A Lifestyle Village
Whilst often referred to as retirement villages, Sanctuary Villas prefer to think the residents have done everything but retire. In fact the accent is on enjoying life without the stress and commitments of home maintenance, leaving village folk to pursue their individual pleasures.
Property Lifestyle Concepts Ltd’s directors, Jedd Pearce and Mark Revis, have considerable experience in the area of lifestyle development with two similar projects completed and a third underway.
The village concept depends on several key factors. Location, size of units, privacy of individual units and the right choice of material to provide exceptional service life, with little or no maintenance. In this instance residents are able to personalise their homes by choosing their own interior decor.
There are 41 Villas in the village, all of varying sizes to accommodate the personal needs of occupants and their household belongings. The owners are carefully selected to ensure that those surrounding them have similar pursuits and a positive outlook on living. Each self contained residence has it’s own “space” for those who choose to garden or enjoy a drink as the sun sets. The overall concept is designed to give privacy but offers security which becomes an increasing concern over time.
A unique aspect of the village is the ownership which gives residents a freehold title allowing the resale of their home at anytime. The owners can enjoy the profits and capital gains made from their property investment. A big plus for the residents and a welcome move away from traditional leasehold titles with strings attached.
For those who have chosen to livein Sanctuary Villas the testimonials are very positive with an appreciation of the space, the quiet ambience their homes offer, the well maintained grounds, the layout and most importantly the friendships they have been able to establish with like minded people.
The location overlooks what is known as the Travis Wetlands, which borders the village, providing many walkways and an ever changing environment for both the residents and the abundant bird life that inhabits the area. Something most of the residents enjoy during a peaceful evening stroll.
To protect the adjoining wetlands from pollutants and sediment runoff Aurecon designed swales which are installed throughout the village. These swales filter any run-off and sediment before it enters the wetland which is crucial to the environment and wildlife.
The site was originally purchased from Telecom and resource consent was given by CCC and ECAN for the village concept. Jedd and Mark worked closely with Aurecon who provided some excellent solutions to meet the Resource Consent in both roading and specially designed foundations. Due to an underlying sand base, liquefaction issues and proximity to the wetlands, specialised consideration was given to the engineering and geotech requirements.
Aurecon’s experts advised that the best way to proceed was to minimise the weight of the villas where possible. This together with piled foundations would provide the best stability of the site. The site now boasts 2500 piles to a depth of 5 metres providing both stability and an additional safety feature should the area ever experience a major earthquake.
The building materials represent a balance between aesthetics, maintenance and weight. The choice of high quality, low maintenance materials is very important to the residents who are sceptical about many modern designs due to the publicity on leaky buildings. The use of Gerard Roofs Colortile has saved considerable weight and enhances the clean, formal design.
Whilst the Villas deliberately follow a traditional design there has been considerable effort put into an eco-friendly solar energy hot water system to conserve power. This has proven to be a popular and cost effective benefit to the residents and the rebates, then offered, to developers made it a viable addition. Unfortunately the rules have now changed and the solar rebates are no longer available to developers which is disappointing.
As the concept of the Village is about hassle free living, an onsite caretaker is responsible for the maintenance of common lawns and gardens within the village, as well as regular cleaning of external windows and repainting of linea board when required. This routine maintenance programme keeps the standard of the village high, ensuring uniformity and the best possible return on investment.
Sanctuary Villas with the choices of design, material, location and environmental sensitivity has provided a safe, peaceful and stress free home for it’s residents.