Flats, walk-ups, brownstones. Whatever they are called, family-sized apartments are common in cities around the world.

A scarce, but increasingly sought-after housing option in Toronto, they are the specialty product of one local developer, who has, in retrospect, found an obvious solution to that gap in the market.

The company, called Circa, is creating family-sized condos by breathing fresh life into the understated, two-storey walk-up apartments near Bathurst St. and Eglinton Ave. Referred to as a double detached duplex, the buildings were built primarily from the mid-1930s to the 1950s.

“In mature cities — Barcelona, Paris, Manhattan — it’s very common for people to own a flat and to treat their home like they have some responsibility over the entire building,” said Evan Johnsen, who co-founded the company with Neil Spiegel.

The boxy low-rises are the foundation for a substantially larger alternative to many of Toronto’s ubiquitous glass and concrete boxes. They are also considerably more affordable than the $4-million homes that back on to two Circa projects on Bathurst St.

The Circa condos offer a sense of neighbourhood within an easy walk of the under-construction Eglinton Crosstown LRT. The line is expected to transform the neighbourhood, providing long-awaited, midtown transit access and a new mix of local shops and services.

Johnsen says there is a pent-up demand for what Circa offers: generous two- and three-bedroom, modern condos in former low-rise rentals that already fit with the neighbourhood.

“The ability for the average family to buy a home on a street like this or even in this neighbourhood is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve,” he said.

“People are willing to pay for something wonderful in this community but the product just doesn’t exist.”

The rentals are frequently deteriorating under absentee owners, said Johnsen. The problem is that there is no viable case for making these buildings better. Even if the owner renovates, the rental income doesn’t appreciate to match the improvements, he said.

All Circa’s light-filled units have at least two bedrooms and bathrooms and an ample terrace — the goal is to accommodate four seats and a barbecue. Each condo also features in-floor heating, which helps with soundproofing.

“The concept is in line with a custom home in condo format,” said Johnsen.

The finishes and fixtures — tiles, knobs, counters, cabinetry and solid core wood doors — are in many cases the same materials Johnsen used in his own home renovation.

“The beauty of really good materials is more how they fail as opposed to how they look when they’re brand new. If you get some mass-produced vinyl, sawdust kitchen cabinets, it’s going to look really beautiful initially because it does fool the eye. But as that thing either fades with the sun or peels a little bit or you chip it, all of a sudden it looks really bad and you can’t fix it,” he said.

“If you have 150-year-old trim in your house it still looks great even though it may been removed and nailed back on three times over the years. Even as it fails it maintains some grace,” said Johnsen.

Circa’s first two buildings were similar small rental conversions in the High Park and Lytton Park neighbourhoods.

But the latter three are clustered at Bathurst St.

When Circa bought 1733 Bathurst St. in 2014, it was decaying to the point that there was nothing between the bathroom tile in one unit and the great outdoors.

The condos, which were occupied late last year, sold for $649,000 to $749,000.

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At 1657 Bathurst St., the ugly yellow brick of Circa’s most recent project has been erased by a crisp coat of white and, a single-storey addition has replaced the peaked roof. Six of the eight units, which range from 850 to 1,200 square feet have three bedrooms. Still in the drywall stage, it sold out, with prices from $490,000 to $865,000.

Circa’s next project at 3 Markdale Ave., just off Bathurst, still sits in its original condition until it passes the city approvals phase. But Johnsen expects it will only be about two years before the new owners are moving into a six-unit boutique condo with suites between 1,000 and 2,400 sq. ft. They will be priced from the upper $700,000s. The plan calls for two two-storey, three-bedroom penthouses.

Timelines don’t worry him. Johnsen says that 1657 Bathurst is already ahead of schedule. He puts that down to Circa’s commitment to building the biggest small projects in the city. Each building benefits from the last.

“This is our business model and we like it,” he said.

Simplicity is at the core of what has become a formula.

Only 1657 Bathurst has an elevator. It’s a feature that Johnsen says Circa will avoid in the future because of the complexity it adds to the project.

Circa buildings also come without some features buyers say they want but, in reality, seldom use, including covered parking and lobbies. Obviously, there’s no room for swimming pools, concierges or golf simulators.

Maintenance fees work out to about 28 cents per sq. ft., including the heat and water, about half that of a typical highrise.

“It’s a very simple building to take care of, because it’s effectively just a big house,” said Johnsen.

The garden suites — Johnsen doesn’t like to use “basement” — sell first, probably because they are a little less expensive. Even with the biggest window covered in plywood, the unit is flooded with light. It has 8-foot, 6-inch ceilings and the lower condos open onto surprisingly private sunken patios that replace the postage stamp lawns on the old rentals.

Circa has what he calls a “pseudo sales centre” a kiosk inside a realtor’s office that shows buyers the tiles, door knobs and other finish samples used in the buildings.

What we’re learning, said Johnsen, is that “every single one of our units thus far is owner occupied.”