The Lakegarden Residences Review

With all the recent hype over The Lakegarden Residences due to its attractive pricing (from $1,890 PSF!), I’m going to analyse for you with my objective views on whether this is a development worth looking into. 

Having visited the sales gallery personally to study this project, there are many interesting points to note regarding this new development located by the side of the popular Lakeside Garden. Diehard fans of the West would definitely be rejoicing that there’s finally a new launch development in this area, as the last notable launch was actually Lakeville, launched ten years ago in 2013. 

Let’s dive deep together as we explore the merits of investing in The Lakegarden Residences. I would give a score for each attribute, with 5 being the highest score. At the end we would then conclude with an average scoring to determine if this development is going to be truly value for money for potential investors.

Location Attributes

With a land area of 134,176 sqft, The Lakegarden Residences was formerly Lakeside Apartments. The collective sale of Lakeside Apartments was concluded in May 2022, sold for $273.9 Million to Wing Tai Holdings. 

In terms of distance to the MRT Station, the development is a considerable distance away to Lakeside MRT Station. There is however a free shuttle bus service to the MRT station for the 1st year, and usually residents would opt to continue the service thereafter. With a predictable bus service schedule, it shouldn’t be a major concern for most residents to plan their travelling time. 

Close proximity to the surrounding HDB estates also means that amenities wouldn’t be an issue, especially with the Taman Jurong Shopping Centre and Taman Jurong Food Market within walking distance. 

Another plus point about this location is that it’s within close proximity to the upcoming Jurong Lake District transformation, and also the government’s focus in converting Jurong East into the 2nd Central Business District (CBD). 

My Score For Location: 3.5 / 5

Unit Facing / Views

When your project name is The Lakegarden Residences, needless to say the main highlights would be the lake and the garden... Duh!

Thanks to drone technology, we can rely on the captured drone images to assess the potential view for each unit's facing, at the approximate height of a level 16 unit. I shall let the pictures do the talking below:

This is the "money shot", so to speak. The most premium stacks are directly facing east, with an unblocked view of the entire lake, Lakeside Garden, and also Chinese Garden directly opposite. Definitely going to be the most premium-priced facing for sure. 



A slight tilt towards the South-East would still give you a very good view, with less of the lake and more of lush greenery. If you squint your eyes a little, you could catch a good glimpse of Pandan Reservoir near the horizon... 

Even the least favourable facing still looks decently acceptable. There is a very wide distance away from the opposite HDB blocks, and it's a huge blessing that the opposite buildings are low-rise blocks that are less of an eye-sore. Only concern here would probably be the afternoon sun, but with only 25% of the entire development facing this direction, it's considered very well managed. 

My Score For Unit Facing / Views: 4.5 / 5

Site Design

Being so close to Lakeside Garden meant that it was inevitable for the developer to capitalise on this unique advantage, so it was no surprise that the biggest unit types are all facing the lake and garden directly. In fact, only 25% of all the units are not facing the garden! 

As expected, the units facing the HDB estates and the main road would be the smaller unit types, such as the 1+Study on Stack 3, and the 2 bedders on Stack 4, 13, and 14. 

It’s rather smart of the developer to plan it such that most of the units would face Lakeside Garden, but that would also means that majority of the units would command premium prices too. 

Overall, I’m rather impressed by the way they maximised the views for most units, but I’m not so keen on the long common corridors - it actually does resemble a HDB block design. 

With that being said, the developer’s priority is to allow more residents to enjoy a nice unblocked view, while also being able to profit from the premium price loaded on these units. 

My Score For Site Design: 3.8 / 5

Floor Plan & Layout:

For a development with only 306 units, it’s intriguing that they have 20 different layout configurations! 

With so many variations, let us just look through a few notable layouts to assess if they are efficiently designed. Our main objective is to study the efficient use of space, and whether it makes practical sense for the residents. 

2 Bedroom Premium (732 Sqft)

I chose to analyse this layout because it’s likely the most highly sought-after unit type, due to its attractive price quantum of $1.52 mil onwards, and also because it’s the 2 bedder unit type with the most number of units for sale (38 units in total). 

I’ve highlighted a few key aspects of the layout - in red are the areas where I felt that there could be room for improvements, while those highlighted in blue are interesting features or positives that I’ve identified from the layout. 

Can be better:

1. Larger than usual A/C Ledge.

When I saw this floor plan, my eyes immediately noticed the L-shaped A/C ledge. This is considered bigger than usual, as compared to most other 2 bedder layouts in the market. I suspect it is due to the shorter depth of the common bedroom, but thankfully this issue isn’t a deal-breaking problem. 

2. Washer/Dryer facing dining area. 

I recall back in 2019, I first encountered this issue with Florence Residences’ 2 bedder layouts. Fast forward to today in 2023, I’m rather amused that developers are still placing the washer/dryer at this weird location that faces the dining area. 

