Buying a condo off the floorplan? What you need to know
July 23, 2018
If you’re a first-time condominium buyers for whom price is a major deciding factor, then it’s wise to start looking early on in the selling cycle. In addition to the best selection of suite designs, you’ll also find the most attractive price points. This also means you will likely purchase from floorplans. For many people, visualizing three dimensions from a two-dimensional representation is difficult, usually because they are unfamiliar with how floorplans are labelled. So let’s take a look.
Somewhere on the plan will be its marketing name, total square footage of the interior layout and balcony or terrace area, and a diagram called a “key plate” that features a shaded area indicating where the suite is located in the building’s floor plate.
Although plans may differ slightly among builders, typically there are abbreviations and symbols that are universal. The first thing to realize is that floorplans are drawn as though you are looking down at the suite from above. Room dimensions are included with the width first, and arrows indicating from which wall to which wall that number represents. Many of today’s open-concept plans include an L-shaped main living area, so knowing those dimensions helps greatly with determining furniture placement.
Where doors are concerned, the icons on the plan show you which way they swing. Overlapping rectangular lines indicate sliding doors to a balcony or terrace.
Flooring is interesting. If the floor area is blank, ask the sales representative about the standard flooring that’s included in the purchase price. Parallel lines indicate hardwood or laminate. Squares usually mean ceramic or other stone tiles.
When it comes to kitchens, you may find everything from lines indicating appliances to a blank square for the fridge, a square with four circles for the stove, and dotted lines in the middle of a counter signifying uppers above it. Icons with small circles (for drains) in the middle are sinks. If you see dotted lines at the edge of a counter or island, it means there is an overhang under which you can place stools. A dishwasher may be included, but if not, there should be a dotted line where it would go.
Going beyond the kitchen, W/D is the abbreviation for washer/dryer, and you may see LIN for linen closet and/or WIC for walk-in closet. Squares with an “X” inside mean the fan coil units for distributing heating and cooling are in there. Reading bathroom plans is easy, as the sink, toilet, and tub or shower are obvious.
As you browse floorplans, you will notice that some lines are a bit thicker than others. These walls contain plumbing, electrical or structural elements. This is a great help at your colour selection appointment, as you will know you can’t move these walls as a customizing option.
Bottom line? Make sure you understand everything on the floorplans you are considering. If you have the opportunity to tour a model, hold the floorplan as you go, and you will see first-hand how the two-dimensional representation “lives.” And remember that buying early in the selling cycle means you are likely to build equity more quickly!
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About Barbara Lawlor
Barbara Lawlor is president and CEO of Baker Real Estate Incorporated, an Honoree at the 2019 BISNOW Toronto Power Women Commercial Real Estate Leaders event, a panelist at the Key Media International Conference in 2018 and winner of the pinnacle 2017 Riley Brethour Award from BILD, among other accolades. She is also an in-demand columnist and speaker who is respected for her impactful industry voice. A member of the Baker team since 1993, she oversees the marketing and sales of condominium developments in Canada in the GTA, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal, and internationally in Beijing. Keep current with The Baker Blog at blog.bakerrealestate.com