1657 Bathurst St: Eight Suites in Forest Hill, Heat and Water Included

1657 Bathurst Street is one of the smallest condominiums I write about: three storeys, eight suites, and no lobby to speak of. For the right buyer, that is the whole point. You get a newer suite of about 850 to 1,200 square feet in Forest Hill for the price of a smaller tower unit, but you also take on the responsibilities of a corporation with only eight owners. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Eight suites, three floors, no tower

At eight suites over three storeys, this building is closer to a large house than to a condo tower. There is no concierge, gym or party room. Condos.ca lists one amenity, that barbecues are permitted, which tells you outdoor space matters here and that the building was designed around the suites rather than around shared facilities.

Small low-rise condos on main streets like Bathurst typically replace a house or two with a handful of larger, family-sized suites. For an owner, that usually means more windows per suite, fewer shared walls and a building where you know every neighbour by name.

I could not find a published architect or a detailed design history for 1657 Bathurst, so I will not guess at one. What the record does show is a 2017 building, which means modern construction standards, but also a building now old enough that its first reserve fund cycle is well under way.

Suite sizes that look like a house floor

Condos.ca records suites from about 852 to 1,219 square feet. There is nothing small here. Even the smallest suite is larger than a typical two-bedroom in the new towers at Yonge and Eglinton, and the current listing is a three-bedroom.

In a building with only eight suites over three floors, each floor holds just a few units. That usually means suites with exposures on more than one side, and layouts that work more like a flat in a house than a condo corridor unit. When you view, look at the bedroom sizes and storage rather than only the total area, because three bedrooms in about 1,000 square feet can be tight.

Ask about the stairs and the entrance, too. In a three-storey building, you need to know whether there is an elevator, how deliveries and moves work, and where garbage and recycling go. These are small things in a tower, and much bigger ones in a building with eight owners and no staff.

What a corporation of eight owners means for you

This is the most important section of this review. In an eight-suite corporation, the board is, in effect, a few of your neighbours. Decisions about repairs, insurance and the budget are made by a very small group, and every cost is divided eight ways.

That can work extremely well when owners get along and the manager is engaged. It can also mean that one large repair, such as a roof, a waterproofing problem or a sewer line, lands heavily on each owner. A $40,000 roof repair across 400 suites is a rounding error; across eight, it is a serious bill.

So read the reserve fund study and the most recent budget carefully, and ask how often the board meets and whether owners take turns serving. Look closely at the insurance deductible and who is responsible for which parts of each suite under the declaration, because in small buildings that line matters a great deal when something leaks.

Bathurst Street in Forest Hill

The building sits on Bathurst Street in the stretch between St. Clair and Eglinton, close to Burton Road, in an area that is mostly detached houses with low-rise apartments along the main street. Bathurst is a busy road, so suites facing the street will hear traffic, and suites at the back will be noticeably quieter.

The street is slowly changing. A short distance south, a four-storey market rental townhouse project has been proposed at 1637 Bathurst, near Burton Road, according to UrbanToronto. Expect more low-rise infill of this type along Bathurst over the coming years.

What you get in exchange for the traffic is a Forest Hill address with neighbourhood shops, parks and established streets around you, at a price per square foot well below what a detached house nearby would cost.

What 1657 Bathurst costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $829 per square foot. That is below the newer towers at Yonge and Eglinton, which makes sense: buyers usually pay less per square foot for larger suites, and they pay a premium for amenities this building does not have.

With only eight suites, listings are rare. At the time of writing there was a single suite on the market, a three-bedroom, so there is no range of asking prices or fees I can give without pointing at one owner’s listing. Expect long gaps between listings and very few comparables.

The fee covers common elements, heat, building insurance and water according to condos.ca, which is a fuller list than many newer buildings offer. Hydro is not listed, so assume it is on your own meter and ask for a recent bill.

Because sales here are so infrequent, I value suites at 1657 Bathurst against similar boutique low-rise buildings in Forest Hill and along Bathurst, not only against this building’s history. For recent resale figures, see the data panel on this page or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at 1657 Bathurst

There is no amenity package beyond barbecues being permitted, and in an eight-suite building that is a feature, not a flaw. You are not paying for a gym, a concierge or a party room you might never use, which is part of why the fee covers heat and water.

Jatin’s honest take on 1657 Bathurst

1657 Bathurst — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yonge & Eglinton, Davisville and North Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.