New Home Infill in Ottawa West – 372 Whitby Ave

New homes command a premium price in Westboro. Raw land is so valuable that older homes in need of repairs will frequently be sold, torn down and new homes built in their place. Often there will be two semi detached homes on the raw land. Sometimes when the land is narrow a detached home will be build. The photo above is a good example of early infill projects where a property with sufficient side land would sever half the lot and permit the building of a detached home.

This home was build in 1990 at the beginning of the plateau years. Prices didn’t rise significantly during the 10 years period. After that prices took off in 2000 when interest rates went down to historic lows. What suggests this house was built 20 years ago?

The first tip that this is an early infill is the simple roof lines and the sunken garage floor. The use of old railway ties as retaining wall material was typical of the period. Today there are concrete brick and block products that do an excellent job of retaining earth without the soil contamination and wood rot problems. Designers and architects were experimenting with the placement of the garage in relationship to the house. Instead of putting it behind with a side lane it was placed inside the house because the lots were narrow and didn’t allow a side lane and the depth of the house increased due to the narrowness.


The attached inside entry became the new norm. This garage is partially submerged in the basement which is a good feature and above the living room, dining room and Kitchen are one great open living space. Very nice feature. Today that garage is on the main floor taking up taking up 244 square feet of living space. It makes for a narrow entry hall and frequently there is a powder 1.5 bathroom adjacent to the narrow hall.

The roof was replaced using superior shingles and underlay. Grace water shield was just introduced in the 1990s and it has proved very good at preventing damage to ceilings and walls due to ice daming on the exterior lower portion of roofs.

Other significant upgrades include new gas furnace and tank less Rennai hot water system. With three bedrooms three bathrooms, family room and great room this is good value for an updated home in centre Westboro at $614,000. 372 Whitby Ave

Affordable Condos Ottawa west

114 Valley Stream Drive Ottawa
Short Walking distance to Queensway Carleton Hospital and Valley Stream Manor. Easy access to public transit to Algonquin Collage or Bells Corners.





Nestled among beautiful mature conifer trees. Feed the birds..Private, quiet & safe. Bright end unit with additional west facing windows, inside entry to garage.





Three bedrooms, three bathrooms, en suite, spacious walk out from living room to the patio. Charming wood burning fireplace. Lots of basement storage!
Natural gas furnace
Central air conditioning

Price: $239,000.

Condo fee: $283.
For: Water, Management, Caretaker, Building Insurance, Snow removal.
Why rent? Hurry
Call 613-296-8065





Nicely maintained landscaping with fence wall to the right. There is a seldom used rail line on the other side.
Park like setting to grow some flowers. A great place to call home!

Condos Ottawa West

I just returned from visiting six different condos in Ottawa west. They are located along the narrow corridor between Carling Avenue and the Ottawa River. I’ve previously visited many of the condo units but there is always something to surprise me. First, there is a difference in the archetecture reflecting the date the condo was built. Some are high rise buildings towering up 23 floors and others are low rise with the pent house units on the sixth floor.
Early condos built in the 1970, grew from rental apartment buildings which were later transformed to Condo units. Many of the earlier buildings have shared laundry facilities either centred on the lower level such as the basement or are located on every floor, or every other floor. For some people the lack of an in-unit laundry is a major obstacle in transitioning into a condo. For others the higher price of condos with in-unit laundries is the price you have to pay.
Another feature that should interest buyers of Condos in Ottawa is the presence of indoor parking in an old condo vs. a new condos where parking is at a premium. In fact new condos don’t include a parking spot. Parking can be purchased seperately from the living unit but don’t forget condo fees are paid by the square foot and your parking may have a seperate condo and municipal tax fee whereas with older condos the fees are blended into the total cost of operation and maintenance for the building.

Older Ottawa condos have a boxier feeling. It might be the narrower halls that contribute to this feeling. Some however have floor to ceiling windows that allow the light to pour in. Newer condos feature the loft influence where ceilings are high and wall partitions are free standing. Ceilings are frequently open and showing the mechanical details of wiring ventalation and building materials. Remember the loft concept originated when designers reclaimed old factory buildings in down town centres and transformed them into fashionable living units. light texture and blending of old and new are features in the original Ottawa lofts. The loft style will be diluted with softening touches in today’s stylish luxury loft but you’ll still see a reference to form and function.