Deco Towns, 3258 Dundas St W: Nine Rooftop-Terrace Towns by Terra Firma

Deco Towns is the kind of small complex I like showing buyers who want a newer townhouse in the west end without joining a 200-home corporation. There are only nine homes, finished in 2020 by Terra Firma Homes, a builder that works almost entirely within a few kilometres of this corner of Dundas West. Small has real advantages here, and a couple of real risks. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A small builder working in its own neighbourhood

Terra Firma Homes builds almost entirely in the Junction and Bloor West Village area, and says it builds there because its people live there. Its track record nearby includes Park Lofts, an eight-suite church conversion on Annette Street; Volta Lofts, 19 suites at Annette and Runnymede; The 23 at Baby Point on Jane Street; and Junction Factory, a seven-storey rental at 3385 Dundas West.

Deco Towns fits that pattern: a small infill project on a main street, finished and registered in 2020. The developer’s own description ties the design to the Junction’s past as a rail and industrial centre. That matters to a buyer because you can look at the builder’s older buildings within a short drive and see how they have aged before you commit.

With a small, local builder, ask the seller for the Tarion warranty history on the home and whether any common-element items were raised and resolved after registration. At six years old, the two-year and seven-year warranty windows are the ones to check.

Nine homes, rooftop terraces and Italian kitchens

Terra Firma marketed Deco Towns around two features. The first is rooftop terraces, which give each home real outdoor space above the street. The second is the kitchen, built around Italian-made Lube cabinetry, which is a step above the builder-grade kitchens in many west-end townhouse projects of the same period.

The developer also promised parking, a locker and groundskeeping as part of the complex, and condos.ca lists a parking garage, a rooftop deck and storage. Underground parking in a nine-home complex is unusual, and it is one of the main reasons these homes cost more to run than a freehold row house.

I could not confirm the size range, the number of bedrooms per plan or the ceiling heights from a reliable source. Ask for the floor plan of the specific home, and confirm on the status certificate that the rooftop terrace, the parking space and the locker are exclusive to that home.

Freehold or condo? Read the documents

Here the sources do not line up. The developer’s page describes owning a freehold home with shared common elements, which is the language of a common elements condominium, sometimes called a parcel of tied land. The complex is also registered as a condominium corporation, TSCC-2789, and is listed that way on condos.ca.

The difference is practical. In a standard condominium the corporation usually owns and maintains the structure and the roof. In a common elements condominium you own your house and land outright, and the corporation looks after only the shared parts, such as the garage and the driveway. That changes what your fee pays for, what your own insurance must cover and who pays when a roof or terrace membrane fails.

Before you make an offer, ask your lawyer to confirm from the declaration and the parcel register exactly what is being sold. Then read the reserve fund study with that answer in mind.

Dundas West between the Junction and Bloor West Village

This stretch of Dundas West sits between the Junction’s shops and restaurants to the east and Bloor West Village to the south-west. Homes facing Dundas will hear the street; the Gilmour Avenue side is a quieter residential street. Visit at rush hour before firming up.

The street is also changing. Terra Firma’s seven-storey, 131-unit Junction Factory rental opened at 3385 Dundas West and includes eight homes secured through Habitat for Humanity’s affordable ownership program. Terra Firma has also been the proponent of a mid-rise of about 11 storeys at 3296 to 3316 Dundas West, and another mid-rise has been proposed at 3239 Dundas West. Expect more density and more retail at grade along this corridor. Transit, schools and the Walk Score are in the data panel on this page.

Pricing: nine homes, almost no comparables

Condos.ca puts the complex’s average at about $653 per square foot. That is lower per foot than most new condo towers in the west end, which is typical for townhouses, since you are buying more space and some of it is on stairs and rooftop levels.

With only nine homes, there is very little sale history. One home was listed for sale at the time of writing, and a single listing is not enough to give you a fair asking range. Resales here will be rare, and each one will effectively set the price for the next.

I also could not find a reliable list of what the monthly fee includes. In a complex this small, ask for the current budget and the last two years of financial statements, and check whether heat, water and the garage’s operating costs sit in the fee or on your own bills.

To judge value, compare against other small newer townhouse complexes along Dundas West and in the Junction, and against freehold row houses nearby, adjusting for the fee. My building sold report gives you aggregate sold figures to work from.

Building specifications

Amenities at Deco Towns

There are no shared amenity rooms, which keeps a nine-home budget focused on the building itself. The rooftop terrace is the amenity that matters: it is your private outdoor space, and with a garage spot and a locker it covers most of what a townhouse buyer needs day to day.

Jatin’s honest take on Deco Towns

Deco Towns — 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.