‘Summer salon’ gives condo breathing space

‘Summer salon’ gives condo breathing space

Jeanne Schoenwandt grew up in New York and New Jersey, but she lived in Norway for 10 years and has spent the past two decades on the Plateau. A lifelong learner, she holds down a number of jobs — teaching English as a second language at Dawson College, working part time in a sports shop and translating educational texts. She is also pursuing a degree (she has several already) in Hispanic studies at Concordia University.

In 2006, when Schoenwandt had “a bit of money” (she was a project manager at McGill University at the time), she decided it was time to buy an apartment — a second floor, 700 sq. ft. condo in a new, six-unit complex.Everything is so convenient, so I wanted to find a place as close as possible to where I lived already. As luck would have it, this complex — the first of four phases — was being constructed only a couple of blocks away. I watched it going up. The condos were prefab modules put together on-site and they sold out very quickly. In fact, I almost didn’t get one. Luckily the person who had bought my unit — he was an architect — backed out at the last minute.

What was it that appealed to you about this particular space?The fact that it was on a corner and kind of square — not stuck at the end of a long internal corridor, like so many apartments in Montreal. It’s south-facing, so it gets lots of sun.Another great asset was the balcony. It’s so large, it’s like having an extra room. I call it my “summer salon”! (A double glass-paned door off the living room gives access to the outside. A curved, wrought iron staircase leads to the ground floor.)

You were telling me that although you loved the condo, you weren’t too happy with some of the architect’s designs?The first buyers were able to choose how they wanted the inside to be configured and before moving in, the architect had asked the construction company to lay out the kitchen the way he wanted it. It certainly looks nice, but unfortunately it has very little counter space. (She shows me around the open, but compact, area. The worktop is, indeed, minimal. White ceramic subway tiles surround the stove and the dishwasher. The kitchen cabinets and drawers, which have stainless steel handles, are also white.)

I’m toying with the idea of introducing a bit of colour. (She indicates a “trial” slash of burnt orange with which she has covered a narrow wall. The rest of the apartment, which comprises an open living/dining area — a corner functions as Schoenwandt’s home office — and a bedroom, separated from the rest of the space by double french doors, is also predominantly white.Throughout the condo, the pale walls and ceilings are counterbalanced by blond furniture and ebony bookshelves. The pine floors are the colour of milk chocolate.)

I would describe my taste as a mixture of Scandinavian and Japanese. I think it creates a minimalist esthetic that goes well together and I like the contrast of the dark floors and white walls.The french doors give me a feeling of spaciousness. They were another of the architect’s ideas. I’d love to do something about the kitchen, though, because I don’t think the space is well planned.My idea is to modify the closets in my bedroom (it shares a common wall with the kitchen) to gain more space — especially counter space — for the kitchen and then change the bathroom. I have a laundry closet in the corner of the living room. My hot water tank is in there as well. It’s all so awkward! If the tank were to burst, all that would retain the water is a little tray …

In Norwegian houses, the washer and dryer are always in the bathroom and the floors are slightly angled to allow for drainage.Taking as an example the houses I’m familiar with from Scandinavia, I would install the hot water tank and washing machine in the back of the bathroom and then put in a drain.I’m afraid all that will have to wait. I’ve just been offered a project — in Denmark this time — which means that if the offer is confirmed, I’ll be renting out my condo while I’m away.

In Canada, flood insurance isn't available to home owners. Certain water damage may be covered by homeowner policies, including sewer backup and burst pipes but overland flooding is not covered.According to Phil Dorner, president of the Ontario Real Estate Association, while a flood can happen anywhere it rains, home buyers should assess flood risks in the area they plan to buy - including reviewing floodplain maps and speaking to the municipality about the risk and history of flooding in the area.

To Dorner, "Home buyers need to carry out due diligence before purchasing a home and part of this is looking at the whole picture. Speak to your Realtor about your concerns and carefully review any and all risk factors - including flooding."The Ontario Real Estate Association offers the following tips to reduce the chances of flood damage to your home, courtesy of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver: Access material about flood reduction from your local municipality, contact your municipality to find out where sand and bags are available should a flood occur.

The official set was designed by Steen Sig Andersen, a 30-year veteran of LEGO set design. (As a side note, I think it’s important to remember that official LEGO sets are designed by people much like hobbyist builders, who care just as much about the final design as we do and who are no less affected by criticism, but who have to work under far more constraints. Nevertheless, my job here is to review the end result of the process, not speculate on how my critique is going to affect Mr. Andersen’s feelings.)

Like many of you who commented here and elsewhere, my first impression when I saw the box art was not entirely positive. Frankly, I’m not sure why the final, official set looks the way that it does. My first impression when I saw the set was, let’s be honest, confusion. The hood has been re-sculpted using stepped tiles rather than the single large slope in Masashi’s original (a frequent and logical solution, as Larry Lars demonstrated in the version that Ralph highlighted last week). The roof is four studs wide rather than six studs, with the windshield frame angling inward to give the whole cab a pinched look.

There’s been speculation that this design change from Masashi’s original model might have been because of part availability in LEGO’s current production cycle. But Light Bluish Gray Slope 10 6 x 8 is indeed currently in production, in at least two 2013 LEGO sets. Short of the one functional reason (read on…), I’m still not sure why stepped tiles were necessary to achieve the final design in the set.

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Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.

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