Lanehouse on Bartlett, 50 Bartlett Ave: 16 Loft-Houses in an Old Factory

Lanehouse on Bartlett is what I show buyers who want a real brick loft but cannot face another tower. It is a century-old factory tucked on a laneway behind the houses of Bartlett and Gladstone, turned into 16 homes, most of them three-storey loft-houses with their own rooftop terraces. It is small, quiet and unusual, and that cuts both ways when you buy and when you sell. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A factory on a laneway, not a new build

The building started life as a yarn factory and was most recently home to Pendell Boiler, according to the design team’s project notes. It sits on the laneway between Gladstone Avenue and Bartlett Avenue, behind rows of older houses, so from the street you barely see it.

Curated Properties chose to restore rather than demolish. The original brick was kept, cleaned and whitewashed, and the century-old structure was left legible inside. UrbanToronto’s forum describes it as an adaptive reuse project, and it was completed in 2017, about three years after sales were slated to launch in early 2014.

That history is the reason to buy here, and also the reason to be careful. You get real brick and real height that a new townhouse cannot copy. You also get an old shell, which brings its own maintenance questions, and I cover those below.

Loft-houses with 18-foot ceilings and rooftop terraces

Of the 16 homes, 13 are loft-houses spread over three levels and three are flats. Sizes run from roughly 950 to 2,000 square feet, so this is a building of family-sized and couple-sized homes, not studios.

The defining feature is height. The design team describes ceilings of about 18 feet in places, with double-height spaces that step down into more intimate rooms. Living there feels more like a converted house than a condo suite.

Most loft-houses also have a private rooftop terrace, screened with custom wood enclosures that give you privacy from the neighbours while still letting air through. The finishes lean on natural materials: stone, reeded glass, brass, iron, wood and chevron patterns, with skylights over the main bath and in the primary walk-in closet.

Three-level living has a practical side that buyers should weigh honestly. Stairs take up floor area, they make moving furniture harder, and they are a real consideration if you plan to stay into later life or have small children. The three flats are the exception, and for a buyer who loves the building but not the stairs, they are the ones to watch for.

Who built it

Curated Properties, led by Adam Ochshorn, builds small, design-led projects; the same team was behind the Annex Loft Houses on Dupont and Edition Richmond. AUDAXarchitecture, led by Gianpiero Pugliese, did the architecture, and Nivek Remas designed the interiors.

That matters because a 16-unit conversion lives or dies on detailing. Small boutique projects rarely have the economies of scale a tower has, so the quality of the original work decides how the building ages. Ask for the original Tarion and building-envelope documentation, and see what the corporation has had to fix since 2017.

Small corporations also depend heavily on a few engaged owners. In a 16-unit building, the board is usually made up of residents, and the quality of that board shows in the minutes. Spend time with them before you firm up.

Living near Bloor and Dufferin

The building is just north of Bloor Street West near Dufferin Street. The City calls the area Dovercourt Village; the design team calls it Bloordale. Most buyers simply say Bloor and Dufferin.

This is a pocket of detached and semi-detached houses with backyards, so life on the laneway is quiet. Bloor Street West gives you shops, cafés and restaurants within a short walk, and the transit and walkability details are in the data panel on this page.

Like most of Bloor Street West, the area around Bloor and Dufferin is seeing new development proposals. Check the City’s development applications map before you buy, because a large project a block away can mean years of construction, and eventually more shops and services within walking distance.

How to think about price here

With only 16 homes, this building trades rarely, and when I checked there was a single listing for sale. I do not publish a single listing’s price or fee, and with this little activity there is no meaningful building median or average per square foot to quote.

The upside of a thin market is that a well-kept loft-house here has very little direct competition when it does come up. The downside is that buyers and lenders have fewer recent sales to lean on, so pricing too high can leave a home sitting longer than it would in a large building with steady turnover.

That makes valuation the main job. I would compare against recent sales in the other Curated loft-house projects, brick loft conversions in the west end, and freehold semis nearby, then adjust for the rooftop terrace, the parking situation and the condition of your specific home.

Fees here include common elements, building insurance and water. Heat and hydro are not listed as included, so get the past year’s utility bills, and compare the total monthly cost with a freehold house, where you would pay the roof, the insurance and the repairs yourself.

Building specifications

Amenities at Lanehouse on Bartlett

There is no gym, party room or concierge, and that is the trade. You are paying for your own space, not shared amenities, which keeps the fee base simpler, but it also means nobody is at a desk to receive packages or let in a trade.

Jatin’s honest take on Lanehouse on Bartlett

Lanehouse on Bartlett — frequently asked questions

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