Residential Attitudes – The Viento Display Home Review

Finding a home on display in Perth is relatively easy. Take a quick look in the paper on the weekend and you'll see a list of display homes available for viewing. However, finding a display home that has something unique in it is a very different task. This weekend I found one such home amongst several others which had plenty to offer. The Residential Attitudes display home in Churchlands called The Viento is one such home. Making a mark in the Perth residential building industry is not an easy task. Today we've got more builders than ever before and display villages are growing with the regular big volume builders and many up and comers. I think it's a great credit to this company that they have been able to present a high level of design and excellence in recent years by forming something of a niche in the market place with their modern home facades and The Viento is a fine example of this style.

This narrow block home design has a striking elevation with the balcony ceiling raking upheld held in place with a single steel column. The angled stainless steel and glass balustrade add to the interest while other elements of steel and sandstone complete the color scheme nicely. This home is inviting and highly attractive from the street front, which is what you should expect from anything in this price range.

Entering in through the oversized entry door you'll discover the master suite to the left with dedicated his and hers robes with a modest fit out. The shower recess in the Ensuite is large enough for two people and has a duel shower with a rainwater head mounted on the ceiling for those looking to be completely immersed in their showering experience. Even neater is the lack of a hob, instead the shower has a small 10mm setdown and a nice channel grate to collect the water on the far side of the recess. The ensuite vanity is well appointed with double basin and two separate mirrors separated by an open central cabinet for easy access to the daily items.

Walking through the adjoining powder room you pass the study which is large enough for the serious enough for a dedicated home office, where you could work and admire the Alfresco courtyard. But here's where the home really makes a statement. Entering into the main living area you'll discover a good size Kitchen, Meals and Family room with class on each side making the room feel even larger. On one side you have an open courtyard and alfresco with a great BBQ entertaining area and on the other you'll discover a narrow fishpond with a fantastic wall hung display of rusted metal featuring natural stone and a few small garden walls, from which multiple water outlets flow and two smart-fires blaze. It's an innovative approach to narrow block living and definitely worth the visit just to see how well a narrow home design can perform.

The garden wall also features in the covered Alfresco with herbs that can be used on a steak or for some of your other favorite meals easily accessed from the Kitchen. The raking Alfresco ceiling holds a sense of openness which again helps you forget that the block is less than 12m wide.

Upstairs features three bedrooms, two with walk in robes and the other with a decent built in robe. The passageway incorporates a clever desk area for the children to study. When it's time to put away the books they also have their own studio studio activity area including a great little kitchenette. This studio activity area opens to the front balcony, providing 2 areas where they could entertain their friends.

Overall, this display home is definitely worth viewing. My only complaint is that the display version is priced at $ 763,000 for which I would have liked higher ceilings upstairs. It's a small oversight and really, it's the only area I am critical of. I think The Viento accomplishes what Residential Attitudes would have set out to do. Provide a point of difference with their home designs and cement their position as a true contender in the luxury end of homes builders in Perth.

Recommendations to potential buyers:

If you can open your wallet and spend big then this home is almost worth buying right off the shelf. There's no real design defects which I expect is due to many eyes running over the display home, but it's definitely a credit to the home designer who has won previous design awards in the past. As far as value for money goes, there are a lot of added features in this home where the costs could be overseen. There are extensive louvre windows which are very pricey compared to standard awning windows, and various other features that can be omitted which could bring the home back within budget for some home buyers without too much compromise.

Stats:

  • Price: $ 763,093 for the display version and can be built for $ 532,707 with a lower level of finish.

Areas:

  • Ground Floor Living 147.42 m
  • Garage & Store 46.0 m
  • Alfresco 23.42 m
  • Porch 2.05 m
  • First Floor Living 106.94 m
  • Balcony 12.17 m
  • Overall Area: 338 m

Display Version Price p / m = $ 2,258 p / m