Are you an amateur Interior Designer or someone who wants to put their years of playing the Sims to good use? Got a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket? Well this just might be the place you've been looking for. The Townlofts on Strachan Ave. at the foot of Trinity Bellwoods Park offers the ability to almost entirely design one's dream loft space from the ground up.

Besides the exteriors, these three storey lofts will be just about empty at the point of sale. Minus some basic concrete floors, these units will sit ready and waiting for everything from plumbing to your indoor pool (available on any level mind you) or your private elevator (you lazy bugger). Although the interiors may be your domain, the exteriors will be relatively uniform. Considering the renderings, when complete, these lofts may at worst end up looking like some of the dated buildings in Alexandra Park and at best be a nice modern addition to the area.

Unless you're willing to spend a great deal of time and money renovating an existing downtown home, the kind of flexibility available with these empty shells is mostly unheard of. Here, the developers have gone to great lengths to make it so you can customize just about every inch of these massive 7,500 square foot units to suit your most unusual whims. Ever wanted to host your own rave or learn to play the drums? Well the Townlofts also features state of the art sound insulation to ensure you never have to listen to your neighbour's sub-woofer all night. These lofts also come with a two spot carport, as well as a two car garage. The need for both downtown is really unclear, but if you're an automobile aficionado or want to start your own repair shop, the option is there.

The only finished part of these units will be the apartment sized 1,300 square foot rooftop terrace, which will feature relatively panoramic views of the downtown skyline, and with a beefed up floor load capacity enough stability to hold everything from a hot tub to perhaps a grand piano.

SPECS

Storeys: 3
Number of Units: 4
Ceiling Heights in Feet: 12, 14
Total Square Feet: 7,500
Terrace Sizes in Square Feet: 1,300, 200
Cost of Pool: $50,000
Cost of Private Elevator: $30,000-$40,000
Maintenance Fees: $200-300 per month
Notable Customization Options: Private Elevator, Pool on any Level 19 ft. long, 8 ft. wide and 4 ft. deep or 45 ft long on the second floor, Front Terrace can be sunken 4 feet with mezzanine above, Parking can accommodate either storage racks or parking stacks, Optional staggered glass walls, Indented Terraces, or a fireplace in a glass wall.

THE GOOD

The ability to design your dream home from the ground up is simply staggering. Also if you love Trinity Bellwoods and are discouraged about the recent crackdown on dinking in the park, your new pad is just steps away, where you can consume your drink of choice on your massive terrace ticket-free! The building aside, this is really one of downtown's coolest neighborhoods, whether it be the excellent restaurants and cafĂŠs, the non imposing human scale of its buildings or the mix of families and mild mannered young urbanites, this area is always fun.

THE BAD

There's going to be a lot of work heading your way, whether it be hiring construction crews or working out just how you are going to fit that floor-to-ceiling shark tank in your new place. If you don't have time to be playing architect, developer and accountant, you should look elsewhere.

THE VERDICT

Flexibility is everything here. If you are a flexible person willing to be patient with the hiccups of undertaking a project of this size, this is definitely a great place to live.

Read other posts in this series via our Toronto Condos and Lofts Pinterest board.

Writing by Dylan Giuliano