Here at Professional Roofers, we couldn’t be happier to live in the town we live in: the amazing city of Toronto. While we are based in the west end, and serve the GTA at large, we are fond of crossing the Don River once in a while and exploring the chilled out east end neighbourhoods towards Leslieville and The Beaches.
If you’ve been following our roofing style guides, then you’ve caught a glimpse of architectural style – roofing and otherwise – all over the city! Today on the Professional Roofers blog, we’re going to take a look at the charming area of Riverside; a small neighbourhood just east of the river (as the name suggests) between Eastern and Gerrard.
Like many other neighbourhoods in Toronto, Riverside’s style resists any easy classification – it’s all over the place! Like many areas in the east near downtown, there are not too many freestanding, fully-detached houses. This close to downtown, real estate is dear and the slim, sexy Victorian row houses certainly make the most of little space.
Taking a walk down Dundas street, you will notice many Victorian facades, some of which have been reconstructed with rich wood and some of which look like they have literally been there since the Victorian era, with chipped paint and lots of wear. Down some of the side streets you can find fully detached houses, but they are modest, cottage-like houses, as opposed to the ornate mansions of Rosedale, which we profiled recently.
The different colours and styles of the homes in Riverside make it a joy to visit, and we always relish the opportunity of working on houses in the east. The area comprises quite a diverse mix of modern architecture and older “historical houses.” The historic Victorian style houses often have their original, detailed bargeboard – similar to houses in Cabbagetown – of the kind that is almost extinct. We will always let you know if we think your roof needs a total overhaul, but we also take a certain pleasure in preserving the handy work and vintage aura of quality 20th century craftsmanship.
Some of these older houses, however, have not been updated for a long time; to ensure your attic is ventilated properly, you may need to install an attic exhaust ventilator or a couple of rotary turbines to prevent mold in the summer and ice dams in the winter. Lack of ventilation creates huge problems, especially in old houses. If you are building a roof from scratch we always recommend installing ridge vents, and failing that, lots of smaller vents just to be certain.
If you want to check out an atypical Riverside street, try Boulton on for size. Some of the houses look like ancient English cottages, complete with shingled roofs, while some of the lots have been cleared and used as the foundation for super slick modern townhouses with nice, sturdy flat roofs.
We’re here to help, so give us a call whether you live in the west or the east, whether you have a modern flat roof or a historical Victorian pitched frame – we’ve seen it all and we are always pleased to offer assistance. There is no job too big or too small for our roofing contractors in Toronto. Take a stroll in the east and enjoy the eclectic style, and check back next month for more style guides!