RESIDENCE BOTANIQUE (Review)

District: 19
Location: Yio Chu Kang/Serangoon
Address: 30 & 32 Yio Chu Kang Road
Developer: Frasers Centrepoint Homes
Tenure: Freehold

The wife and I were attracted by the full page advertisement for RESIDENCE BOTANIQUE that was running in the papers for the past 2 weeks. So we decided to go check the project out.



RESIDENCE BOTANIQUE is an 81-unit low-rise condo project consisting of 2 Blocks of 5-storey each. This freehold projects sits on an odd-shaped plot of land of about 57,400sqft, and current expected TOP is Dec 2012 or latest by 1Q 2013.

The actual site/sales gallery is located along Yio Chu Kang Road, right across from Serangoon Stadium. However, you really need to make an effort to find the small sales gallery, as it has a small frontage and also overshadowed by all the construction work that is being carried out at Wembley Residences next door.

Despite this being a small project, there are quite a number of different unit types and sizes available at RESIDENCE BOTANIQUE:

• Studio + Study (8 units): 495-517sqft
• 2-Bedroom (8 units): 850 – 893sqft
• 2-Bedroom + Study (16 units): 861 – 969sqft
• 3-Bedroom (30 units): 1152 – 1184sqft
• 3-Bedroom + Study or Utility (6 units): 1233sqft
• 2-Bedroom Duplex (10 units): 969 – 1055sqft
• 3-Bedroom Duplex (1 unit): 1647sqft
• 4-Bedroom Duplex (2 units): 1981 – 1991sqft

The facilities in RESIDENCE BOTANIQUE are rather basic – you get a main pool that separates the two blocks, children’s pool, spa pool with cabana, a clubhouse with gym and function rooms, BBQ terrace and a “spice garden”. No tennis court or lap-pool here, but we like the fact that the BBQ terrace is tucked at one end and away from the 2 apartment blocks, so there is less likelihood of complaint from residents about smoke or noise coming from the “BBQ-ers”.



A grand total of 81 basement carpark lots are available, so there is unlikely to be visitor parking. However, there is ample parking at the public carpark just across the road, which is definitely a relief for those with friends/families that want to visit.

The main entrance to RESIDENCE BOTANIQUE is on Yio Chu Kang Road, but there is also a pedestrian gate access at the back of the condo that opens out to Sirat Road. We were told that it is about a 10-minutes walk to Serangoon MRT Station and the upcoming NEX Mall, which according to the marketing agent, will be larger than Centrepoint.

The wife and I were rather disappointed as there is no showflat on display at the sales gallery. What you get is a “display gallery” showing how the living room, kitchen and common bathroom are furnished and fitted. However, it is not an actual unit layout so you cannot gauge the actual amount of living space. We reckon that the developer is probably trying to minimize cost by not having a full showflat unit – this is just a small “middle end” project after all.

What you get in terms of furnishings/fittings are:
• 60cm x 60cm homogenous tiles for the living/dining area and kitchen.

• 2.9m ceiling height (not bad!)

• “Electrolux” hob/hood/oven and “Grohe” faucets in the kitchen.

• Top and Bottom set of kitchen cabinets and a set of “Blum” drawers. A “pull out” spice rack (bottom) and a drying rack (top) are also installed within the cabinet – we find the later rather strange as you will typically install the drying rack in the open to facilitate… drying. You may end up with a musky smelling cabinet if you keep the drying rack inside. Also note that the cabinet doors are not the “anti-slam” type.

• The common bathroom looked to be of decent size (if the display is an actual representation). It has 60cm x 30cm marble flooring, but the walls are part marble and part ceramic tiles (which is rather strange). You only get standing shower stalls with wall-mounted “hand-held shower” – this is supposedly standard for both the common and master bathroom, so those looking to laze in your own bath tub will be disappointed. The bathroom/toilet fittings are from “Grohe” and “Duravit” respectively.

Overall, the quality of furnishings/fittings is nothing much to shout about. From what we can see in the floor plans, the bigger units do come with a proper yard and Utility/bathroom for housing your domestic helper. But we have absolutely no idea what the common room/master bedroom look like – a bedroom wardrobe is on display (average quality) but when we tried to open it, a big mean-looking cockroach came scuttering out. That ensured a premature end to our wardrobe inspection.

What we like:
Can we get back to you on this one? BUT SERIOUSLY, the wife and I are really struggling to find anything good to say about RESIDENCES BOTANIQUE. The living/dining area & bedrooms for the different unit layouts seem to be regular shape with no odd-corner/space – according to the floor plans in the marketing brochure at least. But it is about the only thing we “like” about this project.

What we dislike:
• The quality of furnishings/fittings is very “average” especially in relation to the selling price.

• RESIDENCE BOTANIQUE is sandwiched between Wembley Residences on one side, some pre-war shop houses on the other, and a row of landed houses along Sirat Road at the back. And given that the blocks only go up to 5-Storey, the only view you get (if you are lucky) is that of the main pool area in the middle of the estate. Our marketing agent did mention that some units may also get the “pool view” from Wembley Residences next door – we are still wondering if she was just joking or is THAT really a marketing tact?!

• Although primary schools like Cedar Girls, Paya Lebar Methodist Girls and Kuo Chuan Presbyterian are listed as within close proximity to RESIDENCE BOTANIQUE, none of these is actually within 1-km of the project. In fact, we cannot identify any primary school that is.

Price wise, the selling price of units at RESIDENCE BOTANIQUE average around $1050psf. The 1152sqft 3-Bedder unit (#04-01) is priced at $1,265,400 after discount, which translates to about $1098psf. Frasers Centrepoint has also introduced two other types of discount for this project:

• Loyalty Discount: additional 0.5% off if you have previously owned a unit in a Frasers Centrepoint project.

• Multiple Unit Purchase: additional 0.5% off if you buy 2 or more units in this project.

We understand that about 55 of the 81 units have been sold. These include all the 1-Bedroom as well as the two 4-Bedder Duplexes.

In summary, the wife and I feel that RESIDENCE BOTANIQUE is “mediocre” at best in terms of both location and quality. Given such, the selling price seems to be on the high side despite its freehold status.
 
View Slideshow of RESIDENCE BOTANIQUE here: