The Condo Game [CBC Documentary]

[doug]

It's kind of hard not to focus on something so ridiculous. Had I responded to your comment, I would've focus on the earthquake bit as well, as that is a blatant lie.

Kind of went over your head, eh?

 

[MisterF]

Why ignore all the other points made and concentrate on earthquakes?

I've addressed the other points repeatedly. As for the earthquakes, people made comments about them. I responded. The end. It's not complicated.

No, but you seem to think building inspectors are some kind of superhero.

You have quite the imagination.

I don't even agree with TheKSE that they're generally poorly built these days because I haven't seen enough of them. I know some are crap, but I wouldn't generalise.

Now that I can agree with.

 

[doug]

I've addressed the other points repeatedly.

No, you haven't addressed them at all, your posts have been about imaginary earthquakes.

You have quite the imagination.

You have quite a poor memory.

 

[SunriseChampion]

See, MisterF? We can agree.

To be fair though, you did tell us (I'm paraphrasing) that we were tripping complete balls and that the whole building code and its enforcement were airtight and that we were suggesting that there was corruption in the bureaucracy on a mass scale. This is why we thought you seemed a bit naïve.

Aaaaanyway, I'm poking at dead dogs again.

PS: Sorry about the crazy pills quip....it was a bit rash of me.

Happy Monday everybody.....and watch for collapsing condos. (Or at least glass sheets raining down)

 

[MisterF]

To be fair though, you did tell us (I'm paraphrasing) that we were tripping complete balls and that the whole building code and its enforcement were airtight and that we were suggesting that there was corruption in the bureaucracy on a mass scale. This is why we thought you seemed a bit naïve.

Are we still on this? My corruption or incompetence on a mass scale comment referred specifically to the whole suggestion (or joke I guess) about condo buildings collapsing en masse in an earthquake. That's the only thing that comment referred to, nothing else. Never did I suggest that the Building Code and enforcement were airtight.

No, you haven't addressed them at all, your posts have been about imaginary earthquakes.

I've said repeatedly that enforcement isn't perfect and that mistakes are made. It's all there.

You know, it would really help the conversation if people started responding to what's actually posted, not what they imagine is posted.

 

[SunriseChampion]

....but that would require taking our meds.

 

[doug]

You know, it would really help the conversation if people started responding to what's actually posted, not what they imagine is posted.

You know, you're right. Perhaps you could respond to some of the points I've made instead of incessantly rambling on about earthquakes.

 

[JasonParis]

CBC Docs has informed me that "Condo Game" won't re-air until April. However, it will remain available online until then (and likely beyond).

 

[SunriseChampion]

I'll try to watch it on my laptop then....if my mobile internet bandwidth can handle it.

 

[MisterF]

You know, you're right. Perhaps you could respond to some of the points I've made instead of incessantly rambling on about earthquakes.

If you keep insisting on saying this line over and over then there's nothing else I can say without repeating myself yet again. I responded to your points (from post #127 specifically), as recently as my last post. For god's sake I was even partially agreeing with you.

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

Regarding fully glass condos, well, I imagine similar concerns should be shared by fully (or mostly) glass office buildings no ?

They tend to have completely different forms of construction. Bank towers have more durable "curtain walls" while the fast-build condos are mostly "window walls." I am not an engineer so I can't explain it but I do know they are put together very differently.

Life is expensive. As an owner in an older condo building that's now undergoing very expensive renovations (windows) I can attest to the real risks of condo ownership. However, if you step back, there's no way to avoid the costs of keeping a roof over your head. Everybody needs to decide what works best for them.

The way I see it your choices are:

- Condo ownership: you get less square footage and you don't get a direct say on when renovations and upgrades take place. You risk being victimized by a bad condo board. But, a condo typically costs much less than a house in the same neighbourhood, and you save a lot of time by not having to do your own daily maintenance work like lawn cutting and snow shoveling (time that some of us can spend working to bring in more income.) In an urban environment where most condos are, you can save tons of money (roughly $7K-$10k per year) by not owning a car, or owning fewer cars.

- Standalone Home ownership: you pay a lot more up front, and you're responsible for all your own repairs, which can cost a lot of time and money. You need to purchase and maintain an arsenal of tools and equipment like lawn mowers, etc. You're at the mercy of unscrupulous contractors when you have renovations done. When you initially buy, you never know exactly what you're getting, and home inspectors are untrustworthy. You have more say over the exact timing of repairs and renovations than a condo owner, but only to a certain degree: if your roof or basement is leaking badly, you can only leave it so long before disaster ensues. If you let the state of your home degrade over time, you lose a lot of value when you go to sell. Also, the most affordable homes are further away from city centres, where you need to rely on a car, or multiple cars, in order to get around, which can cost you $7K-$10K per year.

