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Friday 20 November 2009


What House? Property Awards 2009 - Winners

What House Property Awards 2009 logo

Seen by many as the most respected of all British Property Awards the The What House? Awards are always hotly contested. Dandara are honored to have been chosen for not just one, but three awards for their developments in both Jersey and Manchester.

Best House and Best Interior Layout - Portelet Bay, Jersey

Jersey's stunning Portlelet Bay scheme was awarded Best House - Bronze Award and Best Interior Layout - Gold Award.

The judges commented:

It is no accident that a leading architect, Sir Richard McCormac (MJP Architects), a former president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, has overseen the design for Dandara.

Housebuilders and developers, please take note that good architects really can make a difference to developing a great product that appeals to buyers, and here is a worthy example.

Best House - Portelet Bay Jersey

The setting is stunning and this design takes full advantage of the site conditions – the first thing that strikes you on entering is the incredible view down the hall through the reception room to the sea. Stunning. The hall is very wide and emphasises the feeling of luxury. The ancillary accommodation works well with a truly enormous utility area, two stores and en suite bathrooms that are really spacious.

The mono pitch roofs give this house a special character. The tall ceilings in all the principal rooms, especially in the stylish reception room, make this a most unusual property and separate it from the mundane and predictable solutions for single level living. It reeks of quality. The specification of the interiors is excellent and the structural glass balustrade around the garden illustrates that the right solutions have been pursued, regardless of the temptation to value engineer the scheme down.

The judges were impressed with the design and execution of this house and it is a worthy recipient of the joint Bronze Award. Learn more about the awards given the Portelet Bay development

Best Starter Home - Spectrum apartments, Manchester

The already multi-award winning Spectrum apartments in Manchester city centre was awarded Best Starter Home - Bronze.

Courtyard at Spectrum apartments Manchester

The judges commented:

In recent years Manchester has been awash with a rash of development aimed at capturing the firsttimer market but Spectrum stands out as a well designed development with a great location within easy strike of the city.

The development has been thoughtfully laid out and the communal gardens are particularly attractive with an interesting water feature, which all properties have views of. Spectrum is clearly well maintained with smart communal areas and parking hidden away. Internally perhaps the properties’ most outstanding feature are their huge balconies. As a result, you definitely feel like you’re living within the heart of a vibrant city rather than on its up and coming fringes.

The hallway space has been removed which adds a feeling of spaciousness and produces a more useable living space. Fixtures and fittings in both bathroom and kitchen were of a high quality, all kitchens have dishwashers, and thought had been given to storage. We especially liked the concealed storage in the bathrooms, a good example of a developer going the extra mile for their clients.

Another nifty feature in the two-bedroom apartments was that each bedroom benefits from an en suite bathroom as the second bathroom has an adjoining privacy door to the master bedroom. Buyers have expressed a preference for this as it not only allows them to be able to rent out the second bedroom easily but it also adds privacy when guests come to stay. This is one feature which makes the apartments good value and therefore highly attractive to the first-time buyer market.


Previous story: - Top honours at the Daily Mail UK Property Awards

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