It’s either you don’t put the dining table there at all, or your washer/dryer should be somewhere else instead. But the developer chose to put both together… Which doesn’t make practical sense. 

Job Well Done:

1. Dedicated dining area

Putting aside the fact that the washer/dryer is facing the dining area (as mentioned above), I like it that there’s a dedicated space for the dining table. 

That’s because I’ve seen many other 2 bedder layouts, whereby the dining would be right next to the living room sofa. I literally hate that, because there’s no sense of space between the furniture at the dining and living space. 

Call me old fashioned if you may, but I would very much prefer the dining to be on its own, separated from the living hall. This layout does it perfectly well. 

2. Rare extra window in the living room

This feature is a pleasant surprise - how often do you see an extra window in the living room? With this development being located so near to the lake, I would expect it to be breezy and windy… Hence this extra window, even though it’s not a big one, would still make a significant difference in improving the ventilation within the unit. Very well done. 

3. Huge and spacious master bedroom

The master bedroom for this layout is unusually spacious, by today’s standards among new launches. You can fit a king-size bed and still have lots of space left, enough to put a proper dressing table or a work desk next to the bed. 

I must say that I’m very impressed by the generous room size. 

You can see how big the room is through the image below:

3 Bedroom + Study (1098 Sqft)

This is the same layout as shown in the sales gallery, and it did impress me at first, until I started to discover some slight flaws too with this layout. 

Can Be Better:

1. Slightly long walkway

I understand that sometimes due to architectural designs, it is difficult to shorten such walkways. However, it is still a rather wasted space that would have been more appealing if it is shorter. 

You could however make use of the space to do up a shoe cabinet or built-in storage, so it’s not that bad. 

2. There’s no store room or home shelter. 

With the space of 1098 sqft, it was rather disappointing that there is no store room / utility room / home shelter in this layout. 

Yes I get it that there’s a study room, but it’s such a waste given that I have to choose between having a study or using it for storage. Why can’t we have the best of both worlds? (Actually you can, if you pay about $400,000 more for the 3 + Study Premium, which has both a study room and a home shelter…)

Job well Done:

1. Flexible study room that can be hacked or converted

 The star of this layout is clearly the study room. I like it that it can be hacked down more than the fact that it can be converted into a utility room / store room, because after hacking it down you’ll have a lot more space in the dining area, making the house look so much more spacious and comfortable. 

This was actually the very aspect that drawn me to this layout to begin with. 

When you look at the image below, you’ll understand immediately the potential of hacking down the wall of the study room to make way for more space:

3. Very Spacious Master Bedroom

Similar to the master bedroom in the 2 bedder layout, the 3+Study didn’t disappoint with their large format for the master bedroom. I particularly love the corner window panels, with the L-Shaped corner allowing more light to pass through, and also enabling the resident to enjoy even more of the beautiful landscape view of the lake and garden right outside. 

If you notice, there’s also a small extra window in the room for better ventilation. 

Sweet. 

5 Bedroom (1550 sqft)

Frankly, this layout was quite underwhelming. I expected more of a 5 bedder layout - it has to be more luxurious, grand, and even if the finishing aren’t the best, it should still inspire people with a well thought-out layout design. 

Especially when you have your 5 bedder facing an unblocked view of Lakeside Garden, the house should be designed in a way that befits its status as the most premium unit in the entire development. 

However, the price point for this unit type is undoubtedly attractive, starting from only $3.188 Mil. 

I guess it’s simply a case of “what you pay is what you get”…

Can Be Better:

1. Slightly small living hall for a 5 bedder

First impression counts - the moment I stepped into the showroom for this layout, I was immediately taken aback by the living hall. I would be perfectly fine with it if this was a 4 bedder layout, but it isn’t. For a 5 bedder, I certainly expected a bigger living room.

Here’s how it looks like:

2. No double-vanity sinks and slightly small bathroom

Yet another let-down, as I was hoping to see a double-vanity sink - which would be great to have for a 5 bedder unit type. The bathroom size also didn’t impress, as it looked more like a 3 bedder master bathroom instead. 

Maybe it’s me being picky, but having seen so many 5 bedders in the market, I expected better from the developer for this layout. 

This is the master bathroom of the 5 bedder:

Job well Done:

1. Private Lift Access

Having a private lift wouldn’t go wrong for a 5 bedder. Although not every development would provide private lifts, it’s always welcomed when you want to enjoy more privacy and minimise having to meet your neighbours, or to avoid dealing with deliveries at your main door (that’s why we have a service door at the yard area).

2. Extra corner in the yard area

This may be a subtle detail, but I love it. The angle of this corner actually allows the owner to build extra storage, particularly useful to store your vacuum cleaner, mop, brooms, etc. 

