Alleyway home in Toronto makes room splitting into 5 levels

Toronto is the fastest growing city in North America, but rather than simply grow up and out, city planners are relaxing zoning on its 250 kilometers of laneways so owners can turn garages and sheds into small downtown homes (limited to 8 meters wide (26 feet).
Zeke Kaplan’s home had a 100-year-old shack occupying the lane before he began construction to convert it into a modern 2 bedroom home. As a contractor, he was prepared to bore through the backyard to connect services from the main house all the way back to the small secondary unit.
The new dwelling had to match the old footprint so Brock James (LGA Architectural Partners) cut levels into the space to create essentially 5 different floors making it all feel larger. Everything serves several functions: the stairs connecting the kitchen and living room are also storage and seating area; the entryway coat rack also serves as kitchen cabinets.
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On *faircompanies: faircompanies.com/videos/alle...

[@barbaraknuth8095]

You know your getting old when you find yourself thinking about all the stairs and the sharp edges of the steel stairs! Beautiful home.

[@janeysiegrist5061]

🤣truth

[@okaygee4132]

Thought I was the only one thinking "but that's just added stairs". 😩

[@eggsnspam]

It's not just about getting old, the very young... just imagine a toddler trying to run around the house hitting all the sharp corners and climbing up stairs that has holes in it they can fall through.

[@d3r4g45]

I was thinking about the sharp edges of the stair glass panels. Thinking a kid could slip and injure itself.

[@ramonabanik7713]

As I was watching this, my mind went to a new hip replacement or slip bang my head on the floor. I am getting so old. But you are right it is beautiful.

[@tyffannief8822]

He keeps saying small... if this is small then I live in a shoebox

[@Sustaita.handmade]

@Vee Kee my family and I live in CA and this house is bigger than mine by at LEAST 50% and my family was typically 5 people... so yeah this house is huge. The foot print is probably as big as my house. Of coure there are bigger houses in cheaper U.S states.

[@wilsonx1999]

It's small for rich people, for regular folks that's goddamn huge.

[@MaxItUpwithMarta]

That is not small at all. I also don't like the lane side design. The other side is beautiful.

[@deivchoi]

The house is actually small, but they made it look big by creating lots of rooms and levels

[@Sustaita.handmade]

@@deivchoi i just checked on their webside its 1100 square feet... my house is only 950... seriously guys. This house is not a tiny house in any stabdard at all.

[@lenakielk5454]

I’ve seen a lot of comments on the video dragging a lot. I agree but you also need to understand they’re designer and that’s how they talk. That’s how my tutors want me to explain my work and justify my designs so it’s just how it is with it all. From a student standpoint this video just gave me 20 different things to mention in my research and analysis 😂

[@AlphineWolf]

It sounds like a lecture lol

[@MattMcKennaM]

It feels like he's telling me how I should feel.

[@brandywillis3998]

@@MattMcKennaM some people sure do hate the idea of learning anything

[@eggsnspam]

"almost like the wall is floating" = cheerios getting stuck under there as well dust bunnies plus scratches from items or people walking by. Baseboards do have a function...

[@DiscoFang]

The "gap" is only 10mm (1/2 inch) deep. The thickness of the wallboard. The backing frame is painted black. Nothing is "getting stuck" in there. It's simply called a "negative detail" by the rest of the design and building world.

[@HKgaming86]

@@DiscoFang 10mm is 1cm, ur telling me a cheerio is more than a cm in height? I think not

[@DiscoFang]

HKgaming Height is not depth.

[@angelmartin7310]

A fun extra step in cleaning!!

[@DiscoFang]

Angel Martin Although the funny thing about baseboards is that they collect dust and dirt on the top. So which has the extra step?

[@ssaanana]

How can you have a house so well thought out and have a closet door like that 🙈🙈

[@makingitthrough190]

ssaanana That moment where he was opening the closet door and it nearly hit the ceiling: a little bit sad actually.

[@natashafigueroa9198]

so awkward

[@whaterfoo]

A single barn door slider opening left to right would solve it easily

[@williamwinder3466]

@@makingitthrough190 should have had an accordion door

[@goodliving2171]

You'd still have the upper left closet door to contend with the slant of the ceiling and roof. They aren't allowed to extend the roof higher. They have to keep the building structure the same as it was.

