Tags: capitaland / condo / D'Leedon / d10 / hpl / leasehold / orchard

d'Leedon (Review)

- April 21, 2011 54 Comments

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District:   10
Location:   Farrer Road/King’s Road/Leedon Heights
Developers:   CapitaLand/HPL
Tenure:   99-year Leasehold wef 8th April 2010
No. of Blocks:   7 Blocks of 36-storey each
No. of Units:   1715 residential units (including 12 villas) + 8 retail shops
Expected TOP:   2015

The wife and I first visited the sales gallery of d’Leedon about 3 weeks ago, and have since posted photos of the Garden House and 3-Bedroom showflat in our blog. However, we were dragging our feet abit in writing our thoughts on the project.

So to ensure that we still have our facts right, we decided to go down to the showflat again yesterday to refresh our memories.

d’Leedon warrants little introduction, as most of you would have heard of this iconic mega project designed by world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid.  It sits on a humongous site of more than 840,000sqft formerly occupied by Farrer Court. The project started previewing in Nov 2010 and only 2 out of the 7 blocks (i.e. Block 11 & 13) are released for sale at the moment.

d’Leedon offers a full range of 1- to 4-bedroom units and penthouses. In addition, there are also “Garden House” units (which consist of 3-levels: basement, ground and first) and twelve semi-detached “Garden Villas”.   

Facility-wise, d’Leedon is probably second to none. You will find everything you expect of a full-facility development (including 3 tennis courts and even a basketball court!) and more. Two of the offerings that particularly caught our eyes are:

• The 5 “Themed Gardens”
• Mini Race track – for all you remote-control car fanatics

Parking lots are all in the basement, with the standard ‘1 parking lot per household’ applies. This is with the exception of the Garden Houses and Villas, which come with 2 dedicated parking lots.

There are 2 entrances into d’Leedon – the main entrance is along Leedon Heights, while a second entrance is along King’s Road. A covered walkway that leads to a side gate will bring you to the Empress Road Market/Food Centre and the upcoming Farrer Road MRT station, both of which are located just outside the development.
 

For our review purpose, we will stick to the 4-bedroom showflat. This is a 1744sqft Type D1a unit.


It may be of interest to note that only 2 out of the 10 units of 4-bedders in each block are Type D1a, while the rest are of Type D1. And the main differences between the two unit types are:

• Type D1a is slightly bigger in size – 1744sqft versus 1615sqft for Type D1

• Type D1a has an open terrace next to the Junior Suite, which is missing from Type D1

• The walkway from the main door to the living/dining area for Type D1a is almost twice the length of Type D1 (to accommodate the open terrace). So you lose out more on the walkway space for the former.

All the 4-bedroom units are located between the 25th - 34th floors of both blocks.

As you enter the unit, the first thing you see is the kitchen. Unlike the 4-bedders in many other projects, you do not get a dry kitchen. The kitchen is a rectangular strip of space, which is spacious enough for two (or even three) people to work in, It comes furnished with “Bosch” hood/hob/oven and “Hansgrohe” faucets. All the kitchen cabinets/drawers are fitted with “anti-slam” mechanism.


The Yard area is located at the far end of the kitchen around the corner. This is a square-shaped area with barely enough space for doing your laundry/ironing. A large window provides good ventilation and natural lighting to this area. The developers have included an additional sink here, which is especially useful if you have stuff that needs to be hand-washed.

The yard also houses a bathroom and utility room. The utility room is quite small and narrow, with a pillar that sticks out on one side taking up quite a bit of space. So if you intend this to be the maid’s room, you will probably have to custom-fit the bed. But one thing we really like about the utility is that it actually comes with a window. This is unlike apartments with home shelter that is fully enclosed, which can be rather claustrophobic for the maid.

The living/dining area is L-shaped and seems quite small for a 1700+sqft unit. The developers have deliberately converted one of the adjoining common bedrooms into the dining room, which will at least gives you a decent-sized living and dining area. And as per CapitaLand/HPL ‘s other mega project – The Interlace – you only get homogenous-tile flooring in the living/dining area, which is rather disappointing for a project that has generated so much hype for its avant-garde design.  The balcony/planter area is quite small compared to current standard (less than 100sqft?). And from the floor-plans, it seems like the balcony/planter area for Type D1 is actually bigger than Type D1a.

The common bedrooms are small and the bay windows make it a double-whammy. This is probably why the developers have resorted to a “mini” Single-bed, which will allow for more space in the room but probably rather uncomfortable to sleep on. All the bedrooms come with timber-strip floors and your standard-size (read: small) wardrobe.

The common bathroom is spacious. You get homogenous tiles for the floors and walls, “Bravat” wash basin/toilet bowl and “Hansgrohe” bathroom fittings. A window within the shower stall (which is a standard feature for all the bathrooms in the unit) provides ventilation and natural lighting to the bathroom. But more importantly, it helps dissipate the stale smell that normally associates with fully-enclosed bathroom - a "flaw" (if you can call it that) we found in the 4-bedroom showflat at The Interlace.

The Junior Suite is located across from the other bedrooms, separated by the living/dining area. The room is good-sized, so you still get quite a fair bit of space after fitting a Queen bed inside.

 

The attached bathroom is again quite spacious and looked almost like a replica of the common bathroom.

The Master Bedroom is rather odd-shaped and with bay windows on 2 sides. However, it is surprisingly huge compared to many other recent projects that we have seen.

The Master Bathroom is again irregular shaped but spacious. You do not get a long-bath even for the 4-bedder, and thus have to make do with the huge standing shower-stall. We like the nice egg-shaped toilet bowl but disappointed with the tiled walls/floors.

Pricing wise, here is a sample of prices for the 4-bedroom units that we believe are still available:
• Block 11, #26-30 (1744sqft Type D1a, faces Bukit Timah) - $3,278,100 or $1,879psf
• Block 11, #27-30 (1615sqft Type D1, same facing) - $3,131,000 or $1,938psf
• Block 13, #26-47 (1744sqft Type D1a, faces Farrer/Holland Road) - $3,278,100 or $1,879psf
• Block 13, #27-47 (1615sqft Type D1, same facing) - $3,131,000 or $1,938psf

Some may say that it is not an "apple to apple" comparison, but units of around 1700 – 1800sqft at the neighboring Waterfall Gardens (completed in 2011) and Parvis (TOP in 2013) have been selling at $1,700+psf & $1,600+psf respectively. And both of these developments are freehold!

What we like:
• All seven blocks are well-spaced apart to offer unblocked view from the living room of your apartments. The actual “view” that you get will largely depend on how “high” your unit’s at, but at least you will not be staring into the unit of the guy living in the opposing block.

• More thoughts have gone into the apartment designs too – we like the spacious and functional kitchen and bathrooms, the smaller balcony (which translates into more interior living space), the windows in the bathrooms/yard that allows for ventilation and even windows for the utility room. If our memory serves us right, the common bathroom for the 4-bedder unit at The Interlace is fully enclosed, which may result in some rather interesting smell after awhile.

• Location – 15 minutes’ drive to CBD, 5-minutes’ to Orchard Road and even less to Holland Village. In addition, the Empress Road Market & Food Centre and upcoming Farrer Road MRT are right at your doorstep!

• Parents with primary school-heading children will be pleased to know that both Nanyang Primary (co-ed) and ACS (International) are within 1-km of d’Leedon. However, you probably still need to ballot for places at Nanyang and pay through your nose if you are thinking about ACS (International).

What we dislike:
• The living/dining area and the common bedrooms are too small for our liking. And if you do sacrifice one bedroom for the dining area, your unit effectively becomes a 3-bedder!

• For an “iconic” project such as d’Leedon and especially given the price, the wife and I are rather disappointed with the furnishing/fittings that are provided. What’s with the homogenous floor tiles in the living/dining area and less than impressive kitchen appliances?!

We recalled being similarly unimpressed with The Interlace - the other mega project by CapitaLand/HPL. Then again, the price at that time (Dec 2009) was $1,000psf not $1,900psf!

