The Devonshire, 473 Dupont St: A Nine-Suite Loft Building Near Bathurst

The Devonshire at 473 Dupont is the kind of building you only find if someone shows it to you. It is nine suites in four storeys, built in 2009 by City Mews, on the stretch of Dupont where Seaton Village meets the Annex. You get a two-storey loft feel and a small group of neighbours, and you give up the services of a bigger building. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Nine suites, laid out like lofts

A recent listing describes The Devonshire as a small loft building, and that is the right way to think about it. With nine suites over four storeys, it is closer in scale to a row of townhouses than to a condo tower, and some suites are laid out over two levels.

One listed suite had a two-storey plan with both bedrooms on the upper level, which separates sleeping from living the way a townhouse does. That is a big part of the appeal for couples and for anyone working from home. Not every suite will follow the same plan, so ask for the floor plan of the one you are considering.

A two-level plan also changes how a suite lives over time. Stairs inside the suite suit most buyers in their thirties and forties, but they are a real question for a downsizer, so walk them at the showing and think about the next decade, not just the next year.

The building is concrete with a stucco finish, according to the same listing. Stucco looks clean when it is maintained, but it needs regular attention, so the condition of the exterior is one of the first things I would look at in the reserve fund study.

Balconies with gas, and your own furnace

The listed suite had an open balcony with a gas BBQ connection. A gas hook-up is a small detail that owners love, because it means no propane tanks and no rules fight with the board about them. Check that the suite you buy has one rather than assuming it.

Heating is gas forced air with central air conditioning, per the listing. In a building like this, that usually means each suite has its own furnace and pays its own gas bill, which fits with heat not being in the fee. Ask the age of the furnace and air conditioner and who services them, because in a small building those costs fall on you, not the corporation.

Parking is part of the fee, according to condos.ca, but the listing I reviewed described a covered surface space while its own parking field said none. Confirm in the status certificate exactly what parking comes with the suite and whether it is owned or exclusive-use.

A small building with no manager listed

Condos.ca does not name a property manager for The Devonshire. That may mean the owners manage it themselves, or simply that the information is not published. With nine suites, either is plausible, and it changes how the building runs.

Self-managed buildings can be well run and inexpensive, but they rely on a few volunteers. Ask who keeps the books, who arranges insurance and repairs, whether there is a current reserve fund study, and how often the owners meet. If the answers are vague, slow down.

The age of the building works in two directions. At about 17 years old, The Devonshire is past its Tarion warranty period, so any building defects are now the corporation’s to fix. It is also reaching the stage where the first big replacements, such as roofing, sealants, balcony waterproofing and exterior coatings, start to come due. In a nine-suite corporation, each owner’s share of that work is large, so the reserve fund study will tell you more about your future costs than the monthly fee does.

Dupont near Bathurst, day to day

This is the working edge of the north Annex, where Dupont mixes small commercial buildings, car-oriented businesses and new low-rise housing. Behind it are the side streets of Seaton Village and the Annex, which are quieter and more residential than Dupont itself.

The listing points to the University of Toronto, the subway and the shops and restaurants of the area as nearby draws, and the data panel on this page shows the transit details. Annex Loft Houses, a few doors west at 483 Dupont, is the closest comparable and has a similar townhouse-loft format if you want a second option.

Dupont is also a corridor that keeps attracting redevelopment interest. Before you buy, check the City of Toronto development applications map for anything proposed across the street or on the same block, because a new mid-rise next door can change your light and your outlook.

What The Devonshire costs

Condos.ca does not publish an average price per square foot or a size range for The Devonshire, which is common for a building this small. That makes listings and recent sales the only real guide.

When I checked, two two-bedroom suites were for sale, asking from $839,900 to $1,074,900. Their monthly fees were about $964 to $974. The wide price gap between two similar suite types tells you that size, layout, condition and outdoor space vary a lot here.

Because heat is on your own meter, add your gas and hydro bills to the fee before you compare this with a building where heat is included. If you are weighing a suite here, I can pull what has sold through my building sold report and compare it with Annex Loft Houses and other loft-townhouses nearby.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Devonshire

There is no gym, lobby or concierge here. The amenities that matter are the ones in your suite: the balcony, the gas BBQ connection where there is one, the two-storey layout and the parking space.

Jatin’s honest take on The Devonshire

The Devonshire — frequently asked questions

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