I like how the ID contractor did this built-in storage here at the far end of the spacious kitchen:

My Score For Floor Plans & Layout: 3.5 / 5

Finishing & Appliances:

The level of finishing at The Lakegarden Residences isn’t anything much to shout about, although it also doesn’t fall short of the typical standards required. 

For living room flooring, marble look-alike porcelain tiles are used, while bedroom flooring would be vinyl. A little bummed that it isn’t engineered-timber at the least, but then again with the attractive pricing I can understand why the developer isn’t providing top tier finishing. 

I’m slightly more taken aback (once again) that there isn’t any marble flooring provision for the bigger units, particularly for the 4 bedders and 5 bedders. Perhaps the construction cost is indeed a big concern to the developer, as higher cost would means higher selling prices, which could deter potential buyers from purchasing. 

For the kitchenware, we would have appliances by Bosch, a reputable brand that is widely accepted by buyers. In the 5 bedder, we even have 2 ovens - one conventional oven and one steam oven. You also get washer AND dryer provided separately for 3 + Study Premium types onwards, as well as a Kadeka wine chiller that can fit 54 bottles for the 4 bedder and 5 bedder types, and also dishwasher for 5 bedders only. 

Bathroom fittings include concealed rain shower provided by Hansgrohe, as well as other sanitary fittings by Roca. 

All in all, given the attractive pricing, I can’t complain much about what’s being provided at this development. Ultimately, anything more premium would cost a lot more for buyers, which doesn’t exactly make sense for this project at this location. Affordability is key - after all buyers can spend on their own renovation if they truly want to enjoy higher standards of finishing and fittings. 

My Score For Finishing & Appliances: 3.5 / 5

Is The Pricing Justified?

The Lakegarden Residences' pricing starts from $1,890 PSF onwards. However, a closer scrutiny of the starting from prices shows that buyers should expect the average PSF to be upwards of $20xx PSF instead, and the overall average pricing should be approximately $21xx PSF. 

The Lakegarden Official Starting From Prices:
1+ Study: From $1.06m ($2,011 psf onwards)
2 BR C: From $1.21m ($2,043 psf onwards)
2 BR C+: From $1.28m ($1,890 psf onwards)
2 BR P: From $1.52m ($2,076 psf onwards)
2+S: From $1.53m ($1974 psf onwards)
3 BR: From $1.94m ($2,095 psf onwards)
3+S: From $2.12m ($1,930 psf onwards)
3+SP: From $2.59m ($2,092 psf onwards)
4 BR: From $2.76m ($2,067 psf onwards)
4 BR Dual Key: From $2.79m ($2,057 psf onwards)
5 BR: From $3.18m ($2,051 psf onwards)

This is still a significantly lower-than-expected pricing, as many market leaders and experts expected the PSF to be around $23xx PSF due to the high acquisition cost of the en-bloc collective sale. 

Based on the information provided by Edgeprop below, we can deduce that The Lakegarden Residences is actually selling around its breakeven price, making it relatively safe for buyers to invest in. 

Given the fact that most OCR new launches were all previously launched for higher than $20xx PSF, it is now much more acceptable to see The Lakegarden Residences being sold around $20xx - $22xx PSF. 

However, given that there are so many premium facing units, with 75% of the units being able to have a view of the park, or the pool in the very least, we should also brace ourselves for units to be priced above $23xx PSF (particularly higher floor units directly facing the lake). 

Even though it may be a little jarring to see the pricing soar above $2000 PSF, in the long run this will still be easy to accept in the resale market, as there will be new developments in the future that would ride on the Jurong Lake District transformation, as well as Jurong East developing further as the 2nd CBD in Singapore. 

My Score For Pricing: 4 / 5

My Final Verdict

The Lakegarden Residences (TLR), while not the most luxuriously fitted nor the most impressive in terms of features, is still worth looking at for its breathtaking views and affordable pricing. In a market where most developments are charging much higher price quantum, TLR is priced at the right sweet spot where buyers can easily accept the pricing. 

Final score:
Location - 3.5
Unit Facing / Views - 4.5
Site Design - 3.8
Floor Plan & Layout - 3.5
Finishing & Appliances - 3.5
Pricing - 4
 

Average Score Rating: 3.8 / 5

Not a bad score, though there's definitely room for improvements. But once again, at this affordable price range, you really can't complain much. If you want higher standards, you'll likely need to pay a lot more too. 

Personally, I think this development will cater to many own-stay buyers, especially the die-hard fans of the west. It's rare to have a new launch in the west, not to mention one with spectacular views of the popular Lakeside Garden and Chinese Garden. 

As for investors, it really depends on your objectives, as well as the available unit choices for you. If you do manage to get good units at $21xx PSF and below, it should be rather okay; at higher prices it might take a longer time for you to generate more profits from capital appreciation. 

Wishing all buyers who've placed cheques the very best for your balloting exercise and sales booking!