• The wife and I were told that blocks 11 and 13 have a total of 300+ apartments each. We can appreciate the reason why (else how to fit 1,700 units into 7 blocks?!) but 300 units is like the entire estate in many other developments! We wonder if anyone has considered the fire-hazard aspect of housing so many units within a single 36-storey block…

In summary, the wife and I have mixed-feeling about d’Leedon. There are certainly aspects of the project that we really like (the iconic design, the facilities, the location, MRT at your doorstep etc) but these are not compelling reasons enough for us to consider shelling $3+ million for a 1700+sqft apartment. This is especially when you take into account of the quality seen in the showflats, the 99-year leasehold status and having to cope with 1,700 other households living in the same (albeit huge) estate.

We believe the same amount of money will probably get us better buys at some of the other projects (freehold even) nearby. Maybe this is also the reason why only 50% of units in the 2 blocks are sold thus far, after the initial euphoria at the private preview…

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Tags: capitaland / city / condo / d4 / hpl / interlace / leasehold

THE INTERLACE (Showflat Review)

- April 5, 2010 42 Comments

The wife and I did mention in our first preview of THE INTERLACE (posted on 20th Dec 2009) that we will post an update on this project once the showflats are up. As promised, we decided to visit the "new" sales gallery yesterday.

As if to make up for lost time, the developers of THE INTERLACE (CapitaLand & HPL) have gone from zero showflat to a humongous two-storey temporary structure that houses 3 different types of showflat.

We will just concentrate on reviewing the showflats here, as we have already spoken quite extensively about this project in our previous post.

Type D1:  2465sqft, 4-Bedroom unit
The living/dining room is huge and rectangular in shape, and comes with 60cm X 60cm homogenous tiles and 2.85m ceiling height. You also get a large rectangular balcony/planter box area, which we reckon is about 200sqft and stretches across the whole length of the living/dining room as well as the 2 adjacent bedrooms. You can easily fit a long 8-seater dining table here, especially if you deck up the planter box. However, there is really little need to move the dining table out to the balcony given the huge living/dining space.

The kitchen is at the nearer end of the living/dining room as you enter the apartment. The wife was especially impressed with its size, as it is probably one of the largest kitchens we have seen so far. It comes with homogenous tiles floor and solid-surfaced worktop. However, the developers are rather stingy with the kitchen appliances especially with the price you are paying for the unit, as you only get “Bosch” hob/hood/oven. We were equally impressed with the generous yard area at the back of the kitchen - definitely sufficient space for laundry hanging and probably ironing too. The yard also houses a large utility room with a “built-in” toilet – perfect for your domestic helper.

The bedrooms are tucked towards the opposite end of the living/dining room across from the kitchen. The 2 common rooms are regular shaped but a tad small. You get a choice of either timber strip or laminate flooring - always opt for the later, the wife says.

The common bathroom comes with a standing shower stall (no rain shower here) and a solid-surface vanity top. However, the quality of the solid-surface material used left little to be desired, as there are very obvious scratch marks on the vanity top. This is despite the relatively short period of time since the showflat is up. You also get “Bravat” & “Hansgrohe” toilet/bathroom fittings.

The junior suite is longish rectangular shaped and again quite huge. You can easily fit a “Queen” or two “Single” beds inside and still have plenty of room to move about. The size extends to the attached bathroom, which has a standing shower stall (no rain shower, again) and the usual “Bravat/Hansgrohe” bathroom fittings.

The master bedroom is decent enough size and comes with ample wardrobe space. The master bathroom has a long bath and a separate standing shower stall, but without rain shower yet again. The same type of solid-surface vanity top and bathroom fittings apply. But what we really like about the master bedroom is the fact that instead of a solid wall that separates this from the adjacent common bedroom, you get a sliding door instead. So you have the option of keeping both rooms separate, or converting the adjacent common bedroom into a mega-size “walk-in wardrobe” or attached study.

Overall, the wife and I quite liked the layout of the Type D1 unit. However, our single biggest concern is the bathrooms, which are located in the middle of the apartment (Feng Shui taboo) and fully enclosed with no natural ventilation (aka windows). The apartment that we currently live in has a powder room that is similarly fully enclosed. Trust us when we tell you that the artificial ventilator will not do as good a job as windows. So be prepared for some rather “interesting” smell emitting from such bathroom. We have to keep our powder room ventilated constantly by keeping the door open, and investing majorly in scented sticks/candles.