- Renting: you avoid all the hassle and responsibility of ownership but you pay a lot more per month than an equivalent mortgage would be on a unit: for example, my mortgage and condo fee payments are well under $1000/month but identical units in my building rent for $1500/month. And you are at the mercy of your landlord, whether an individual (who may decide to sell, causing you to have to move, or who might just be plain crazy) or a corporation (a rental company who can, for example, decide to do massive noisy year-long balcony repairs on your apartment building at any time.) And, of course, after 40 or 50 years of renting, in your old age, you have nothing to show for all that rent money: you have no investment you can sell or leverage, as you would with a condo or home.

Basically, pay now or pay later, pay Peter or pay Paul, but unless you are a very wealthy person who can afford to have the best of all worlds, it all comes down to compromise and priorities. All you can do is choose what works best for you, and live a bit beneath your means so you can keep a nest egg for unexpected expenses.

Agreed. We went from one old Victorian to another in Riverdale and had to put up with old plumbing and wiring, waterproofing foundations, etc. Lotta money. My brother in Oakville and his two daughters who have also bought out there (detached homes in new subdivisions) have had to out up with some shoddy builds as well.
Owning a house is owning a money pit and you have the added headache of having to find contractors who are reliable and keeping an eye on them. At least in professionally-managed condos this is usually not an issue.

Speaking for our board (I am treasurer) we are very mindful of our investment in this place, while trying to balance the need to keep fess down. It's a tough row to hoe, believe me. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't. I always worry about pricing people out of their homes -- and those people include us!

This is the first time I have lived in a condo and in a highrise. (My partner has done it before.) I have to say, I love it. This is a great old building, solid, with large suites. We have excellent amenities in a great location. And we don't have to spend weekends mowing, raking, going to Home Depot, etc.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Are there any good builders in this current boom? I ask this seriously. A lot of these builders came from nowhere because they smelt money, and some came from building subdivisions in the suburbs (quality laughable), but some, like Tridel, have been doing this for a while. I'm familiar with some older Tridel buildings and they're pretty quality. Any others? Daniels, maybe?

 

[TheKingEast]

Are there any good builders in this current boom? I ask this seriously. A lot of these builders came from nowhere because they smelt money, and some came from building subdivisions in the suburbs (quality laughable), but some, like Tridel, have been doing this for a while. I'm familiar with some older Tridel buildings and they're pretty quality. Any others? Daniels, maybe?

Pretty much the builders that were around before the boom are pretty good. Tridel is good. Daniels has improved. Plazacorp, Minto, Menkes, Monarch. Great Gulf? There are a lot of bad ones, though.

The boom brought us a lot of builders with no experience who just wanted to make money and it shows in the crap they build.

 

[NorthYorkEd]

This is the first time I have lived in a condo and in a highrise. (My partner has done it before.) I have to say, I love it. This is a great old building, solid, with large suites. We have excellent amenities in a great location. And we don't have to spend weekends mowing, raking, going to Home Depot, etc.

Same with us. We owned a single detached home for almost 10 years, and while it was fun and the right place to be at that time, we are in quite a different headspace now. We prefer to go out rather than fuss around the yard or do weekend renovations and repairs. We prefer convenience and living close to amenities rather than having our own patch somewhere out in the suburbs. When traveling, we just lock the door and go. So much less to clean, and we have just enough space for our stuff -- which helps to keep us from accumulating a bunch of useless crap like we did when we had the house. We are all about living more efficiently these days. The car, once the center of our daily existence, now sits in the underground 6 days out of 7. Being able to walk everywhere is awesome.

I think condo living is great. But we rent, so our experience is not clouded by corrupt condo boards, staggering maintenance fees and taxes, and shoddy management. And before anyone says renting is throwing money away, there is NO WAY we could live in this place for what we are paying to rent it. We pay our rent and have plenty left over to feed the investments and savings and even a few Leafs games.

 

[doug]

I responded to your points (from post #127 specifically), as recently as my last post.

You're funny.
Your response to post 127, where I mentioned the breach in building and fire codes, was to ask me if the building would collapse in a minor earthquake.
You can't seem to talk about anything but earthquakes.