 334 Seaton Street property was originally renovated in 1975 the architect made the kitchens so small that in a few cases they can only accommodate a bar fridge, a microwave oven and a hotplate. For tenants who don’t do a lot of cooking that might be an acceptable compromise, however if you have ever cooked with a hotplate you’ll know that they cook VERY slowly.

A few months ago I found this nifty induction cooker. It serves the same function as a hotplate but it cooks using electrical induction. This means that the cooker heats the cooking vessel (saucepan or frying pan) using electromagnetic energy without heating to the surface of the cooker itself. Accordingly, induction cooking is safer than conventional cooking, and it’s MUCH faster as well. (And because it is faster it uses less energy). Also, unlike conventional cooktops with coil burners which are slow to respond when temperature settings are changed induction cookers respond instantly, much like cooking with natural gas. Of course, because it is fast, and because the cooker itself does not heat up, the kitchen is a cooler place to work.

I asked a tenant to try it out and she was so impressed that I’ve now equipped all of the “hotplate bachelors” with induction cookers.

Grace's Veranda Gardening Contest 2010

2010-08-15T12:39:00.000-04:00

I am pleased to announce that the winners of the “Veranda Garden” contest at 36 Dalton Road (and the winners of the $50 gift card) are Mindaugas and Inga. Although their deck is not highly visible to most of their neighbours they also took over and significantly improved the flower bed outside of the laundry room.

Look for a new and improved deck / veranda / flower-box gardening contest next year.

The Rooming House Redefined

2010-06-19T09:08:00.000-04:00

In the imagination of many people Toronto’s rooming houses provide shelter of last resort to marginalized or impoverished tenants who cannot afford a self-contained apartment. And it’s generally presumed that the owners of rooming houses are negligent, exploitive and uncaring.

So why would anyone actually want to live in a rooming house?

Fifty years ago Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood was home to dozens of rooming houses which catered to the needs of students from the nearby University of Toronto, and which were regarded as a highly attractive and respectable housing alternative. In the ensuing years many of these rooming houses were demolished to be replaced by high-rise apartments, and many others were converted to (or more accurately, were converted back to) luxurious single-family homes.

Grace’s Places’ popular Annex location is one of only a few rooming houses which remain in the neighbourhood. Actually, the portion of the building which offers “rooming house” accommodations is small, consisting of four bachelor apartments which share washroom facilities. (Upstairs there are eight one and two-bedroom self-contained apartments).

Although originally intended to serve the short-term needs of students these bachelor apartments are now home to many young adults who have graduated from university but continue to appreciate the convenient location (and extraordinary value). In many cases these tenants could easily afford one of the self-contained apartments on the upper floors, but find that their apartments suit their needs entirely while permitting them to save their money for future needs (or pay down student debt quickly).

Each of these rooming house units features a newly renovated and fully-equipped private eat-in kitchen with modern, full-sized appliances. There’s a separate bedsitting room, and although the washrooms are down the hall and shared they afford a degree of comfort and quality which few self-contained apartments can match (such as a deep acrylic soaker tub, modern European faucets, in-floor heating, an oversized vanity, dual ultra-quiet exhaust fans and a modern and efficient dual-flush toilet). In the event that this bathroom is in use there is a supplementary toilet room and an additional shower room. These washrooms are maintained daily and are kept in spotless condition.

So ultimately there’s a little bit of compromise and a whole lot of value. Perhaps this explains why the average length of tenancy in the “rooming house” portion of Grace’s Places Annex property is 4 ½ years.

So whatever you thought you knew about rooming houses it is perhaps time to rethink. Because Grace’s Places has redefined rooming house living.

ZipCars comes to Grace's Places Cabbagetown

2010-06-14T16:51:00.000-04:00

OK, not exactly, but there is now a ZipCar location right next door to the Seaton Street property. A very convenient way to rent a car for as little as $8 per hour.

Grace Comes Clean

2010-06-13T16:43:00.001-04:00

Thanks to everyone at 36 Dalton Road who responded to the online survey regarding the laundry room. You told me that you wanted better equipment (and more of it) and in particular you wanted a larger washer with more cycle choices (and a more delicate “Delicate” cycle). And you wanted prices to remain low.

The new washer is a front-loading commercial-quality machine by Huebsh. It is EnergyStar qualified and has 40% greater capacity than the old topload washer. Its gentle tumbling action causes less wear on clothes compared to the old top-loading washer and it requires only half as much detergent. It has a very effective final spin so your laundry will come out of the washer with most of the rinse water already extracted.

The washer is accompanied by a stacked set of two companion Huebsh dryers. These efficient dryers can dry a typical load in about thirty minutes, with the result that you can now wash and dry more than twice as much laundry per hour as previously was possible. Although the cost of a wash has increased to $2 you will likely find that your drying costs are less and that your cost per pound is no more than it would have been with the old machines. (For added convenience the machines have a coin drop rather than a coin slide and will accept any combination of toonies, loonies and quarters).

In addition to the new equipment the laundry room now has new flooring, new lighting, new cabinets and countertop and an acrylic laundry tub suitable for hand-washing.

UPDATE: Given the popularity of our new washer I have decided to add a second one. Now that we have two 18-pound commercial washers I expect that the laundry room at Dalton is as well-equipped as any apartment building of similar size in the city.

The End of Hardwood?

2010-06-13T16:08:00.000-04:00

Notwithstanding the popularity of the hardwood floors in most of Grace’s Places apartments, I’ve recently learned of some very appealing alternatives which are more environmentally-friendly inasmuch as they don’t require the cutting of any trees.

Bamboo

In the past year I’ve replaced the carpeting in three apartments at my 36 Dalton Road property with bamboo “hardwood”. Of course, bamboo is not a wood at all, but is a grass which can be harvested after three to five years. Nonetheless when made into flooring the material is harder and more durable than many hardwoods.

Cork

This week I had cork engineered flooring installed in one of the apartments at 36 Dalton Road. Cork is the bark of the cork oak tree and is harvested (typically from managed forests in Portugal, Morocco and Spain) without harm to the tree. Trees are harvested every nine to twelve years, and a cork tree can survive for 200 years. (And to the extent that the cork forests are threatened, the threat is declining demand as plastic has largely replaced cork as a stopper for wine bottles).

The WWF (formerly the World Wildlife Fund) promotes the use of cork in its efforts to forestall desertification and sustain biodiversity. Of course, it’s also worth noting that in the Iberian Peninsula alone an estimated 35,000 workers are employed in the cork industry. Cork is hypoallergenic and also reduces heat loss in rooms.

In order to reduce sound transmission all solid flooring materials are installed over a sheet of acoustic underlay (made from recycled tires).

Thanks to David Mahabir of Aspen Wood Floors.