Iron Works Lofts, 99 Chandos Ave: A 15-Suite Loft on a Quiet Side Street

Iron Works Lofts is easy to miss. It is a two-storey building of about 15 suites on a residential side street near Dufferin and Davenport, and most people only find it when a listing comes up. Despite the name, there is no record I can find of an ironworks here, so buy it for the space and the street, not the story. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A conversion with a borrowed name

Iron Works Lofts is a conversion of an existing low-rise commercial building, not a new build. Posters on the UrbanToronto forum who looked into its history found that the owners first sought City permission to convert it in the mid-1990s, and that it had been used as business units for years before the lofts were finished around 2009 and 2010.

Nobody on that thread could pin down where the Iron Works name came from, and I could not either. The building does not appear to be a former foundry. If heritage pedigree matters to you, the converted foundry at Foundry Lofts nearby is the real thing.

The look is its own. The facade is painted a strong purple that has drawn mixed reactions online, and one forum regular described the style as early-1990s postmodern. It stands out on a street of houses, which you will either enjoy or not.

Ceilings, floors and the layouts

Condos.ca describes suites with ceilings of about 10 feet 4 inches and bamboo flooring. That ceiling height is generous for a two-storey building and is what makes these units feel like lofts rather than ordinary flats.

Suites run from about 640 sq ft to more than 1,500 sq ft, so there are both one-bedroom-sized units and much larger ones. Early visitors on the forum described the units as large for the money, with nice finishes. Ask whether the suite you are viewing is on the ground floor or the upper floor, because privacy, light and noise from the street differ a lot in a two-storey building.

The upper suites also sit closer to the shared rooftop deck. That deck is the building’s one real amenity, and in summer it is a significant part of the appeal.

Bamboo is durable and good-looking, but it reacts to humidity and can dent more easily than some hardwoods. After 15 years of wear, check the floors closely, and ask whether any suites have been refinished or replaced.

Fifteen owners, and what the fee covers

Condos.ca lists the building at 15 suites, while an early forum post about the project said 16. Either way, it is one of the smallest condo corporations you can buy into. That keeps decision-making simple but means every major repair is split among very few owners.

The fee covers common elements, water and building insurance. Parking and heat are not on that list. If a suite comes with parking, confirm how it is held, and budget for your own heating and hydro, which can be meaningful with ceilings over 10 feet.

Condos.ca lists Taft Forward Property Management as the manager and tags the building as pet-friendly, with BBQs permitted and a security system. As always, read the rules in the status certificate before you rely on any of that.

Small corporations sometimes keep fees low by deferring work, and sometimes do the opposite and over-save. Neither shows up in the fee alone. The status certificate and the last two years of financial statements will tell you which kind of building this is.

Chandos Avenue and the Dufferin and Davenport area

Chandos Avenue is a quiet residential street, which is the main draw. You are a short walk from Dufferin Street, and condos.ca notes the building is close to cycling routes and Earlscourt Park. The data panel on this page has the transit and park details.

The bigger change nearby is the old Galleria Mall site at Dufferin and Dupont, which ELAD Canada is rebuilding as Galleria on the Park, a large mixed-use project with new parkland. Over the next several years that will bring more shops, more residents and more construction to the area south of you.

Foundry Lofts on Lansdowne is a short distance west, and the two are often shown to the same buyers. They are very different buildings, as the pricing section explains.

Day to day, this is a neighbourhood of houses, corner stores and side streets rather than a retail strip. You trade a busy main street for a calmer block, and the shops are a walk or a short ride away.

What Iron Works trades for

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $878 per square foot. That is above Foundry Lofts at roughly $734 and close to Wallace Station Lofts at about $907. Buyers are paying for a small, quiet building on a residential street and for the ceiling height.

With about 15 suites, sales are rare and the average rests on very few transactions. One sale of a large renovated suite can move it noticeably. I would price any unit here against recent sales in comparable lofts nearby as well as against this building’s own history.

For comparison, the larger lofts nearby trade more often, so there is better pricing evidence there. That is one reason buyers who want certainty end up at Foundry, while buyers who want this particular street wait for Iron Works.

There were no suites listed for sale or for rent at the time of writing. If you want in, set up an alert and be ready, or book a call and I will watch for it.

Building specifications

Amenities at Iron Works Lofts

A rooftop deck is the only shared space, and for a building this small that is the right call. Fees are not carrying a gym or party room that 15 owners would barely use, and the deck gives everyone outdoor space in summer.

Jatin’s honest take on Iron Works Lofts

Iron Works Lofts — frequently asked questions

Looking at the Junction, Corso Italia, Hillcrest Village and west-central Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.