House Living ; Thursday 29th June 2023 Public Holiday

a Very Small but Tidy Garden

I've lived 70% of my life (baby,toddler, teen and adult) in landed property. I am indeed fortunate (especially in Singapore) to own a small piece of land with a house built on it, in the central part of Singapore. In many other countries in other parts of Asia, Europe and the world, people in cities normally live in apartment blocks (called condominiums) and / or public housing owing to the scarcity of land and the land prices. My parents used to own a large plot of land, and before their deaths, they subdivided the big plot into 2 and sold the 2 plots of land to my brother and I.

How is living on land compared to living in apartments ? Well I have lived a total of  46 years in landed property and additionally I have lived 14 years in 2 condominiums.

Here are the Pros of Living in Landed Homes and the Cons too. There is no one Perfect Solution except one which may be best suited depending on the age, gender and health of the person at each stage in Life.

Pros (Landed House)

1. The plot however small or large is yours to upkeep. You can make it beautiful or leave it to deteriorate, no one has any right to comment. Not like in a communal environment where your neighbours will complain if you grow your potted plants and leave your slippers and shoes (or worse) all over the place.

2. You have a lot of space for each person (generally speaking). So there is more privacy as space (we have almost 3500 ft2 of gross floor area over 4 floors) and this gives each person some 'living room'.This is in my own opinion, the best PLUS of living in a landed place, the ability to Live Large. "Lebensraum" is the best thing about living in landed property. 

3, Neighbours are not so close together (noise, smoke and general discomfiture amongst neightbours are there, they are rare, speaking from my own personal experience), so you DO get privacy - which is priceless in many of today's cramped up societies.

4. Parking (within your house boundary) is free and safe, so no worries about scratches or vandals scratching or doing other stuff to your precious car. 

 Street View 29th June 2023 4.05 pm

Cons (Landed House)

1. You have to handle all the problems and you cannot assign it to a Managing Agent or Common Property Managing Committee (like in Condos and HDB) to solve. Garbage disposal, Roof and Basement leaks (there are many and they are a pain - trust me) are plentiful. Light changes, inside the house and outside your house driveway, driveway tiles breaking,trees need pruning, wooden trellis worn out, basement leaks, garden and pool lights busted - the list is endless. Be prepared to have REGULAR maintenance and have a list of dependable handymen around else you have to live with the problems. I have tried to change the light bulbs rather unsuccessfully and do some pruning of the weeds, and thats about it as far as my poor handyman skills go.

Always set aside at least $1000 every month for maintenance if your house is more than 10 years old.

2. You will not be as close to your neighbours and will lack the 'gotong royong' or community spirit like in some HDB and condominium blocks.Our neighbours on both sides are foreigners, as the owners have rented out their houses and we hardly speak a couple of words except Hello and GoodBye every other week. This revolving door of tenants staying only 2 years makes the community spirit or bonds amongst the neighbourhood weak. I do personally know 3 to 4 families in our entire neighbourhood of perhaps 50 but that is a very small percentage in relation to the total. We have lived in this neighbourhood a total of 30 years over 2 distinct spells of time.

Perhaps it is my poor ability to interact frequently or its just that private landed owners normally keep to themselves and value privacy high amongst their value systems.

3. Walking up 3 flights of steps to reach your room - as I get older and weaker, this thought of wanting to stay in a small apartment seems more and more appealing. So, having more floors means more work and for older (young old) couples it will be a quandary and many decide to 'downgrade' by either selling, or renting the owned property and moving to a condominium or HDB apartment which is nearer to key amenities like wet market, supermarket, and clinics.

The house appears larger and more difficult to maintain as we grow older - that is a fact and a real disadvantage. My immediate neighbour installed a lift in his 3 story house, to prepare for the day, he is on a wheelchair. That is indeed forward looking.

My Little Piece of Heaven

What do I particularly like about my house ?

a) The little wooden trellis walkway with the Bamboo trees, the water feature, the couple of garden chairs and the wind occasionally billowing in the evening. I am like in heaven, in my little space and having a wine or a Tiger beer with some small snacks. Taking in the night sky with the vast starry expanse, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, I can pause and reflect on my day or my week just passed.

It is an intensely private and happy time for me, each and every time I sit there. I am happy in my own thoughts about what had transpired that day, as I reflect on things or incident that I could have been done better and just thinking about Life in general. 

My Own Quiet Space

b) Occasionally (like today) I trim the bamboo shoots which have gone awry and sweep the leaves from the frangipani tree. Listen to the bubbling of the water from the water feature behind me, I am at peace.

To me, that is the perfect antidote for a busy day, to sit in quiet solitude, just for a  

                                                                 while

                                                           Carpe Diem