What makes a home tour endearing to watch for you? The deciding factor for me is often one picture, I would have got a fleeting glance of, on some medium. And, more often than not, I will delightfully discover this picture was just the tip of the iceberg as more goodness lies buried underneath in layers all over the house. It’s the little details that sets apart a thoughtfully conceived one from one put together hastily. You will pleasantly unearth many such details in this renovated apartment designed by Studio M Design. About the home: Type: 3 BHK apartment for a family of six. Location: Surat, Gujarat Construction: Renovated Design Aesthetic: Scandinavian Designer: Studio-M Design led by Moiz Faizulla Imagine being greeted to a home with its front door painted Indigo. Bold and beautiful? You bet. And now, imagine the bright color continuing into the foyer. This home pulls off…
I’m starting the house hunt series with apartments in East Bangalore, primarily around the Whitefield, Hoodi, and Old Madras area. Let’s start with Casagrand Royce, a 277-apartment spread over 6 towers coming up off Hoodi. Name of the property: Casagrand Royce Builder: Casagrand Location: Off Hoodi Junction. Precisely, on Kodigehalli Main Road, KR Puram, Bangalore. Though the address comes under KR Puram, it is closer to Hoodi Junction. Total area: 4.05 acres Type of units: 1,2,3 and 4 BHK apartment in many variants. Each of these have an option with a private terrace. Total number of units: 277 Status: under construction Likely handover date: starting October 2018 Pricing (approx. all inclusive including GST + registration): You will have to inquire for the actual pricing for specific units. No. of floors: G+4 Parking: 2 level Basement parking Plan analysis of the model apartment: I visited the property yesterday. I liked the layout…
“Give me the blues to drive away the blues”. Said who? Me, of course. Blue for me symbolizes positivity. And, here’s a home that celebrates this exuberant color in its various hues, tints, and shades; add a Moroccan touch to it and you can assured of a stunner. This 2-bedroom, 1000 sq.ft Mumbai apartment with three balconies belongs to the Magos, and has been designed by Livspace. The apartment elevates blue to another level incorporating it everywhere from furnishings and wall color to furniture and artwork. Key takeaways from this project: Make space when there is no space: space need not be a deterrent for storage. Think inside the box to create multi-functional pieces such as built ins, a sofa that can double up as a bed for guests, a coffee table with storage. Single color rules: Stick to a single color. The apartment plays with various shades of blue…
In this concluding part on the Apartment Hunt series, let’s take a look at some new completed and just-launched properties from a two-tier builders.
Renaissance Rainbow – Brookefields
Renaissance Rainbow is located opposite to the Gopalan property and adjacent to Knightsbridge apartments on the Brookefields main road. Renaissance builders have to their credit completed a dozen residential projects in Bangalore since 1998. Rainbow has a good floor plan. The attraction of the 3 BHK apartment I saw was its huge french window, a spacious balcony, and full-length windows in the master and kids bedroom that overlook the Knightsbridge property. The huge windows bring in a lot of light and air into the apartment resulting in a overall good feeling. With a thoughtfully placed utility accessible from the kitchen, it’s reasonably priced at Rs. 55 L.
The only downside was the amenities are far from done and there is little space for kids to play around as the car park is at ground level. The land comprising the entrance to the property is not owned by the builder. He seems to have an agreement with the other owner for the only access to Rainbow. People have already moved in but there are a few apartments (the landowners share) that are up for sale.
Renaissance Jagriti – Varthur/Old Airport/Whitefield
Jagriti was executed in two phases by Renaissance. Though the website says the apartment was completed in 2009, work is still going on. As I remember, the common amenities were not yet done. Phase 1 has a good occupancy level. I happened to look at a penthouse in phase I with interiors done but never lived in. It was tough to get a sense of how you would live in the duplex house. It appeared as if the architect was playing a jigsaw puzzle trying to fit in the rooms, kitchen, and living area together in the best possible way. A huge open terrace and a master bedroom the size of half a football field just added to the drama.
I came back impressed only with the skylight in the bathroom and above the stairs leading up to the first floor level. In Rs.77 Lakhs for a 2000+ sq. ft space, it’s worth a miss.This apartment, in fact, is a good example of how not to get swayed by model apartments.
DSR Elite – off Outer Ring Road
Weekend is here. Yay! What are your plans? We have a few site visits lined up for Sunday.
Since March, we’ve clocked hundreds of miles, numerous nights on the laptop browsing through craigslist, Saturday mornings on the phone with brokers/builders and several hours on the road in our search to find the perfect apartment. A second home. As with any home buyer, three criterion have always stayed on top of the list: location, price, and plan, in no particular order. And, if we have rejected a project, it’s primarily because we couldn’t compromise on one of these. Our hunt has taken us as far as Anekal in South-east to Dodaballapur in North-west.
This series on Apartment Hunting is a slight deviation from the concept of this blog, which is interiors and dressing up one’s apartment or house. But, you know what, the marketing managers of every project we’ve visited till date have been super busy. With an overwhelming number of prospective buyers crowding the market, I believe there is a renewed interest in investing in a property. So, I feel, you as my readers, may benefit if you are planning to buy an apartment. I will list out all the new/resale apartments in this three part series that we’ve seen in no particular order.
A caveat before I dig deeper: I’m not a broker, not associated with any builder, and neither do I get any commission for this free advertising. If you have any queries regarding a project, please contact the builder/broker.
All the apartments are located in Bangalore East between Marathahalli and Whitefield. They are 3-BHKs priced between 55 Lakhs and 80 Lakhs. Come, join me on this virtual apartment hunt!
Let’s begin with Esperenza by UKN.
All the apartments have been sold by the builder. However, there are a few which are not yet registered and are available as is (without any interiors or wood work done). The downside is there is little scope for structural modifications now. The row house project is currently going on.
We did not see the model apartment, so it was easy to judge. Model apartments make the decision tough as the interiors hide the otherwise obvious flaw in a plan. It’s difficult to visualise your stuff in a done-up apartment. When you’ve purchased one, it’s a different story, as model apartments can give you ideas.