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Apartment Control

Lifestyle
8 years ago
3 minutes

In some countries, apartment living is the norm, in fact, forecourts, plazas and parks within those cities are designed to consider the apartment lifestyles of those cities… But what about a new city that’s just starting to catch on to the idea of apartment living? 

There are some notable defects in the way some, unreliable developers, build our apartment buildings here in Australia. With a lack of community facilities, poor acoustic barriers between dwellings, little storage and logistically isolated/ limited access to public transport, it is understandable that apartment living can lead to a few lifestyle challenges and disappointments.

This, however, doesn’t mean people are steering clear of apartments. With a rise in credibilty and responsibility from developers, there’s more interest in inner city living than ever before. So how do we compensate for the pitfalls?

Make changes
With the parts we can change. Fitting the apartment out with the bees knees of features will quickly set your home out from the rest. Having a unique apartment not only improves capital value, particularly when competing against hundreds of almost identical apartments for sale, but with careful consideration and thoughtful design, will make living in the apartment seamlessly easy and enjoyable.

Quality not quickly
Today, in Australia, some apartments are fitted out with finishes and fixtures that are the quickest to install and require minimal labour – it’s the price we pay for living in Australia; labour is the greatest cost in the production of a building. You want to make sure your money is still there years after you’ve made your investment, so ensure that your finishes and fixtures are of an outstanding quality to withstand a few years of wear and tear. This problem, again, is eradicated by choosing one of Melbourne's top developers with trusted builders. 

Keep up with the times
Another solution is to allow the apartment to wear and complete a full refurbishment with the latest home gadgets you can get your hands on. Also, updating the layout to suit current lifestyle trends in the city at the time. Whilst you may think these expensive ammenities are just a fad - they do, in most cases, increase the price of the property - accessibility and connectivity are ideals of tomorrow.

Don’t know?
it’s not your job to know what’s trendy and what’s not. That’s why you go and see an architect. They’re specialists at knowing … partly because they’re the people who set the trends. Do your research to ensure you choose a team that reflects your personality, ideals, lifestyle ….and budget.

Some architects, myself included, have expensive taste, so make sure you choose an architect that understands who you are, and also knows how to work within different budgets...

Wesley Spencer is the director of Rara Architecture