Type B1(R):  3208sqft, 3-Bedroom unit
Before you go “wow” on the supposed gigantic size of this unit, Type C1(R) actually comes with a private terrace that we reckon is almost as big as the unit interior itself! For the private terrace in this showflat, you will see things like a private Jacuzzi, BBQ area with an adjacent sink, a long dining table and benches as well as lush landscaping. However, these are all “ideas” of how you can convert your terrace into, i.e. none of these items actually come with the unit. Having said that, the private terrace is an excellent idea if you happen to do a lot of private entertaining at home, and have the cash to do it up (and maintain it) nicely.

As you enter through your private foyer (i.e. the area just in front of your main door), the utility room (with built-in bathroom) and the yard is located on the left. The yard space for this unit is much smaller than the 4-bedder, so you probably need to hang your laundry out to dry at the private terrace, which you can access through a door on the right of the foyer and opposite to the utility room/yard area.

We liked the L-shape design of the living/dining room (which is very decent-sized), as it creates a distinct separation between the two areas. The living/dining room actually “wrap” around the square-shaped kitchen. The unit comes with similar type of furnishings and fittings as the 4-bedder.

One of the common bedrooms is longish in shape and a tad small, while the other common bedroom is of fairly good size. However, both rooms have rather small wardrobes. The common bathroom is of decent size, but again this is fully enclosed.

The master bedroom has a small “foyer” area with an L-shaped wardrobe. Again you find ample wardrobe space here as per the 4-bedder. The bedroom itself is rectangular-shape and very decent size. The master bathroom is again good sized and comes with both long bath and standing shower stall.

The wife and I especially liked the design of the living/dining room for the Type B1(R) unit, but find the private terrace a terrible waste of space that you need to pay for. We really do not see the need for private Jacuzzi/BBQ, since these facilities are already provided within the condo premise for common usage. The price for such exclusivity is simply too much for us to bear!

Type C1:  2056sqft, 3-Bedroom unit
Instead of the huge private terrace you get with Type C1(R), the Type C1 unit comes with a large balcony (we reckon about 300sqft or thereabouts). The layout of the unit is quite similar to Type C1(R), except that this unit actually has an extra powder room. The other difference is that there are several round pillars located within the unit, e.g. at the bay window area in the living/dining room and between the two common rooms, which is absent from the other two showflats.

Of the 3 showflats, the wife and I both liked Type C1 the best, as the unit is of good enough size and has a nice layout. We also like the fact that it comes with a separate powder room for guests.

Pricing wise, there was quite a bit of confusion on which unit is available at what block, given the complex design and layout of the blocks at THE INTERLACE. So we have only managed to get the prices of two Type C1 units for your reference:

• Block 208/206 (#06-54) – 2056sqft at $2,129,200 or $1036psf
• Block 196/194 (#03-26) – 2056sqft at $2,053,500, or $999psf

The reason for the lower psf price for the second unit, other than the fact that it is on a lower floor, is because the unit faces the intersection between the AYE and Alexandra Road.

The TYPE C1 units with the best facing are actually found in Block 214 (stack #66) – these units have a slightly different living/dining room design and face the greenery opposite Depot Road. You can probably see Hort Park and part of the Southern Ridge as well. However, all the Type C1 units in this Block are fully sold.
Site Map

Block 208/206

Floor Plan: #06-54

Block 196/194

Floor Plan: #03-26


The wife and I also recommend the Type C1 over the Type C2 units, as the former do not have odd-shaped bedrooms (see below).


If the above prices are representative of the current pricing for units at THE INTERLACE, there has not been substantial change in the psf price for this project since our last review in December 2009. Maybe this is an indication of the “price resistance level” that THE INTERLACE may be experiencing.

After viewing the showflats, the wife and I are still somewhat disappointed with the quality of furnishing you get at THE INTERLACE versus what you are paying for. But most of all, we remain concerned about the fully enclosed bathrooms, which we maintained is a terrible idea especially in a tropical country like ours.

Tags: capitaland / city / condo / d4 / hpl / interlace / leasehold

THE INTERLACE (1st Preview)

- December 20, 2009 No Comments

District: 4
Location: Alexandria/Depot Road
Developer: CapitaLand & HPL
Tenure: 99-years Leasehold (from February 2009)

The wife and I braved the afternoon drizzle yesterday to visit the sales gallery of THE INTERLACE, located at the former Gillman Heights site.