[@TheSEBfamily]

Sunken kitchen does give the illusion of a much larger first floor. Great ideas and design.

[@roisinkelly1509]

Another perspective -it becomes very tiring tackling stairs in a busy kitchen environment + it concerns me that they could become a hazard. Thanks for posting I

[@sashachip]

unfortunately they put a toilet right next to the kitchen. Guess they never heard the old saying- 'don't shit where you eat'.

[@letshugandlove324]

wait till the next toronto flood

[@tjtampa214]

Great, you cooking at floor level so the breeze will waft the dust and sand into the food prep area.

[@day_julymm957]

With a bathroom next to it? No thanks.

[@abel5925]

These colors make me happy. Wood, greenery. The contrasting black metal, beautiful home.

[@MickyAvStickyHands]

That awkward moment when you realize your closet door wont open... "We'll cut in it post, Frank. Keep rolling!"

[@tamcon72]

This made me laugh.

[@Grrrrrene]

Hahaha,, I thought exactly the same. Who ever thought of that? They even commented on it, saw the flaw and quickly moved on. LOL I like the style though, especially the windows in the bedroom.

[@annoyed707]

An accordion door hinged the other way might have been a better idea.

[@JustCameronAndHisJeep]

I love this design. It's not so much small as it is efficient. Too many people these days are after bigger and better but designs like this contrast and draw people back to more practical solutions. Thank you for letting us into this home and for creating this video.

[@michellezevenaar]

This is the size of most family homes in the Netherlands. Its definitely not a small house! Fantastic design job for sure!

[@JustCameronAndHisJeep]

Agreed, the North American BIG is never big enough mentality is horrible. I grew up here and never understood it.

[@supercooled]

It's great and harkens back to the days when we only started to forge our civilization forward and industrialize the world; a time punctuated by simplicity and necessity rather than wanton excess and opulence. For me, the juxtaposition between this and the other homes would give me anxiety. I would need my own "lot" in order to feel liberated.

[@JustCameronAndHisJeep]

@@supercooled I completely understand.

[@mohawk7995]

Well said should be a narrator

[@nonyabizness.original]

i could not help feeling a bit of a vouyeur watching the unwitting neighbors play a feature role in this video as they went about working in their formerly rather private back yard.

[@cord11ful]

I know, right?! I could feel their resentment from here (Australia). I felt like looking away, as though they could see me.

[@nonyabizness.original]

@@cord11ful 😄

[@thatdude123]

I felt this

[@DiscoFang]

Formerly private? There was always a building there so they couldn't have a reasonable expectation that it would never be restored.

[@whyneed1215]

@@DiscoFang Its the first time its been done. And they for sure didn't think a million dollar structure would replace the shack.

[@bookworm4231]

Absolutely brilliant design. So creative with the multi-levels making the house feel open but cozy, inviting and practical at the same time. And all the windows! Especially in a lane-way house which like he says are typically struggling for any sort of privacy, love how he managed to bring all that natural light in and still make it feel tucked away in a garden.

[@Prairieshutterbug64]

Toronto real estate is so crazy expensive this is probably a $1.5M house in a back alley covered with graffiti.

[@themarquis8716]

im from toronto and that is correct

[@Petike01]

I am not from Toronto, so I can't relate.

[@Mike__B]

I'm from San Francisco, can totally relate. Also I can relate to existing residents who are crying "we don't have a housing crisis, new people wanting to live here with no homes is a them problem, not an us problem" but I digress.

[@Mike__B]

@1Energine1 One small bit of relief for us long term CA residents though, is property values are not reassessed to "market value" so I'm not paying taxes based on it's value (north of a million).

[@geocyo8835]

yeah. i was wondering about that. all that beautiful house facing that ugly-ass alleyway.

[@iagreewithyoubub]

So many "experiences" in that house, including no privacy.

[@weetikissa]

I agree with you THIS. This house is perfect if you've always fantasized about being a girl working at Amsterdam's red lights district.

[@BenJamin-ou9pc]

If you watch the whole video you'll see that they addressed privacy concerns.

