Vanda Rd semi-detached for sale by couple ‘addicted to fresh starts’ for $13.8 million

Mrs and husband the couple Mr. and Mrs. Tan doctors in their particular fields, visited 75 houses over the course of three months while looking for a house in 2021. “It was the height of the madness surrounding house purchasing in 2021,” Mrs. Tan. “We were repeatedly smacked and were getting close to getting to the bottom of our rope and decided that we should take a look at off-plan homes as we could not find a property we wanted that was built.”

SORA Condominium, formerly known as Park View Mansion, is a 99-year leasehold development located on Yuan Ching Road.

A lot of the homes they visited were outdated and needed to be renovated. “This was in 2021 and during the time of pandemics I would not want to buy an unfinished house that required much renovation,” says Mrs Tan. The first thing they discovered following the 75th home was two semi-detached homes located at 51A as well 51A Vanda Road that were still being constructed.

The roof and structure were completed The structure and roof were up, and the developer had set a goal to finish and obtain a temporary occupation permits (TOP) in the homes by March 2022.

Due to Covid the construction process was slow and hindered because of delays to the supply of some components. TOP was not even completed until nine months later on Dec 5 2022. “We thought we were waiting for a long time to get our house to be ready,” adds Mrs. Tan. “We have finally moved in one week prior to Christmas.”

The site was previously an unattached house that was situated on an undeveloped freehold site with 7,246 square feet and was sold at $10.5 million ($1,449 per square foot) in 2017.

The buyer then rented the property for two years, until the end of 2019. In the beginning of 2020, approval was received to develop the property to create two semi-detached homes 51A as well 51A Vanda Road. Pau Loh the director from Tellus Design, was engaged to create the new pair of semi-detached homes.

“Streamlined modern architecture”
Due to Covid work at the site were put off by one year. But Tellus’s style was not changed in that Loh was inspired by “the modern and sleek design” from Tiong Bahru, in which the low-rise blocks of public housing constructed from the 1930s to 1950s under the Singapore Improvement Trust — the forerunner of HDB was gazetted to be conserved in 2003. “It’s an elegant Art Deco style, and it’s perfect for to our climate that is tropical,” he says.

Loh created his own interpretation by creating a wider eaves with a higher overhang and more recessed recesses to provide an airy and cool interiors. “We wanted to break free from the modern rectilinear homes that dominate contemporary design of houses,” he adds.

The home located at 51 Vanda Road appears more spacious due to its horizontal elements that are incorporated according to Loh including the recessed walls as well as the wraparound balcony that has a large overhang on the third floor.

Tellus has also created a variety of homes across Singapore. The works of Loh located in Bukit Timah enclave. Bukit Timah enclave consist of two semi-detached homes located at 16, Greenview Crescent; an ongoing house on 23 Maple Avenue; and a Redevelopment property located at 50 53 and 50 Jalan Ampang, off Coronation Road West.

Construction at 51 and 51A Vanda Road started in 2021 when a neighbor approached the developer to purchase one of the detached homes. The semi-detached home located at 51A Vanda Road sits on a freehold site that covers 3,504 square feet and was bought at $10.9 million ($3,111 per square foot) during the month of September, 2021 in accordance with a caveat filed with URA. Mr Tan and Mrs Tan purchased their house in 51 Vanda Road, which sits on a slightly bigger site of 3,667 sq feet at $11.18 million ($3,049 per square foot) in the month of November 2021. in accordance with the caveat filed in the previous year.

Home with high-specs
The house is equipped with top-quality specifications including marble flooring in the dining and living spaces and a lift for the home that can be used on every floor, as well as fully travertine marble bathrooms fitted with the most luxurious fixtures for bathrooms and sanitaryware. The kitchen is equipped with a assortment of luxurious Gaggenau appliances such as a dishwasher, and Blum kitchen cabinets.

If you had to choose between an open or closed kitchen Mrs Tan chose “the most efficient of both” customized glass panels that fold inwards or closed.

A custom wine cellar was also constructed for Mr. Tan and his family, with interior design company Kuhlmann International working closely with Celsius Equipment, a specialist manufacturer and designer of wine cellars. The wine cellar can accommodate more than 1,000 bottles.

The wine cellar having claimed the space originally used for the room used by the helper The room was then moved into the backyard. A brand new kitchen with a wet area was also constructed in the backyard.

The house is equipped with solar panels that are mounted on the roof which help reduce the power bill.

The property features a car port and driveway that is able to accommodate 4 cars. It also has a garden as well as a 16m lap pool. The semi-detached home with three floors has an area built up of 9,000 square feet and five bedrooms that are en-suite.

