44

MASSEY

STREET

For Sale on MLS

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House Video

Rodney The Tree Video

44 Massey Street

The ultimate blend of architectural history and modernity. Urban sensibility and efficient land usage in the heart of Trinity Bellwoods. Tirelessly designed, built and decorated by Beurklian.Design group for multifamily usage. The design emphasizes simplicity in materials, attention to detail and minimalist aesthetics and decoration to maximize the use and feel. Diligent design, computer modelling & green building practices make this home a masterwork of light, volume, and space. Biophilic design is incorporated throughout and seamlessly integrated within the entire structure. Oversized windows, abundant skylighting and custom built doorways open the space and increase daylighting. Lack of bulkheads and baseboards emphasize the aggressive attention to detail and planning throughout. Commercial grade flooring provides resiliency and endurance. Custom built concrete sinks, Australian wall hung toilets and dual showers provide a sense of luxury and cleanliness. Exceptional mechanical systems including independent HVAC units, tankless water heater, radiant floor warming, exterior snow melt system & irrigation systems. The house was built with many custom features and assemblies which include custom built furniture and commissioned wall art. Future expansion capabilities include rough-ins for: rooftop backup generator, PV solar panels, natural gas patio heaters, rooftop electrical, holiday lighting electrical, exterior wet bar and also include designs for rooftop access & rooftop terrace. 

Located in arguably the most trendy district, within steps of Trinity Bellwoods park, King W entertainment district, Queen W fashion district. This location also provides easy access to the financial district, Billy Bishop Airport, Exhibition Grounds and BMO Field. Local transit also includes Exhibition Go station and the future King Street station of the Ontario line.

44 Massey is truly a form follows function concept where every aspect was maximized within its allocated space. 

44 Massey is a Legal 2 Unit dwelling which generates $9-10k per month. This sale includes all furniture, plants, decorations, chattels and fixtures and is designed to be turnkey.

Rodney The Tree

A simple tree became an international star. Rodney The Tree has over 200 reviews on Google maps, an Instagram page and has international acclaim. He has had visitors from all over the world come by to take photos with him. People have written poems, treated him as a deity, say "Hi" to him as they walk by, or have just hung out over drinks with him.

A short video story about Rodney The Tree by local journalist Dylan Dubeau, and another video by Mark Colley. 

 Rodney was on the front page of the Toronto Star and others have written articles about him such as Now Toronto, Fast Company and Sing Tao Daily. He was also talked about on several Toronto News radio shows as well.

Rodney The Three is an eastern redbud. He is approximately 5 years old. With careful planning, he is thriving.  Rodney Blooms incredible bight pink flowers in the spring, from early May to early June). After bloom, he grows large flat leafy Green leaves and otherwise looks like a normal tree for the rest of the year, silently plotting the next year's bloom.

History and Transformation

Based on historical records, the land this house stands on used to be part of the, then named, "Asylum for the Insane" (now known as Centre for Addiction & Mental Health). The street that is now Massey street was once a laneway that separated the Asylum  and the rear carriage houses for the Dwellings on Strachan. In 1889 the walls of the Asylum were moved, reducing its land size, and it's surmised that the land was sold to the City of Toronto and was in turn sold as lots to builders, in our case, Plan 958 Lot 13.  These lots were large enough to fit three attached houses together used separately. This newly formed street was named Massey Street, as it led to the Massey-Harris factory once located on King & Massey Street. Based on historical maps, 44 Massey Street was built sometime between the years 1903 - 1913. It is assumed that these houses were lived in by workers at the Massey Harris factory, and were built small and cheap for the purpose of density. This style of home is very common throughout the older parts of Toronto and is commonly referred to as a “worker cottage” which Toronto has a proud history of.

