PROSPECTIVE homeowners visiting Filinvest’s The Enclave Alabang residential subdivision along Daang Hari in southern Metro Manila are quickly attracted to the emerging community’s tropical modern architecture theme. Set for turnover in 2017 to lot owners, The Enclave Alabang offers a lifestyle that integrates indoor spaces with lush-green surroundings.
Catherine Ilagan, executive vice president of Filinvest Alabang Inc., said great interest has been generated among potential homeowners for this community, strategically located along the dynamic Daang Hari growth corridor and easily accessible to southern Metro Manila’s top schools, malls and other institutions.
But even the most well-heeled lot buyer aspiring to custom-build a home here is discouraged by the headaches associated with house construction. Ilagan observes: “Building a luxury home in the most efficient way requires dependable partners in architecture and design, construction, project management and interior design. Most homeowners attempting to build their own homes, unfortunately, learn to choose the right partners only after costly, time-consuming mistakes have been made.”
The most common mistakes include architectural plans not realistically grounded on current construction costs, budget overruns due to the rising cost of materials, particularly when the peso is depreciating, construction delays due to poor coordination among various suppliers or delays on the part of the contractor who does not have sufficient working capital to pay his subcontractors on time. “Almost every homeowner attempting to build his own home will most likely complain that the project took more time, attention and resources than he expected. Consequently, the process can be highly stressful and taxing on the nerves,” Ilagan said.
To encourage homeowners to move into the community in the next few years, The Enclave Alabang is offering them designer homes that allow buyers to choose from among a number of options cohesively put together by a highly respected team of architects and engineering designers. Better yet, the option covers the actual construction of the home, to be supervised by The Enclave Alabang team, all the way to the turnover of the house and lot to the homeowner upon completion of the home.
In much the same way that buyers of preselling luxury condominiums are significantly spared from design and construction issues, The Enclave Alabang lot owner can choose to delegate most of those concerns to Filinvest. Upon turnover, the house-and-lot owner will be given a home that will be ready for occupancy following the usual punchlisting process. “This spares the owner the surprises and anxiety he would most likely experience had he chosen to deal on his own with an architect, contractor and a range of other suppliers,” Ilagan added.
Raymond Hernandez of H1 Architecture, who was responsible for the plans for The Enclave Alabang designer homes, said the end goal of the design team was to allow the lot owner to live comfortably and graciously in a tropical environment that allows the seamless integration of indoor areas with lush outside spaces. Budji Layug, interior designer of the furnished model home, said that since “tropicality” is part of the DNA of The Enclave Alabang, his team also envisioned ways the occupants could enjoy their home and how they could entertain.
Overall, the designer house plans ensure that homeowners live in an environment full of natural light, cross ventilation and sightlines that pull one to the outdoors. Thus, the ambiance is calming, refreshing and communicates a resort feel.
The homeowner’s options to enjoy tropical modern living, as defined by the design team, are further complemented by The Enclave Alabang’s two-story clubhouse with wide glass windows and abundant greenery, a tasteful setting for celebrations. In addition, facilities include a man-made lagoon surrounded by jogging trails. Landscaped walkways will further radiate from the lagoon and central park to the rest of the subdivision to allow lot owners to enjoy the greenery way beyond their property lines.