A condo with A view
Altus homes in White Rock highlight views of the ocean and mountains
Sometimes you have to have patient money to end up with the best of all worlds, even in a highly desirable place like the popular seaside community of White Rock. Kanwar Dhamrait spent six years assembling a parcel of seven former single-family home lots adjacent to Peace Arch Hospital and he’s glad he did.
The payoff for those who buy homes in Altus, a 13-storey concrete highrise that Dhamrait is building on Finlay Street, is that they will have some of the most coveted views of Semiahmoo Bay while residing just steps away from shops and other amenities in the town centre.
“We designed the building very carefully so that we could capture both the ocean and mountain views,” said Dhamrait, who trained as a structural engineer before becoming CEO of Oviedo Properties Ltd.
Project architect Chris Dikeakos said the building site is particularly desirable because it is on a high point in the community and the firm capitalized on that.
“We did a couple of things. We staggered the building both in plan and elevation views so that as many units as possible would get water views. We also made sure the buildings related to the heights of the other surrounding buildings, including the hospital.”
The result is an attractive, modern West Coast style with a mix of natural stone and high-performance glass. The layout includes terracing on the front side for the views that also provides more room for rooftop patios and green spaces on the top of the building.
Another unusual feature, especially for a building by Dikeakos, whose firm is best known for its highrise designs, is the inclusion of retail and professional space on the building’s first two levels. There is more than 45,000 square feet devoted largely to medical professionals who will be situated just across the street from the 146-bed acute care hospital operated by Fraser Health. “I think it is a good fit for the neighbourhood.” As well, about 3,500 square feet is being dedicated to a children’s daycare centre.
Dhamrait says he expects Altus will appeal to both downsizers wanting to shed the burden of a single-family home, and to upsizers looking for more space in condo living in a building where square footage is generous by most Metro Vancouver standards. A majority of the homes in Altus are two bedroom and two bedroom and den and range from about 900 to 1,300 square feet. There are also three-bedroom-and-den homes ranging from 1,350 square feet and penthouses of up to almost 2,800 square feet.
BAM Interiors provided two colour schemes: “Seashell” with a range of light colours in natural finishes and “Marqina” a dark palette with rich colour finishes. All homes have engineered hardwood flooring through the dining, living, den and bedroom areas.
The kitchens feature woodgrain upper cabinets complemented by high-gloss lower cabinetry with easy pull edges for a sleek no-hardware look. In the island, a bookshelf and wine rack in most units and custom millwork for panelled fridge and dishwasher, and durable engineered quartz countertops. Homes come with Bosch appliance packages, including a 36-inch custom panel bottom freezer fridge, 30-inch stainless steel gas cooktop, a 30-inch combination speed oven and a Marvel wide fridge in most units.
Bathrooms have a custom vanity with high gloss and wood-grain finish, LED lighted cosmetic mirror on the medicine cabinet in the ensuite and a frameless glass shower and tub enclosure.
The building has a large amenity area that is two storeys high.
It includes a state-of-theart gym, a lounge with pool table and an expansive kitchen and dining area with a large white porcelain fireplace.
In the underground parking there are two parking spaces for each suite, a dog wash area, and secure bike storage lockers. At ground level, there will be a concierge to receive mail and packages and a temperature-controlled food storage area.