The master bedroom as well as two bedrooms are located on the second floor, and the remaining two bedrooms on the third floor. The couple collaborated closely with Kuhlmann for the layout of their walk-in closet located in the bedroom of their master, as well as the built-in wardrobe in the bedrooms of their sons as well as the interiors of the house.

Mrs Tan’s favorite place is the living room, which lies on the second floor in which she can sit and play Netflix and monitor her two sons regularly to ensure that they’re working within their bedroom. “We have seen a variety of houses, but only a handful contain a family space with minimum three bedrooms that are on the same level,” she adds.

The third floor is transformed into a family entertainment space featuring a pool room as well as foosball room, where her boys can entertain their guests. Two bedrooms on the 3rd level are guest rooms. However, one is used as a home office for Mr. Tan.

Alongside air conditioning, Haiku ceiling fans have been fitted in all bedrooms and in the principal areas of the house. The house is fitted with 3.2m ceilings, and is north-south facing, which provides a pleasant breeze most days. “The property is shielded from sun due to the neighboring house and the pool gets shaded” says Mrs. Tan.

Mr. Tan says they spent around $500,000 for the interiors as well as in furnishing the house.

The hunt is on again
The couple is looking for a bigger house that is detached this time. “We are always looking for new start,” says Mr Tan. “We have been in Canada as well as the UK and have made a number of house changes. We’ve moved three times in the UK. After returning to Singapore it is now our third home.”

It’s the creative process couples thrive on. “We love creating our own designs, but currently, we’re looking to explore other options,” he adds. “We decided to put our house up for sale If we can obtain the best price, we’ll be content to find another option.”

This time they are looking for an older property that they are able to begin additions and changes. Or, Tan adds, it could be a piece land “where you be given the freedom” to design the home.

Mrs. Tan is in agreement. “It’s an enjoyable pastime,” she says. “We took a lot of control during the design process for this house, and we chose the final touches ourselves. We also enjoy wine, art and other things that have functional and aesthetic elements.”

The couple has viewed the majority of the houses that are on the market. “We haven’t been in the similar tizzy as previously,” says Mrs Tan. “If there’s an opening for a house we’ll go to take a look. However, there is a limited inventory which means there’s fewer prospective buyers. We’re just watching the market and observing the prices.”

Alvin Choo, associate district director of Affluent and investment sales at PropNex is in charge of this sale for the half-detached property located at 51 Vanda Road, which will be sold through a private contract. The price for the house will be $13.8 million ($3,763 per sq. ft.).

The property is located on Vanda Road is in a peaceful private housing estate that is located situated off Dunearn Road in prime District 11. The top schools within the area comprise Nanyang Girls’ High, National Junior College, Raffles Girls’ Primary and Hwa Chong Institution. Choo observes that Vanda Road area has wider roads and a majority of detached and semi-detached homes. It is also bordered with the Eng Neo and Raffles Park Good Class Bungalow areas. “The residential area is not as dense and, consequently, less exclusive” He says.

Costs of building a new home as compared to old
According to Choo who explains the large surface area that is built up of 9000 square feet The semi-detached home located on Vanda Road can easily fit an entire family of three generations. “It’s practically brand-new with a top-quality interior design and a wine cellar and it’s in move-in-ready condition,” he says.

Based on caveats filed on the property, two semi-detached houses that were that were sold in the last twelve months were situated at 6A Vanda Drive on a 3,542 square feet site that sold for $12 million ($3,388 per square foot) on September 20, 2022 as well as 6B Vanda Drive that also went for $12 million, or $3,375 per square foot in January due to its slightly bigger size of 3,555 sq feet. Both houses were built in the spring of this year. The two semi-detached homes at Vanda Drive have smaller built-up spaces of 7000 sq feet, Choo points out.

In the opposite direction of to 51 Vanda Road is 56 Vanda Road that is an older semi-detached property that was sold to a buyer for $8.8 million ($2,230 per square foot) on March 20, 2022. The property is located within a freehold site with 3,946 psf. The home was constructed in 1977, it’s likely to be demolished and rebuilt.

Choo believes that land prices for Vanda Road are likely to be in the range of $2,200-$2,500. Vanda Road neighbourhood are likely to be between $2,200 and $2,500 per square foot today, based on the form and size of the property, the elevation as well as the location, among other aspects.

Tellus’s Loh estimates it would cost between $2.5 million to to build the new semi-detached residence that will have identical specifications, and area similar to the property on 51 Vanda Road today.

As opposed to Mr. and Mrs. Tan There aren’t many homeowners are enthused by the thought of developing an property according to PropNex’s Choo. The majority would rather have something brand new. In the past the area has seen a rise in “emerging professional success” in the region -it is “partly because of the excellent schools as well as the facilities and the prime location” He says.