Davenport Multiplex

Davenport Multiplex is an all-electric multi-unit residential project in Toronto’s Regal Heights neighbourhood. The property sits on Toronto’s mid-town escarpment with steep slope upwards from front to back, providing for expansive south views from new street-facing balconies.

What was originally a 1950s purpose-built triplex, subsequently divided into five small units, and is now a modern fourplex (plus laneway suite coming soon) with spacious one- and two-bedroom rental apartments. When the laneway house is complete at the rear, this property will have five new, luxury rental suites.

The design and permitting process was done quickly and efficiently. The house is kept in its original form, with the south wall rebuilt to accommodate more glazing and generous balconies. This approach reduced cost and waste, limited the variances required, and allowed for a quick construction process.

Project tasks were done concurrently to reduce wait-times during permitting, allowing construction to start as soon as possible. From the beginning of the design phase to the projected move-in date will be just 18 months.

Energy efficiency design techniques in this project are projected to reduce energy use by 55% from pre-renovation levels. All energy consumed will be low carbon hydro, as the natural gas connection has been completely removed.

The scope of this renovation is almost entirely internal. The existing building footprint and roof are maintained. The only change to the building shell is a rebuild of the front, south-facing wall. The existing brick at the front was cut back and replaced with a framed wall that enables the construction of two new, cantilevered balconies, each about 7×15 feet in size.

The four units are configured to provide a dedicated private entry for each tenant, with no shared interior corridors or stairwells. The sloping grade was used to our advantage, with the upper units gaining access from the raised backyard. The removal of the internal stairwell increases the usable floor area by 7%, which is equivalent to the size of two bedrooms.

The two lower units enter at the front via private, ground-level terraces. These units are 1-bedroom apartments, split down the middle of the building footprint, for a total of about 465 square feet each. They are compact units that are sensibly designed, with private bedrooms, efficient one-wall kitchens, and bright, open-concept great rooms.

The two units on Levels 1 and 2 have private entries at the rear, accessed via an exterior walkway wrapping around the outside of the building. These upper units enjoy the grand front balconies with gorgeous views over the street and city beyond. The layouts comprise the full building footprint of 925 square feet. They are both two-bedroom apartments, each with spacious great rooms, peninsula kitchens, one full shared washroom, and one ensuite for the primary bedroom.

Each of the four units have their own dedicated laundry and mechanical rooms (previously the building had one shared laundry). Each unit has individual control over its own heating, cooling, and ventilation system, with separate electrical and water metering.

Existing load-bearing brick structure wraps three sides of Davenport Multiplex. A large portion of the brick at the front was replaced with a new wood-framed furring wall to enable installation of the cantilevered front balconies. The new framed wall is inset from the face of the brick, creating a distinction between the heavy brick structure and the new, light-weight wall.

The brick has 4-inches of spray foam insulation and an R-value of R24. The front wood-framed wall, with an insulation value of R30, uses 2-inches of exterior insulation with self-adhered housewrap on the outside of the sheathing, and mineral wool batt insulation between the studs on the inside.

The hip roof has a minimum 18-inches of sprayed-in cellulose insulation, with an air barrier provided by taped oriented strand board (OSB) coated with a vapour barrier paint on the underside. Insulation value of the roof is R60.

The goal for the interior was to have no less than 8-foot ceilings everywhere. To achieve this on Level 0, the slab was lowered slightly, providing 3-inches of space for expanded polystyrene (EPS) under the concrete, with an insulation value of R12. The upper unit, however, has a finished ceiling height of 8’-6”, facilitated by raised ceiling rafters that function as collar ties, further reinforcing their connection to the rafters.

Each unit has individually controlled, all-electric mechanical systems, as well as their own dedicated hot water tank and energy recovery ventilator (ERV). There is also dedicated ducting for each apartment, greatly reducing air- and noise-transfer between the units.

A pre-drywall blower-door test showed an air leakage rate of only 2.91 ACH, which is an excellent result at that stage of a complex renovation project. We will update this page with the final air tightness result once construction is complete.