Few housing estates are capable of charging higher prices than Land & Houses, especially in the Srinakarin area, but Keppel Land is confident its 99-rai Villa Arcadia project has an edge.

In the field of selling completed homes, Keppel offers five types of detached housing. All the show units and infrastructure - such as roads, clubhouse and swimming pool - are as well presented as those at Land & Houses' sites.

"It was the feel of the place that swayed me," said Sompong Ampa ipipatkul, who bought a house there after checking out a number of other projects nearby.

"I bought a Type-B home with a built-up area of 184 square metres last April," he said at his home. "Looking back, I believe I made the right decision."

Sompong conceded there were many houses in Srinakarin that offer much cheaper homes than Arcadia, which sells its smallest Type-A home with 167 square metres of built-up space on a 55-square-wah plot for about Bt5.2 million.

Ananda Development, for instance, sells homes of the same size for about Bt3.7 million at a number of estates five kilometres away, while Land & Houses' projects in the Bang Na area also offer comparable units from about Bt3.8 million.

For Sompong, "the difference between the prices is not all that important for merchants on the move like himself. "After surveying other sites, I can say Arcadia has the edge over them on using quality products".

As the owner of two factories - one in Chon Buri making plastic products and another at Samrong, Samut Prakan, that produces galvanised steel - Sompong said he picked the estate for its convenient location between his two companies.

"The most vital aspect of buying here is that the property works for me, I like the atmosphere and I am relaxed when I am staying here," he said. "Many of my friends who bought at other estates asked if I was bothered by the rush-hour traffic?"

"As a factory owner I go the plants at about 10am, so I do avoid the peak traffic," he told them.

"The real advantage here that is I can sleep. In my Samrong house, I sleep badly because there's so much noise from adjacent factories, not to mention my own plant."

As the machines run at night, the problem of noise in that densely populated area is not ideal for residential living, he added.

As for the noise from Suvarnabhumi Airport, Sompong said: "There is a bit of noise, but it is tolerable. " He said the noise level at one of his properties at Green Valley on Bang Na was far more severe.

Villa Arcadia is located about two kilometres from the top of Soi Pattana Chumchon 1, off Srinakaarin Road near the Carrefour and Makro malls.

Constructed with prefabricated materials, Keppel has employed a cost-efficient style. The ceiling heights are about 2.8 metres.

The structure carries a three-year guarantee, while the interior is covered by a one-year guarantee.

These warranties should come in handy in the Bang Na zone, where land subsidence is a common occurrence.

Many reputable schools such as Bangkok Pattana and St Joseph Convent Bang Na campuses are close by. Thai Nakarin and Srikarin hospitals are also nearby.

Itthi C Tan

The Nation