Launched last quarter, Issara @ 42 has secured sufficient bookings to commence building soon, said project developer Charn Issara Development (CID).

"We have seen healthy sales despite a volatile period in the past few months," said CID chief executive Songkran Issara.

The 69-unit luxury condominium is being constructed off Sukhumvit 42,which is accessible through Rama IV and Sukhumvit roads.

Unlike the heavily congested stretch from Phra Kanong (Sukhumvit 71) to Sukhumvit 103, which has been the daily commuter's nightmare for the past month, Soi 42 does not suffer heavy construction activity or have too many overweight container trucks wrecking its road surfaces like the sois connected to Bang Na.

The building will have eight floors with a ceiling height of about 2.6 metres.

The value of the one-rai project is about Bt500 million, said the developer. Most of the homes will be two-bedroom units, each covering 78 square metres.

"There are also three-bedroom apartments available, but it will not have studio or one-bedroom types," Songkran said.

The starting price of Bt5.3 million includes air-conditioning units, a pantry and some built-in items.

Issara @ 42 is expected to take 18 months to construct. The project is scheduled for completion in late 2008.

Songkran said he was mostly targeting family buyers who need a bigger space and appreciate a quieter residential area, as many Sukhumvit projects are built very close to the main road, which is often very noisy, highly polluted and dangerously crowded.

While Sukhumvit 42 is also crowded, it is relatively free of the environmental degradation affecting the stretch from the BTS Skytrain stations of Nana to Phrom Phong.

The Soi 42 project is served by two BTS stations, one at Ekamai and the other at Phra Kanong, near the Rama IV-Sukhumvit junction.

The maintenance fee for the project is set at Bt45 a square metre, while the sinking fund is Bt600 a square metre.

These charges are at the higher end of the spectrum, but they are necessary for the estate managers to keep the property in good condition.

Car parking is available in the basement and ground floors.

CID is currently embarking on two other residential projects. The first will be a resort condominium in Cha-am with 175 freehold apartments.

The other is a 39-storey condominium on Lat Phrao 12 with about 500 freehold units.

Itthi C Tan

The Nation