Garment Factory Lofts, 233 Carlaw Ave: Hard Lofts Below, Soft Lofts Above

Garment Factory Lofts is really two buildings stacked on top of each other. The bottom four floors are an old Carlaw Avenue factory with concrete ceilings and warehouse windows; the top four are new construction, stepped back from the street, with terraces. When buyers tell me they want this building, my first question is always which half they mean. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A factory with four new floors on its roof

The base of this building is a four-storey industrial building with a basement. A 1998 City of Toronto planning report described it that way when the owner first applied to bring live/work units into it, and noted that the building would be kept in its entirety rather than knocked down. At that stage the plan was modest: 42 live/work units sharing the building with artists’ and photographers’ studios, light industry and warehouse space.

What exists today is much bigger. By the time the condominium registered in 2008, the old structure had four more storeys built on top and the suite count had grown to roughly 150. Condos.ca lists 150 suites from 445 to 1,288 square feet; another loft-specialist brokerage lists 154 suites from 446 to 1,303 square feet. The difference is small, but it is a reminder that the building changed shape more than once between idea and registration.

The addition is set back from the street face of the original factory. That step-back is what gives the upper floors their balconies and terraces, and it is also why the building reads from the sidewalk as a brick factory with a lighter glass-and-steel crown, rather than as an eight-storey wall.

Which half to buy in

The lower floors are the hard lofts. Expect original or restored concrete floors and ceilings, big industrial windows and open plans where the structure is part of the decor. If you want the real factory experience, this is where it lives, and it is the part of the building that most buyers picture when they hear the name.

The upper four floors are soft lofts: new construction finished in a loft style, with the step-backs creating outdoor space and longer views over the low-rise streets of Leslieville. They tend to feel brighter and more like a modern condo. People who love the idea of a loft but also want a terrace and a view usually end up up here.

One honest drawback from people who know the building well: on Carlaw the industrial buildings sit close together, so some balconies look straight at the brick and windows of the neighbouring building. Orientation and floor matter a great deal. I would never let a client buy here off photos without standing on the balcony first.

Living on the Carlaw corridor

Garment Factory Lofts sits between the Printing Factory Lofts to the south and the Wrigley Lofts to the north, in a row of former factories that runs from behind the Queen Street East shops up toward the rail line north of Dundas. In 1998 the City’s own report described this stretch as an area in transition from industrial-only uses to a mix of residential and industrial. That transition has now mostly happened.

UrbanToronto counted roughly 1,000 new mid-rise units planned or built along Carlaw between Queen and Dundas by 2012, including the Printing Factory Lofts, Lamb’s Worklofts and Flatiron Lofts, Showcase Lofts and The Carlaw. The practical effect is that the street now has the population to support cafés, gyms and studios in the old factory spaces, and that this building is no longer a pioneer on a rough block.

The other practical effect is competition. A buyer looking at this building will also see listings in a half-dozen newer Carlaw buildings, which is good for choice and keeps resale pricing honest. Queen Street East is a short walk south for groceries and restaurants, and the data panel on this page shows transit and other distances in detail.

What the price per square foot is telling you

Condos.ca puts the building’s average at about $886 per square foot. That sits in a sensible middle ground on Carlaw: below the smallest, most unusual hard-loft conversions in Riverdale, and in the same conversation as the newer mid-rises up the street. Small suites here pull the average up per foot; large hard lofts on the lower floors usually trade for less per foot but more in total.

Fees deserve a careful look. Condos.ca lists only common elements as included, which means heat, hydro and water may sit on your own bills depending on how the suite is metered. Compare total monthly cost, not the fee alone, against nearby buildings such as the Wrigley Lofts, where condos.ca lists heat, water, insurance and parking inside the fee.

There were two suites listed for sale when this page was prepared, which is not enough to describe an asking range. For a real read on recent trades and how upper-floor soft lofts compare with lower-floor hard lofts in this building, ask me for the building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Garment Factory Lofts

This is a practical package rather than a resort one: a gym, a party and meeting room with a kitchen, a barbecue area and concierge coverage that one source describes as evening-only. It covers daily needs without the operating cost of a pool, which helps keep fees in check for a building of this age.

Jatin’s honest take on Garment Factory Lofts

Garment Factory Lofts — frequently asked questions

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