Many years later in 2016, 44 Massey was purchased by a rather handsome fellow who was provoked to do a modernization. This once simple dwelling underwent an extensive renovation to modernize a maturing structure and bring new life to its little spot within the ever expanding madness of Toronto. Approximately 50% of the original structure had been demolished and rebuilt, and an additional 40% of structure was added. This strategy greatly increased the usable space relative to the footprint of the property and maximized the extremely small lot.  The philosophical effort to this is important to emphasize; increasing density, minimizing land sprawl/carbon sequestration, and contributing to efficient land use.  

The Intent 

Modern homes present a technical challenge. Building homes simply and without design does not exist any longer. A modern home involves over 30 different and independent systems that all have to integrate well together. Moreover, in good design practices, these systems should not be seen or be bother to the occupants.  Over 30 systems that must be placed in tight spaces, many which are out of sight/mind, so we can enjoy our space to its highest beauty and fullest extent.  

Building green and high performance was the main intent of this project. However, building "green" not only involves energy efficiency, but we've also involved the real "green", which is live vegetative media. 44 Massey was a build, by a boutique green home builder, that heavily incorporated both elements of energy efficiency and biophilic design.

Moreover, building the custom elements, using reclaimed wood of the structure itself is the artistry that makes this house truly unique.

The 3rd Floor 

The original house had a sloped roof and was attached to a neighbouring house. The attic space that was within this roof 

Modern architectural features were added, such as replacing the existing traditional roof for a modern flat roof, allowing for a live vegetative roof and potential for rooftop patio space. The expansion of the foundation provides greater space and better daylighting design with skylights into the basement for natural lighting.  The house has an insulation and air sealing strategy that surpasses building codes and provides excellent energy efficiency and comfort for its inhabitants. The existing 100+ year old front brick facade was left in place to maintain the architectural aesthetic relative to the rest of Massey Street. Moreover, new exterior fiber cement siding for the rest of the house provides a modern aesthetic transition and provides excellent fire protection from adjacent buildings.

The Entry Door

The main entry door of the house is made of reclaimed 140 year old Western Canadian Pine reclaimed from the original roof rafters of this house. The door is a custom piece that is 9' high and is extremely prominent in its appearance and is a pleasure to operate. 

The original rafters of the roof were saved from the demolition of the old roof. They were painstakingly denailed and were sent to be milled. The characteristics of the reclaimed wood and the dimensions of the door required extra reinforcement. So a custom frame was fabricated and welded on site. The door needed to be recessed to accommodate the metal frame and the frame was inserted with a specialized adhesive to marry the wood to the metal. 

The finished on the door involved many coats of a 2k Polyol with UV stabilization to give it the depth and durability that's required. The door frame was custom milled on site and died to a beautiful black to match the aesthetic of the house. An automatic door bottom seals the bottom gap only when the door is closed, eliminating the need for a threshold and leaving a minimal transition from exterior to interior. 

This door is big and heavy, and is a pleasure to use and look at.

The Green Roof

The Green roof is a special feature of this house. Otherwise known as a Live Vegetative roof, this roof carried succulents and other hardy ground cover plants on top of the waterproof membrane. The primary benefit to the live vegetative roof is that it absorbs the Damaging UV rays from the sun. This in turn greatly protects the roof membrane and makes for a very durable and long lasting roof system. 

44 Massy was the 19th house in Toronto to be approved by the City of Toronto for a Green roof, based on the Eco-roof incentive program.

Rain water retention and sound dampening are secondary benefits to the green roof. Biodiversity and Bio-vivication are tertiary benefits.

Ultimately, when a structure is built on a piece of land, typical construction methods remove land's capacity to grow bio medium and otherwise maintain the lands ecosystem. Designing a build to replace the earth that the structure is built on absolves the ethical burden of building that structure. 44 Massey replaces every square foot of footprint of land it takes with a live vegetative roof.

The roof is a polyurethane membrane that is impervious to water. While its protected from UV rays by the green roof, it makes for a symbiotic relationship of materials, and has proven to be a durable and long lasting system.  

Further Highlights

There are further special features to highlight about this house.

Please inquire at the contact email at the footer to discuss further.