This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

How to Decipher a Condo Floorplan

Let's take a look at the subject of floor plans. After all, the easiest way to ensure you make a good investment when buying a condo is to ensure you've chosen a great floor plan. Insiders know that being amongst the first to purchase a unit in a pre-construction development isn't so much about the lower prices, as it is about getting first pick of the best layouts. But what exactly should one be looking for when choosing a floor plan?
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
AP

There seems to be no shortage of debate about the Toronto condo market lately, so let's take a break from the usual disagreements, such as whether there's a bubble that's about to burst or just exactly how many of these condos are being purchased by foreign investors.

Instead, I'd like to discuss something a little more black and white, or I suppose in this case, completely black and white, let's take a look at the subject of floor plans. After all, the easiest way to ensure you make a good investment when buying a condo is to ensure you've chosen a great floor plan.

Recently I toured the sales office of a new condo development, 88 Scott, just before it opened its doors to the public. It's a great new project nestled between the Financial District and the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood and boasts a greater variety of suites than I have seen in some time. Insiders know that being amongst the first to purchase a unit in a pre-construction development isn't so much about the lower prices, as it is about getting first pick of the best layouts. But what exactly should one be looking for when choosing a floor plan? To help answer that, I've selected three plans from 88 Scott, each with a different feature you may want to avoid. Can you spot the potential issue with each of these?

Floor Plan A: Though for many reasons this is a great layout, you'll notice the two bedrooms are side-by-side and share a long thin wall. If you're looking for privacy, you may want to consider a layout where the bedrooms are at opposite ends of the unit.

Floor Plan B: This layout is a good example of a "split-plan," where the bedrooms are not joined. The drawback of this floor plan is that a fair bit of space is lost in the long hallway. But 88 Scott does a good job at avoiding this type of issue, but I've seen cases where as much as 200 square feet of a condo is wasted on hallway.

Floor Plan C: The problem with this layout is the lack of natural light, not to mention the lack of a balcony. The combination of facing North and having only two small windows (not wall to wall windows) would leave much of this space in the dark.

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.