[@XxPaulyxx]

Literally what I was thinking lmao

[@tonytone5300]

I'd walk around in my birthday suit.

[@AriesT1]

@@BenJamin-ou9pc Except for the first bedroom not even having a shutter or shield, so the whole neighborhood can watch you having fun at night. :) See 13:01

[@CantFightRobots]

This video should have been like 7 minutes.

[@TallBooks]

Agreed he waffled on way too much let the beautiful work sell itself.

[@Emmet-id6xq]

@@TallBooks 😂😂😂😂 waffled your Irish

[@Crow-qq2xd]

lol, right? I was dead asleep halfway through this listening to him drone on.

[@elevate32767]

@@Crow-qq2xd but he needs to explain why the adjacent wall connecting the ceiling is at a 35 degree angle.

[@immortal257]

Yeah bored me.

[@MayimHastings]

Wow, this comment section is brutal. It’s a great home for the right person! The key to these smaller footprint homes is individuality. Each one isn’t going to suit everyone. I really loved the sunken kitchen with the garden right there - I would totally grow some herbs and peppers! It’s so bright, open and cheerful, too.

[@tdombui]

noticed how articulate architects are in explaining their work, motifs, and thought processes. Really motivating and encouraging.

[@HLR4th]

A very thoughtful house. I appreciated the dual camera scenes, filmed from within and from outside the home; very dynamic!

[@Grafight23]

19:05 "You have to sequence it and carefully plan it before you execute it" 15:15

[@crystalemeralddiamond9571]

Yep, measure twice, cut once.

[@jamespong6588]

The moment I saw it I knew it wouldn't open, I was like "cool it must be pull out door" ..noppe

[@avimae4225]

Got it.

[@GaboYork]

Amazing how they managed to distribute the spaces and a very modern style. I know that area and it seems to me, spectacular how they made that transformation into a very picturesque neighborhood of Toronto.. Bravo..

[@hugosantarem8314]

Fascinating layout. The way the ceilings were planned to give dwellers more (head) space is brilliant. Also, extra points for all the sunlight the design allows in.

[@dandelion1627]

The design is beautiful, practical, efficient, and resourceful. The only "blunder" is the closet door LOL.

[@miyounova]

not the only one. How about that planter upstairs???

[@shaejanisewski3688]

@@miyounova They have doors in the windows so you can water them

[@miyounova]

@@shaejanisewski3688 but not all the way along

[@adrianmiramontesphotograph3022]

Don't forget the bathroom next to the kitchen

[@dimidomo7946]

My second video viewing about this builder/designer/architect. Fantastic creativeness.

[@citizent6999]

How nice is that! Beautiful woodwork. The off-putting thing is that toilet withing a couple of metres of the fridge and stove. This makes the kitchen likely to have unpleasant odours seeping into a food preparation area.

[@AdvantageousAngie]

"we didn't want to obstruct the view" *pans to dirty alley*

[@virtuallyme2518]

totally LOL

[@handendaer]

its half the charm, not knowing when to get hepatitis from needles or getting robbed. paying extra for that

[@ECsponger2]

I freaking LOVE that step-down kitchen!!!

[@splante1]

Very nice design. At 15:15, the closet door needs a little improvement :-)

[@tiltil9442]

Damn, both doorwings should be connected and fold away to the right. Whoever decided to hinge that door to the left SHOULD LIVE IN THAT CUPBOARD.

[@victoriassme]

Kwa kwa kwa.. 🤭

[@DizzyChainsaw]

No way this dude has kids. "Imagine a family living in this house." Glass barriers everywhere and a steel staircase??? are you going to come over and clean the greasy, grubby, sticky hand prints off the f*cking glass, bro? Also, I don't know if you've seen what kids do with stairs but steel is a no go.

[@itsallgoodtodayok]

a lot of that house does irritate me, but it does look cool & expensive. just ok on maximizing space.

[@FC-hj9ub]

A lot of people don't want kids. It's mo surprise they don't want guests over with kids.

[@Chau083]

If you're building something like that, your sure as shit ain't cleaning it. That kind of money as "people" for that type of thing.