THE INTERLACE, scheduled for TOP by March 2015, is a 1,040-unit development built on 870,000 sq ft of elevated land. It comprises 31 apartment blocks, stacked in a hexagonal arrangement to form eight large-scale courtyards. The interlocking blocks resemble a “vertical village” with cascading sky gardens and both private and public roof terraces. Each apartment block (or “Superlevel”) is 6-storey high, so the highest units are either on the 18th or 24th storey, depending on the stack. This unique design is the brainchild of Ole Scheeren from the Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), who also designed the China Central Television Station (CCTV) headquarters in Beijing and the Prada Epicenters in NYC and L.A.

One cannot argue about the central location of THE INTERLACE. It is just a 5-minutes drive to Vivocity & Sentosa (think I.R.), 10-minutes drive to the CBD and 15-minutes to Orchard Road. The development is accessible via the AYE and West Coast Highway, while the uncompleted Labrador Park MRT station is about a 10-minutes walk away. We were told that there will also be a feeder bus service to Vivocity, which provide an added dimension of convenience.

There are many different sized units and layouts that are available at THE INTERLACE. But in summary, the project consists of the following types of units (size inclusive of PES)

2-Bedroom: 807 – 1,604 sq ft
3-Bedroom: 1,259 – 3,789 sq ft
3 + Study: 1,593 – 5,253 sq ft
4-Bedroom: 1,983 – 5,694 sq ft
Penthouse: 3,154 – 6,308 sq ft
3 or 4-Bedroom Townhouse: 2,874 – 3,886 sq ft

In addition, there are also some retail shop units for sale within the development itself. A total of 1,132 underground carpark (inclusive of 10 handicap) lots are available, and owners of the Townhouse units will get 2 carpark lots each.

THE INTERLACE was soft launched in Sep 2009, with 233 out of the 360 units sold within the first week. The project was then opened for public booking in Oct 2009, and the sales gallery was subsequently moved from the previous location at River Valley to the current site last weekend. We understand from the marketing agent that less than 70% of the units were sold so far, which implies that sales have been sluggish after the soft launch euphoria.

True to our previous post on this project, there is no showflat available for viewing – what you get is a large model of the development showing the block layouts and the facilities available, as well as model of the 3, 4 and 4-MG (Multi Generation, which is basically a 3-bedroom + studio unit) apartments. You also get to see the type of building materials that will be used for the apartment flooring, walls and wardrobes, but you have to imagine how all these will fit together for the final look. We were told that there will eventually be showflats available sometime during 2Q 2010. The developers felt that THE INTERLACE will sell by their names alone, given that both CapitaLand and HPL are “reputed” for quality high end projects like Four Seasons Park, Nassim Jade etc. As such, there is no real need for showflats. But being the conventionalist, we both feel that a showflat is still the best way for potential buyers to visualize how his apartment will/can look like. And going by how “fast” units are flying off the shelves, we may not be the only ones that feel that way.

The units for the first phase are mainly in the blocks facing the AYE (Blocks 194, 196, 202, 204), and the penthouses (Block 220, 222). We were told that there is a 40m ingress between Blocks 194 and 196 from the AYE, and a 60m ingress for Blocks 202 and 204. So these should provide owners with some insulation from the traffic noise. The 18 penthouses launched are located on the fourth “Superlevel” (i.e. between the 19th and 24th floors), and are a mix of single level units and duplexes. This provides a whole new meaning to our understanding of “Penthouse”, which is a unit on the highest level of any apartment block. Then again, when you have developers hawking “baby penthouses” of less than 1,300 sq ft, anything is possible these days.

In terms of facilities, these are centered on the 8 Courtyards within the development:

• Theatre Plaza – where the clubhouse, gym, theaterette, billards/karaoke/function rooms are.
• Water Park – where the 50m lap and different “themed” swimming pools are.
• Play Hills – outdoor exercise and play area.
• Spa Valley – spa & massage pools, Jacuzzi and steam rooms.
• Theatre Plaza – outdoor extension to the clubhouse’s theaterette, for performance or outdoor movie screenings etc.
• Bamboo Garden – supposedly where a bamboo forest and rock gardens reside.
• Lotus Pond – supposedly 40m across.. more like a lake!
• Waterfall Terrace – where the 3 tennis courts, multi-purpose court, another large swimming pool and party pavilions are found.

