Friday, December 23, 2011

Tear Down The Old


This pic typifies what is happening all over Toronto - someone buys a perfectly good older home, tears it down and then builds to the maximum size that the city will allow. Even in the wealthiest areas houses that sold for $2-3million are demolished (and sometimes 2 in a row) to make way for enormous places. At least this new house I like - will have to go back in the summer to see some landscaping!

11 comments:

Lowell said...

Kinda crazy that some people have so much money and so many others have so little...

Doesn't look like there's very much land to landscape there. :-)

We've had a similar phenom here in Florida. People buy up older, but perfectly beautiful mansions along the seashore, tear them down and then build something even larger and more beautiful. Some of those places pay $200,000 per year (plus) in property taxes alone!

LĂșcia said...

Here the situation is worst, day after day big companies buy big houses, tears them down, and tall buildings begin to be built...
I like both houses. :)

VioletSky said...

I have seen this house and am still on the fence over it.

Kris McCracken said...

I beg your forgiveness for my cutting and pasting my comment, but there was no way on Earth I would be able to make it around the whole globe to wish everybody a Merry Christmas otherwise.

The magical elves that constitute my staff have demonstrated their lack of respect in either not showing up for work at all, or those that have all seem a little worse for wear (if you catch my drift). All they seem to do is sit around smoking cigarettes that, frankly, smell funny. In addition, they play cards and tell dirty jokes rather than do their jobs! Consequently, the reindeer are all filthy and out of shape.

I now have my two sons pulling the sleigh, but they are struggling. I’ve been told that it’s a big ask for a three and five year old, but I made it this far with a couple of mangy chooks, an arthritic wallaby and three peculiar wombats! Unfortunately, we lost all bar one wombat over Mumbai (and the sole survivor is exhibiting clear signs of PTSD).

Anyway, all the way down here at the bottom of the world (A.K.A. Tasmania), and from myself, Jen, Henry and Ezra, please have a Merry Christmas/ Winter Solstice/ Hanukkah/ Festivus/ Ashura and a happy New Year!

I hope that all of your holiday photos turn out to be triumphs, your stocking is stuffed full of lots of tasty treats and not coal and that all your naan/ prawn cocktails/ currywurst are all as tasty as can be!

Paul in Powell River said...

While I do like the new one, I don't know that I'm really in favour of tearing down the old.

Kay L. Davies said...

I also wonder where people get the money to buy and tear down perfectly good, often better-than-good, houses. Very strange to think of it. Are they any happier than those of us who live in smaller homes?
Wishing you the best of the holiday season and the coming year.
K

Randy said...

This seems to happening everywhere.

Unknown said...

I'm never in favour of tearing down the old but in this case I like the contrast. Happy Christmas, RedPat!

Sharon said...

The same thing is happening here. I live in a historic neighborhood so it can't be done near me. But it sure is happening in other areas. The historic neighborhoods are protected with many building restrictions. An owner needs permission to do any changes to the house and it the change doesn't preserve the look of the area, it isn't allowed.

ArtandArchitecture-SF.com said...

It is a sure sign of a property bubble, sadly they destroy the neighborhood in the meantime.

Regina K said...

This doesn't happen around here much. Too much land to spread out I would imagine. This economy is sure hurting homes selling though. But people are buying and building new and lots of homes in neighborhoods for sale.