[@tarotbloom4871]

Put carpet

[@hijinxxxx]

@@tarotbloom4871 yeah, shag on the ceiling

[@Fitzy222]

I liked it when the guy in the white shirt spoke. Clear and to the point. Thank you for this video.

[@nutzinmybutz]

Drinking game: Take a shot every time he says "space" "experience" and "relationship"

[@daos3300]

you'd be drunk, yeah. he's an architet, describing the experience of the relationships between different spaces in a building.

[@johnk5432]

and "so"

[@JonUbick]

These would be the most amazing cafes, small markets, apartments (building up), restaurants, and no traffic so you can have a walk street and places to sit for food or benches...

[@paxundpeace9970]

Permit for commercial use would be almost impossible

[@dalejones4186]

Hi Kirsten. I so enjoy your videos. Not only learning but visually relaxing. Also great inspiration. Thanks to you and your family I can see where architecture is going these days. Many blessings to you and your family.

[@connorjames5190]

When he started talking on the stairs, I wanted to push him up them because damn if he finds one more thing to talk about downstairs

[@mrpPp18]

lol, i thought he was never gonna go upstairs.

[@jerryglen986]

How many times does he repackaged the word relationship. Trying to hard to explain a split level house on the alley.

[@patrickmiller1674]

Hipster designer types always do this shit. I hate it sooo much

[@jarateman6427]

LOL I know.... Jesus dude I wanted to punch him thru my monitor. Relax guy, you designed a cool house, not the fucking Mona Lisa.....

[@jerryglen986]

I concede your point about his not knowing it would be edited that way. My point is that he was repetitive to a point where it became uncomfortable to watch. Just my opinion. I liked his home. Thanks for your constructive feedback. I will word my comments differently in future videos.

[@eggizgud]

@word I actually loved that he used the word. It really fitted the feeling.

[@MR-xf8xg]

I'm glad others noticed. Just too wordy in general. Argh.

[@FORTHEBY_BY]

Very modern and beautiful. Love all the windows and skylights.

[@gnorman8852]

I love facing a courtyard, so much natural light but plenty of privacy options, the wood/glass/metal combo, how the greens of nature or snow in winter can be seen & enjoyed. Very Japanese styling & utilitarian (?), incorporating natural beauty w/ practicality. Lovely home.

[@Wolfsheim23]

Very gorgeous design and I love everything accept "floating" walls. How do you keep that clean under there? All kinds of crud will get stuck in that crack and seems like a bug haven.

[@TheEhTeam04]

I enjoy these, seeing the creativity people put into these never gets old.

[@victorjackson150]

Small??? Most apartments and way way smaller. This is huge in comparison.

[@eggizgud]

Gorgeous! Loved the concept of the different relationships with the different spaces. Especially that kitchen-living part.

[@lanietzky]

Beautiful for summer. Love the levels and attention to detail regarding connectivity, use and perspective.

[@Skarkez555]

No one mentioned how many sq ft it was. Also the cost to build would have been interesting to know.

[@nanchesca3950]

Some really great design elements and I'm sure they won't make the same mistake again with that closet! Because the entryway is on the garden side it would be challenging to bring in furniture thru that narrow corridor between the houses! Great video!

[@ithacacomments4811]

I love Toronto along the harbor. I stayed at the Weston with the harbor view. I was last there June 2009 when there was a street festival going on. Lots to see and do. Enjoyed the Inuit Museum.

[@billoconnor1601]

Brilliant! What thoughtful, innovative use of space. Very impressed. Thanks for sharing!

[@ClaudyArfaras]

So smart and modern both visually and in concept... Seemed a lot of thought and explanation for why... Great segment, thank you...

[@QuestforaMeaningfulLife]

I hope to see more homes like this going up around my hometown Toronto! I really like how these folks explain their design decisions. Brilliant fun stuff.

[@thewholehealthlab]

i rly love how they created the levels in this home! feels so airy and light

[@TheKellieoo]

Sooo beautiful! I never leave comments but wow!!! You guys are so blessed. Amazing, and so unique. Just PERFECT! Better than any mansion. So sweet! Love it, guys. Really enjoy it ❤️

[@taohu928]

This is bigger than most dutch houses and he called it small 🤔

[@michellezevenaar]

Lol! That what i was going to say! This is designed alot nicer then most dutch houses though.

