WHO Matthew Maaskant, photographer and musician; Ben Bootsma and Keith Stirling, musicians; all thirtysomething.

WHAT A 1,000-square-foot residential loft space with a built-in recording studio.

WHERE Lansdowne and Bloor.

FAVOURITE THING Maaskant offers a laundry list of perks: “For [playing] music, it's good because we have a hallway here and our walls are facing out, so we only have one neighbour. The skylights. It's the right size. The neighbourhood is nice – we're right in between Bloor and Lansdowne and Roncesvalles.... In the fall, it's beautiful, and in the winter, it's great.”

LEAST-FAVOURITE THING And sometimes we hate the things we love. “The skylights can get pretty hot,” says Maaskant, adding that they have an air conditioner in the closet but they haven't taken it out yet.

THE STORY Maaskant and his bandmates' abode is located in the still-unexploited Lansdowne-and-Bloor area. Coming up to his street, there's a stretch of huge warehouses that, five years from now, will probably be developed to the standard few-hundred-thousand-dollar lofts.

The space is really more of an artists' centre than a crash pad. There's Maaskant's photography adorning the white walls. The guys built a recording studio, called Draft Tattoo (www.drafttattoo.com), which they run and rent out to bands. “When the project is finished and it's done, it's like a tattoo. It's forever,” says Maaskant, explaining the philosophy behind his company's name. Draft Tattoo also offers promotional services normally provided by a label, including designing press kits and mailing out materials.

Because the sound echoes everywhere, headphones for the TV and computer in the living room help minimize background noise. On the left corner beside the office space is a guitar repair and refitting station. The trio's three-year-old reggae-influenced band, qr5, recorded their second album here, which Maaskant hopes to release in the fall.

This is a classic, pre-gentrification loft with 30-foot ceilings, three sets of skylights and a collection of cheap or found furniture. “Some of it came from friends and some we bought. People are always leaving stuff down at the dumpster upfront,” says Maaskant. “I think that's the nature of most commercial buildings.”