Meeting the Neighbours
House, Renovation, Toronto ·Because we are going in front of the Committee of Adjustments, Paul the Architect recommended that we show our preliminary plans to our neighbours so that they won’t be surprised when they get a letter from the city informing them of the hearing about our changes.
So far, it’s been a great opportunity to introduce ourselves to the neighbours, and so far, no one has had any issues with the work that we are planning to do. The plans are to add two dormers to the sloped roofline of the third floor, and to possibly enclose the 10x10 front porch into a mudroom.
We’ve been going around and knocking on doors of the 12 most-affected neighbours. Five across the street that would look onto our house, two to the north side and two to the south, and three off of the alley that would also look onto the back of the house. So far, I’ve managed to talk to eight of the 12, and they’ve all been very warm and supportive. One is a contractor who pointed out a possible change that we could make that might make our dormers appear more in the Victorian style, which we appreciate.
The main benefit, of course, has been to actually meet our neighbours after 16 months on the street. They’re all great folks and very welcoming. This is in contrast to some other stories that I’ve been reading on the internet. I hope that when we start actual construction, the neighbours will be equally understanding.