Darlington Arms Condominiums Photo Gallery:
Eight storeys tall, clad in decorative brick, and well maintained, our building stands out as one of the most attractive in the neighbourhood. One-bedroom suites are at the front and the sides, while the two-bedroom suites are the farther side balconies, and those suites wrap around the back of the building. Those upper suites are larger two-storey, two-bedroom suites.
Gardens are maintained by a building volunteer, Joyce, whose work we all appreciate. Lawn cutting and snow removal/sanding are contracted out.
Pride of ownership shows on many balconies, such as Jack’s (lower) and Joyce’s (upper). We do not allow balcony storage of any kind, nor satellite dishes or real estate signs, maintaining the building’s tidy looks.
A ramp leads down to titled indoor (unheated) parking, which lies below the surface assigned parking for the balance of suites. A high-security magnetic key activates the door. Yes, the ramp is looking a little tired, but as long as it serves its purpose wed rather not spend the money needed to replace it.
Isn’t this a great-looking lobby? Ceramic tiles gleam and lots of light comes in. We’ve just had it repainted, and the new bookshelf quickly filled up (borrow one, contribute two). There are two bicycle storage rooms off the lobby’s east and west sides. Our mail room is adjacent to the elevator, and has a bulletin board for in-house postings.
The lobby from a different angle.
Two new heating boilers were installed in August of 2003. This twin arrangement replaced a single massive cast-iron boiler, and allows us to run one smaller boiler during the summer, saving on natural gas, but still able to provide heat when the temperature dips. As well, of course, it provides a back up, should one boiler ever need mid-winter maintenance.
The domestic hot water heaters are new, as well, in 2002 and 2004. These put out a large volume of water, so theres enough for all at peak times. Still, we encourage owners to conserve hot water, as natural gas is our largest single budget expense. The Board recommends installation of low-flow shower heads and a pause valve, so that we don’t dump hot water down our shower drains unused.