St. Thomas
Property Type: Existing 2-Storey 4-Plex
Project Overview
This project involved the conversion of a vacant 4-unit building into a fully legal 5-unit residential building in St. Thomas. The building was nearly gutted to the studs before our involvement, offering both opportunity and complexity. Our design team was brought in mid-process after the investor parted ways with their original firm.
Scope & Strategy
We redesigned the stripped-down building shell to add a new basement bachelor unit while retaining essential service room functions, and reworked the remaining floor layouts into functional bachelor-style units.
- Converted unused basement area into a new bachelor unit while retaining essential service room functions
- Redesigned remaining ground and second floor layouts into functional bachelor-style units, maximizing rentability and privacy
- Created new internal layouts tailored to the stripped-down condition of the building shell
- Ensured each unit met OBC minimums for natural light, egress, room sizing, and fire separation
Challenges Solved
- Navigated a grey area of the OBC: extensive interior demolition risked reclassifying the existing building under stricter Part 9 new-construction rules
- Successfully argued and applied OBC Part 11 for existing buildings, saving the investor significant time and cost
- Took over from a prior design firm and restored project momentum with a revised design strategy and compliant permit drawings
Investor Benefits
- Added an entirely new unit without altering the building’s exterior or gross floor area
- Enhanced future rent potential by designing flexible bachelor units with defined bedroom spaces
- Avoided triggering site plan approval or change-of-use zoning complications
- Preserved existing shell to control construction cost while increasing building value
Current Status
Permit approved. Construction completed.
Multi-Unit, Legal Suite, Fourplex, Bachelor Units