The developer has created two viewing galleries on the 18th floor of an existing block to showcase the type of view you will get with some of the “good facing” units. We must say that the view offered by the South-facing units (assuming unblocked) is quite impressive – you get both the sea view beyond Labrador Park and greenery view around Hort Park/Southern Ridges. However, you have to be on the 13th floor or above to enjoy this view, else you be blocked by the tree lines. And before you go rushing down to the sales gallery with that cheque book, the units with this facing are not launched for sale yet! The North-facing units will get the City/Flyer view, which will come in handy for watching the fireworks display during National Day etc. However, you will also be facing the AYE and some of the industrial building/factory rooftops along Lower Delta, which may not be all that appealing.

What we like:
• The location – proximity to CBD, Orchard, One North, Fusion & Biopolis. Investors can expect good rental potential.

• The 4-MG unit layout looks interesting – this is one of the few projects that offer such a layout. The fully contained studio unit within the apartment, with its own kitchen and living/dining area, is ideal for people living with extended family (in-laws, grandparents) or have frequent visitors that stay over.

What we dislike:
• The living room has homogenous tiles flooring – this is somewhat disappointing for a project from two “high end quality” developers.

• We may be wrong, but we suspect some of the lower floor, inward facing units will suffer from insufficient natural lighting. So be prepared to switch on the lights even during daytime.

• The layout of the blocks and units, while unique, do come across as “confusing”, so good luck to first time visitors trying to locate your unit. You may also have problem finding your apartment after a few drinks.

• The wife has noticed that the bathrooms/toilets of most units are located in the centre of the apartment (extremely bad Feng Shui!) and without natural ventilations (windows). Experience has taught us that the artificial ventilators cannot expel odors as efficiently in a fully wall-enclosed toilet, so you are likely to get some “interesting smell” coming out from that toilet after awhile.

• We cannot locate any primary school within 1-km of THE INTERLACE.

• And finally, the price. THE INTERLACE is currently selling at between $850 to $1,150 psf. So you can expect to pay an average price of about $1,000 psf for a typical unit. We feel that this is somewhat at the higher end for current 99-years projects. This is especially when you have to put your money down mostly by faith, given the atypical design (which can either turned out to be superb or an absolute disaster) and lack of visual representation on what you will actually get.

In summary, we feel that the judgment is still out on THE INTERLACE. We will probably be able to form a better opinion about this project once the showflats are up and the prices for the “better facing” units are available. Thus, expect another update on this development in a couple of months’ time.

And if you are still keen to visit the sales gallery meantime, do remember to bring along an umbrella in case it rains – the sales gallery (at the former clubhouse of Gillman Heights) is situated quite a distance from the carpark area, with no sheltered walkway in between.

Tags: announcements / capitaland / hpl / interlace

INTERLACE has moved!

- December 10, 2009 No Comments

But do not panic just yet... I can almost see those who have already bought units at this project foaming at the mouth... what I meant is the Sales Gallery for THE INTERLACE has moved.

I was driving past the original Sales Gallery (right next to River Valley/Kim Seng Road junction) this morning and decided to pop in for a quick visit. However, the place looked kind of dark and empty even for a weekday mid-morning. The "Jaga" has allowed me into the carpark thinking that I am a Capitaland staff (quite funny!).

It turns out that the Sales Gallery will be moving to the actual site at Gillman Heights from this Saturday (Dec 12th) onwards. However, there will still be no showflat - for the uninitiated the original Sales Gallery was literally... you guessed it... just a sales gallery. You get to see a site model of the project, floor plans of the different types of unit available, and the materials used for the flooring/walls/wardrobes etc etc. I do not know about you, but being the visual person that I am, it is rather difficult for me to visualize how the unit will look like with just the tiles/parquets/ laminates (hanging on the wall) staring at my face.

The Capitaland person I spoke to over the phone told me that about 60% of the 360 units launched in the first phase have already been sold. But given that THE INTERLACE consists of 1,040 units in total, there are still plenty to go around.

If time permits, the wife and I will head down to the NEW Sales Gallery this Saturday to take a look see. So stay tuned!