[@grce9577]

Well, small than normal US house 😂

[@gophermaster]

@@grce9577 This is in Canada.

[@1412Bunny]

different countries have different perceptions of what's normal

[@maki2500]

Ik vind het best wel knus, hoor.

[@SandraNelson063]

There is NO low income housing available in Toronto. The wait list for rent geared to income housing is about 10 yrs. Living in Toronto is hellishly expensive, the rent for a room in a decent area is at least $700.00 a month. That's before groceries and bills. There hasn't been any low income housing built since the 90s. And Toronto is filling up with more and more people who CAN'T afford THIS kind of house. I am on disability. I am on the RGI list. 10 yrs and counting.

[@jac23443]

This is truly one of the most innovative, and creative uses of space. The amount of light that enters the kitchen and living room is so beautiful. The kitchen is amazing, and the layout is so functional but nice to look at. I love this!

[@Normanabutler1]

WoW! WoW! WoW!! What an absolutely brilliantly designed house!!! The flow of the lines and all those different levels must have taken ages to get right! From the outside looks so plain and simple but on the inside all those intricate designs levels and areas!! Amazing.

[@thedonmitchell]

Amazing! Incredibly thoughtful and articulate design.

[@sophien5416]

This man is so thoughtful with his design. You can tell he dreams of architecture at night lol Love this alleyway home.

[@lourdesgarcia2969]

I love real estate, responsible sale and community planning, landscaping, building materials, everything!!! I also see architecture like art, and honestly, this is one of the best videos/home I've EVER seen! This is up there with like, castles!! And the narrator is soo... Great great great video!! These people r great! Thank u (all!!)

[@mojojojo218]

Love the Concepts , Design and applications in this build .... stunning !

[@RuskiArtem]

Probably one of the most beautiful places I've seen, great job on the inside.

[@fishernate]

Absolutely stunning! Unfortunately, in Toronto, still well over $1 million.

[@DJJunglemunky]

$1 million for anything bigger than a dog house would be a steal in Toronto lol.

[@livamber202]

fishernate well over 2 mil

[@livamber202]

fishernate now that I’ve seen it more like 5 mil

[@m.saint.1071]

Well you know how the old saying goes , what goes up and all the rest

[@kelleymariejones6388]

fishernate 😱😱😱😱😱I thought California was ridiculously priced!

[@ShowBizJunkie]

Love it soooo much! Very ingenious way to create such a modern living. Love the kitchen desk which is at the street level. Having levels in the same space really creates the two separate spaces. Wonderfull!!!

[@24lenard]

Unique idea and beautiful saved as reference. thank you!

[@latishabrown6911]

What a great design & extremely smart use of space. So much luxury packed in a smaller square footage.

[@akshitthapliyal]

Kirsten Dirksen madam, I am an architecture student from India and I like your channel's content. Thank you and good luck.

[@kirstendirksen]

Thank you Akshit.

[@vkchaitanya2003]

Fnord Fnordington lol he can never survive in the west, I know my cousin had to change his son’s name after moving to USA, his name was Dikshit

[@veen88]

@Fnord Fnordington well well well I know how you thought to pronounce it. But that's not how it goes.

[@RickiHockersmith83]

Akshit- How do you pronounce your name like ASS-SHIT, right?🤔

[@503zzach]

@Fnord Fnordington - Indeed. Akshit is very unique name. 😂😂😂

[@ILOVEMARYWEATHER]

Beautiful! Thank you for all the amazing content. Love your channel.

[@EGlideKid]

Those are very cool "alleys". I walked over a mile to school in the 60's and early 70's, and always took the alleys whenever possible, snooping and exploring as I went. Fond memories!

[@mikemurphyseemsliked]

Good luck with that basement stairwell... I had a similar access point to a house I owned in Ottawa. It was a nightmare after a blizzard. One storm, it completely filled up! I opened the door and it was a WALL of snow....

[@suestoons]

I came here looking for this comment. You won't be shovelling that entry well out in half an hour either. Neither entry to the house is winter-friendly. You will not be opening those accordion doors in January.

