985-993 Bukit Timah Road.
697 units.  Completed: 1997.

2-bedroom 79-99 sq. m.
3-bedroom 106-143 sq. m.
4-bedroom 165-176 sq. m.
Penthouse 4+1 or 3+2  237-283 sq. m.

Maplewoods has full condo facilities, a mini-mart, hair dresser and a cafe. A Caucasian enclave. Extremely popular with Germans, Dutch and other Caucasians.

In the Saraca and Bauhinia blocks, sound proofing of the living room's sliding doors reduce the traffic noise from the Bukit Timah Road but the bedroom windows facing the busy road does not have such double-glazed windows!

A big swimming pool shaded by numerous palm and tropical trees, wading pool, gym, tennis court, squash court, covered car park, 24-hour security, basement car parking, mini-mart, playground, sauna, putting green, BBQ area, fitness area, audio-visual intercom.

Many young Caucasian and other children swim in the evening. Good expatriate community.


Express downtown bus goes into condo. 5-minute drive to the German, Dutch & Australian schools. Around 10-minute drive to the Canadian, Japanese, United World College and Tanglin Trust. 15-minute drive to downtown Orchard Road.

The balcony attracts many Caucasian expatriates although there are concerns for child safety as the railings are lower than usual.  Potted plants are usually kept as the balcony is too small for tables and  chairs. Ground floor units may have a patio. Some units do NOT have balconies.

Some Caucasians dislike the high density but there are numerous Caucasian mothers and small children.  Proximity to the German and Dutch schools mean that there is a large percentage of German and Dutch expatriates.  I have seen older Caucasian children cycle to the school!

WRITTEN: OCTOBER 10, 1999.

1. Conservation shophomes vary in quality. Most popular ones will be the Emerald Hill Road conservation shophouses which are within a 5-minute walk to the Somerset subway and Orchard Road. One or two units are available for rent. One of the units in the image was rented to an oil executive for $20,000! Click on image to view bigger image.

Owners do get $10,000 - $15,000 rent for remodeled units as there is sufficient demand from expats who want to experience nostalgia an history in a great downtown location. No condo facilities obviously and no privacy.

Orchard Road, Somerset subway and the Chatsworth International School is a 2-minute walk to the right. Surprising quiet during daytime as the area is off-limits to outside traffic and there are more convenient parking lots at the Orchard malls!.

2. Some of the Cairnhill Road conservation shophouses are quite pretty but some are really run down. See image on right. They have a loft or attic room with skylight. Click on image to view bigger image.

One or two units are available for rent from $10,000. Some owners have divided the house into 2 parts for 2 tenants or 3 parts for 3 tenants but this is not common.

3. The ones in Chinatown area within walking distance to the Outram subway are in demand. They are located at Everton, Blair, Neil and Spottiswood Park Roads. One or two in this area may have wall cracks. Do be careful in the selection. A handful of units are available for rent.

4. One Peranakan shophome in Petain Road has great appeal to Caucasians. 5-bedroom, 4500sq. ft built-in area.
This renovated unit with metallic mesh staircase has a unique one-of-a-kind appeal to Caucasian bankers. This is for rent at $7500. Petain Road is north and a 10-minute drive to downtown. It is not near any subway.

5. Kim Yam Road. One big shophouse is available for rent at $13,000 and smaller ones of 3-bedroom at 1,400 - 1,600 sq. ft rent at $6,000 as at Nov 8, 2000.  A 5-minute walk to Clarke Quay and the Singapore River. This waterfront al-fresco cafe area has great appeal for Caucasians despite on-going construction activities and worries about house security.

The four remodeled 2 bedroom models renting at $6000 have been snapped up over the past 12 months.

6. Makepeace Road. A recently re-modeled wood board flooring. 3-level with one loft. Around 10-minute walk to the Newton subway. Fully air conditioned and enclosed air well. Asking rent is $10,000. Brand new. Fully air conditioned and all wood flooring. Large roof terrace. The air well has 2 plantar boxes (see image of air well and roof terrace below). Unit available in November.

7. Bugis Street's one bedroom with loft and other areas rent from $2,500 but usually there is no vacancy. Others are at Liang Seah Street, Mohd Sultan  Road, Spottiswood Park Road.  Some owners have had subdivided the shophome into small units with a communal kitchen or a kitchenette in a studio unit.

BASIC LAYOUT.

Narrow width around 20-foot wide. 2 or 3-storeys. Less than 3 years old if remodeled.

Usually there is no car parking lot in the Chinatown shophomes. The Cairnhill ones may have one lot at the back. Emerald Hill ones have public car parking nearby.

Small garden or patio. Living area goes to dining area and then the back with kitchen, bathroom and store room or maid's room. The living area may be ceramic tiled with old type or just plain modern type seen in condos, (as in the image on left, unit is for rent) or wooden floored. There may be a patio or small garden outside the living area.

Level 2 may have 2 or 3 bedrooms, usually with wooden strips although some may have parquet flooring common in new condos. Owners are proud of the "original" wooden strips which are replicas of those in the old days. Bathrooms are modern and so are air conditioners. Click on image to view bigger image of wooden floor strips.


The area near the air well between the front and the back rooms may have a long bath with open windows at the side. It can be a family area or part of the study room connected to the master bedroom.

Level 3, if available may have attic room and high loft with an attached bath and skylight to appreciate the stars with the other significant ones.

May have 2 bedrooms. One in Joo Chiat Road has a lounge pool at the back area.

A roof terrace may be present. A jacuzzi bath for those who love to bathe in the public view. Large entertainment area for those who love barbecues and impress friends and associates. This Makepeace unit is available for rent at $11,000.
Email judy@asiahomes.com or tel: +65 9668 6468.

The air well may be enclosed or open. If open, the living and dining areas are usually cooled by fans. If enclosed, the whole areas are air conditioned. Most homes have a plantar box in the air well area (see image on left). Click on image to view bigger image.

More expensive ones have water globe fountain. Very few have a koi pond. Unit available for rent. Email judy@asiahomes.com or tel: +65 9668 6468

Renovation cost usually exceed S$1 million. Rent in the Emerald Hill ones are $15,000 - $20,000 per month for the upscale units.

Of all the conservation shophomes and Balinese-style house I have had seen, I like one at Everton Road. The front faces Everton Road. On entering, the living area is separated from the dining area by a display partition. Ventilation is provided by the air from the open air well as the living and dining areas are fan-cooled, not air conditioned.

From the living to the dining area, there are a few steps on the side to access the kitchen and backyard.

At this side, cascading water flows down the steps into a good-sized koi pond which is the floor of the air well. Bright daylight and air comes into this area.

The nostalgic ambience of the wooden floor strips, the historical past romances you while gently flowing waters and the orange koi fishes calms you after a hard day's work.

The koi fishes will swim to one corner to avoid you as you are a stranger but for the Tenant, they look forward to meeting you.

You could talk to them about your problems and they will listen without interruptions. Koi lovers are known to do so. Sound crazy talking to fishes?

But this unit excited our American single who had seen the whole of Singapore shophomes with Realtor Christine and I. It was rented at $10,000.

This was one case of good timing and good co-broking. You win some cases, you lose some (see case study below).

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