Last month on the Pro Roofers blog, we looked at roofs and general style on the east end of the city of Toronto, where we are based. We looked not only at roofs, but at design in general, as well as the overall mood of the neighbourhoods that make up the east. Today, we’re going to talk about another one of our favourite neighbourhoods: The Annex. Many consider The Annex to be the heart of Toronto, and it’s hard to argue otherwise. First of all, it’s central location surrounding Bloor and Bathurst makes it a solid candidate. Secondly, its funky vibe, overall friendliness and a large quantity of trees and Victorian gables on the houses all give it a specific Toronto energy that cannot be emulated.
As we have been your professional roofing company in Toronto for many years, we’ve worked in pretty much every neighbourhood you can imagine. It constantly amazes us that there are little unexplored nooks of the city that we always end up in. However, neighbourhoods like the Annex are old friends that we have become intimately familiar with.
One thing we’ve noticed about roofs in the Annex over the years is that they are often highly stylized and super colourful. One trick that we’ve noticed is that homeowners will often paint the bargeboard, soffit and fascia a vibrant colour like purple or orange to give their house a cool high-light. While we are primarily concerned with the functionality and lifespan of a roof, we also appreciate how a roof looks from an aesthetic point of view, and we think that painting the bargeboard an interesting colour is always a great way to add character to your home’s exterior.
Another characteristic look that is prevalent in The Annex is the bay and gable design that is also popular in the Cabbagetown neighbourhood. Often you will see houses that have been sectioned off in semi-detached units over the years, but have maintained a consistency of style throughout these changes. It’s nice to see the beauty of these structures keeping their consistency as the neighbourhood experiences change.
As with pretty much every neighbourhood in Toronto, you will also see a fair share of flat roofs. Flat roofs are practical and facilitate extra space in the home, so with many modern structures this is the clear design choice. Weatherproof membrane also typically lasts longer than asphalt shingles, so there are other reasons why flat roofs are slowly starting to edge out more traditional pitched roofs. At Pro Roofers, we specialize in flat roof repairs – whether or not you live in The Annex, if you need help fixing your roof in Toronto, give us a call.
Finally, we’ve noticed that The Annex is home to couple of houses with Spanish Colonial style roofing tiles. This is not often a style that we see in Canada, and it provides and interesting accent in a neighbourhood that is already very diverse in terms of design and architectural style. If you haven’t visited The Annex in a while, consider taking a walk next weekend, and if you need maintenance performed on your roof, contact us today to speak with one of our representatives.