[@tamara8908]

I love how that paid attention to wall lines. Like he said, it's calming.

[@rehrbar]

Fantastic video !! Lived in Canada, been to Toronto, now living in Switzerland which is also very densely populated. I find it so important that land is used to the most potential in the built up areas and leave agriculture and culture land intact as much as possible. We only have so much land! Good job!

[@tamcon72]

A beautifully planned and executed house, seeming very modern but not cold, due to its warm wood elements, sensible distribution of transit and static spaces, and bounty of natural light. Ingenious storage ideas, and strategies to create height and depth for maximum comfort. As someone from Car City USA, I'm amused by all the people in the comments who are convinced that every Torontonian _must_ have a car and fretting about where this car is parked. : ) TFP!

[@dianned6985]

This is art in living. Beautifully constructed. This place is screaming my name ✨

[@akikolehmainen88]

He narrates how they like working on old houses while presenting a new house that entirely replaced the old house.

[@derkescher266]

I think he meant keeping the old roof pitch-yeah but i agree with you, conservation looks different

[@nonyabizness.original]

he spoke of being required to work within the old footprint and lines of the old shack, not of restoring it. homage was given to the old by reusing wood from it on the exterior, and incorporating that wood species within the space.

[@tomsenft7434]

Not true.

[@ivatanjic]

I think he was talking about old structures and footprints that limit you size-wise, not an actual renovation

[@parampreetsinghanand8275]

This is done so you don't have to get Tarion warranty for 1 year. Further easier to get permits for renovations.

[@bonniebryan2541]

I love the light from all the windows but NO privacy.

[@PhilipSteeves]

A very nice house, beautiful detailing, and the multilevel design and the windows are great too.

[@vaughnwohclam3226]

Closet door proves that the project had plenty of $$ behind it but not an equal amount of detailed thought

[@justinm2697]

Add to that...toilet next to the kitchen and that stupid seating area next to the stair into the kitchen. Who is going to sit there....ever. That should have been more bench space with under bench storage.

[@miyounova]

@@justinm2697 there's a door on that wash room...

[@RendallRen]

That hutch squatting right in the beautiful kitchen view confuses me. It blocks everything: view, flow, interaction, and by itself isn't interesting enough to have such a prominent place.

[@jimlawton4184]

This is one of my favourites! Beautiful lines throughout the home, wonderful outdoor space, and communicated expertly by the designer.

[@mimiminich3570]

I love this home. Wonderful and thoughtful design. I am quite inspired.

[@luckysuzful]

This is a gorgeous house that I would love to live in. I love how they describe the house in the video. It’s very thoughtfully created and designed, and simply stunning. Love everything about it! Can they build one for me too?!?

[@bawsnitti]

A million dollar house in an alley Let that sink in

[@YoungBizWhiz]

so detail-oriented, so well thought out... I really liked this....

[@Landofdochia]

This is very nice! I agree millwork goes a very long way in dividing and maximizing space, the kitchen transition to dining in this project is a perfect example, well done!

[@maggieferrell4538]

I ABSOLUTELY love this home!!!!❤️

[@RICHIECOQUI]

I wonder how that alley is like after a snow storm!

[@Mac_Omegaly]

I can just imagine the draft from the front door, in the winter.

[@truthbetold2611]

Smart architecture. The thought process that leads to solutions and innovations is amazing. Thank you for sharing.

[@carlagarrett8584]

Its an interesting house with lots of quality products, and generous application of windows. Its sure gives great ideas to my little house, that is littler - 620 sq ft.

[@chriss2295]

Kirsten - I love your work. Every episode has you just in the background. You let the subjects take center stage the entire time. The camera and edit work really focus on the subjects too. Is that all intentional or ???

[@kirstendirksen]

Thank you for noticing. I used to work in television and got tired of the conventional format.

[@MiaMore.]

I found the video just dragging on. I had to fast forward many times to get on with it. It was also very irritating listening to him reiterate every minuscule detail in such an arty, pretentious manner. It came across as very dull and ostentatious. Sorry, jmo...

[@malenaqueteimporta5729]

OMG, Thank you! I feel the same way. I was just like, stop. Pretentious!

[@Rosesyoutube]

Despite what I commented, yes a bit long-winded.

[@sylviem.1299]

I put it on playback speed 1.5 and it was good. I love youtube for those speed controls. They've helped me many times.

[@Kamishax]

@@sylviem.1299 great tip! Thank you. Ended up going to 2x.

[@alicedoors4826]

I actually really enjoyed the minuscule detail. Felt like a cool design class field trip. Maybe I need to go into design....

[@lex_corptech]

The lane way small house towards the end of the video with the kid waving from the doorway looked really interesting! Would be cool to see inside that!

[@hindawilliams3673]

Hello Kristen. I have been watching your channel since you first started. Have watched your children grow from babies. Love your videos. What a wonderful opportunity to work and also see the world in such a unique aspect. Absolutely love the layout of this house!

[@pdq5465]

I love the folding doors, but we have bugs & mosquitos in Toronto. How often can you make use of those doors?

[@ThoughtsOnNews]

Too many words about nothing

[@jonothandoeser]

It's not quite nothing... but in architecture, art and even business, people seem to fall into using all the same phrases and jargon puzzles. They kind of get to "this is how the smart people talk" and they copy and paste what they hear their boss, their professors, or some expert on TED saying. But in the end, it just sounds empty and pretentious. Far better to use an economy of simple words that explain things as straightforwardly as possible. The problem with word salad is that it's only impressive the first couple of times you hear it, until you realize what it really is.

[@daos3300]

while architecture, like many other disciplines, necessarily has a highly developed and specific language, it's often the person on the receiving end who - unsurprisingly - lacks the intellectual capacity and/or education to understand what is being said. the unfortunate side effect of this is having to either horribly dumb down descriptions, or not doing so and risk sounding aloof and pretentious. however, this architect elegantly articulates his design and the underlying concepts in clear and easy to understand language.

[@jonothandoeser]

@@daos3300 Hahaha! It has NOTHING to do with the "intellectual capacity" of the listener. Its not that people don't understand what is being said. To the contrary, they are just calling architects out on the pretentious and repetitiously inept explanations! *What they are saying is stupid.* Yet they think it to be lofty and impressive for their use of carefully selected catchphrases and pre-approved jargon. It's not even original! All they are doing is repeating what they have already heard others say. Read Stephen Hawking's "A Briefer History of Time" for an example of how to speak intelligently without sounding like a fool!

[@namebrandmason]

@@jonothandoeser "A Briefer History of Time" was written by Stephen Hawking

[@jonothandoeser]

@@namebrandmason Ha! Thanks, fixed it.

[@elainestocker1428]

That is really beautiful! Great job!

[@tlvance3973]

Just gotta say I'm very impressed with this architect. Very thoughtful details

[@SallyAlexandriaAlexParakeets]

Good video, Kirsten. This is a very well designed home. Smart use of all spaces, very efficient. Happy holidays.

[@carltongirl95]

Beautiful absolutely stunning so many clever idea's and so much bigger than it looks from the outside...well done to the designer/designer's I love this house

[@justinm2697]

There's a toilet built into the kitchen. What genius thought that was a good idea?

[@deivchoi]

You made a small house look huge. Amazing job

[@carlagarrett8584]

that's an amazing build, they need to do more!

[@philiq18]

Closet door would've worked better as a tri-fold door that opens to the right. Tsk tsk.

[@DiscoFang]

Indeed. I was thinking bifold but a trifold would pick up the highest point of the left hand door to run along the top-track.

[@MrSaemichlaus]

That closet door should have a hinged upper part or have the triangular part on top be an open compartment.

[@2Sugarbears]

Pocket door?

[@marianfrances4959]

That is an amazing home. 5 levels yet does not seem like a nightmare of stairs. Great community creation and housing solution!

[@suestoons]

Oh, that is going to be a nightmare of stairs alright! Hard, sharp-edged, cold stairs. Those 3 steps between the eating area and kitchen will be nightmare #1. Doing laundry will be nightmare #2.

[@teressacooks7928]

Hats off to these gentlemen for thinking not only about utilizing the space in the most efficient way possible, but also thinking "how" people will live/use the space. Better planning in this home than most apartments and Mc Mansions!