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This is independent editorial content written by a PropertyMash Journalist. While we try to ensure all information is as accurate as possible, please double check with the developer or real estate agent directly before making a purchasing decision. The information contained within this article may be incorrect or out of date.
This is the site and sales display for The Sylvan. Construction is yet to begin. Photo taken by Property Mash 30/11/2016.
The Sylvan offers good quality one, two and three bedroom apartments that seem to be predominantly targeted towards owner occupiers. The building itself is quite well designed, incorporating brick and timber into the facade, it features a pool deck on the ground floor with plenty of greenery. Many ground floor apartments actually open onto the pool deck, which is located at the back corner of the building.
The Sylvan is located on Sylvan Road in Toowong. This is a pretty busy road that is often used as a thoroughfare from the Western Freeway to Coronation Drive. The major advantages of being located here, however, is that you are only a few hundred metres from the entrance to Coronation Drive, which makes driving into the city and beyond very easy. It is also within walking distance to Toowong Village, which just had a $50 million upgrade, as well as a multitude of other shops, cafes and parks surrounding Toowong.
At the time of writing this article, the project was in the early stages of marketing.
There are 35 x one bedroom apartments at this project. These are priced between $410,000 and $465,000. These apartments are, on average, 56m² internally with 11m² balconies.
Kitchen render.
The 71 x two bedroom apartments at The Sylvan all have two bathrooms. These are priced between $560,000 and $740,000 and are 82m² internally on average with 14m² balconies.
Bathroom render.
The remaining 11 apartments in this project are three bedders. Each of these has two bathrooms and comes with two car parks, as well. These are priced from $805,000 to $990,000 and are 100m² on average, with 26m² balconies. Overall sizes are generally standard for new apartments in this price range being released in Brisbane at the moment.
Rendering of the pool deck.
As we mentioned above, there is a recreational area at the back corner of the building on the ground floor. This has a pool and BBQ facilities. Many apartments on the ground floor will open up onto this area, which will be a nice feature for these apartments, although you will no doubt loose some privacy as a result. Several ground floor apartments also open up onto the street. This may offer the potential for direct access to your apartment from the street level, however we have not been able to confirm this with the Developer.
These apartments have the potential to get some great views, particularly those on the Sylvan Road and Earle Lane sides of the building. These apartments will look over Toowong Park and towards the city.
Indicative view from level 7 towards the city.
There are two lifts that service the building.
For visitors, there are 15 car parks. This is essential because parking on Sylvan Road can be quite difficult.
The Sylvan is, as the name suggests, located on Sylvan Road in Toowong. It is on the corner of Earle Lane and across the road from Toowong Park. Toowong is a suburb of Brisbane that is located 5km west of the CBD.
Toowong Park is just across the road. Photo taken by Property Mash 30/11/2016.
This location is great for transport. There is a bus stop literally across the road from The Sylvan that has busses going into the city regularly. A trip to Adelaide Street takes around 15 minutes. The nearest train station is at Toowong Village, a five to ten minute walk away. A train trip into Central Station takes less than ten minutes.
The closest bus stop is just outside. Photo taken by Property Mash 30/11/2016.
On top of this, bike riders will love living on Sylvan Road. Many bike riders travel down this road each day because the Bicentennial Bikeway is at the end of Sylvan Road, just 500m from The Sylvan. The Bicentennial Bikeway lets bike riders travel into the city without having to use the road.
The Bicentennial Bikeway is just down the road. Photo taken by Property Mash 30/11/2016.
The City Cat is also a great transport option. The nearest terminal is just 500m away from The Sylvan.
Toowong Village is located on top of Toowong Train Station. This is a popular shopping destination that recently underwent a $50 million upgrade. This centre has a KMart, David Jones, Lorna Jane, Coles, Fruit Store, Woolworths, Chemist, doctors, dentists, gyms, cafes and more.
The Regatta Hotel. Photo taken by Property Mash 30/11/2016.
There are also a few really cool cafes close to The Sylvan. The corner store cafe is just a few hundred metres down Sylvan Road, which is a really famous and busy western suburbs cafe. Also, there is a cafe below The Regatta Hotel that is great for breakfast and coffee. The Regatta Hotel is also home to The Boatshed, a great restaurant that is famous for its steaks.
Toowong State School is only 500m away, whilst Brisbane Boys’ College is less than one kilometre away. On top of this, the University of Queensland, which is Queensland’s most prestigious university, is located in neighbouring St Lucia. Residents of The Sylvan could drive there in under ten minutes, or get the bus.
The neighbouring suburbs around Toowong include Indooroopilly, St Lucia, Auchenflower, Taringa and Bardon. Toowong’s median apartment price is $448,000 and the median rent is $400 per week. The population of Toowong in 2006 was 10,634 people. By 2011 the population was 11,251 showing a population growth of 5% in the area during that time. The predominant age group in Toowong is 15-24 years and the majority of households are couples.
Buyers at The Sylvan will have the option to choose between two colour schemes – dawn and dusk. These are essentially just a light and dark colour scheme. The photos below shows the difference between the two schemes.
At the sales display, there are fully built examples of a kitchen and bathroom and we really recommend going in and having a look to really get a good idea of how these apartments will look and feel (details about where the sales display is located at the end of this article).
The kitchen as seen inside the sales display. Photo taken by Property Mash 30/11/2016.
As with most new apartments of this quality, the kitchen bench top is reconstituted stone and the splashback is glass with a coloured backing. All of the cabinetry is melamine with soft closing joinery. Kitchen benchtops are 40mm thick which is larger than average and a nice addition.
Kitchen render.
The floors throughout the living area, entry and kitchen are tiled. There is an option to have timber flooring installed. The bedrooms are carpeted.
Timber flooring vs tiled flooring. Photo taken inside the sales display.
These apartment come fitted with good quality Bosch appliances, including a gas cooktop.
Photo of the bathroom inside the sales display. Photo taken by Property Mash 30/11/2016.
The bathrooms have floor to ceiling tiles which is ideal to have in a wet space.
There are no fans in this project, but all apartments have ducted air conditioning throughout. The ceilings are a standard height – 2.6m.
The body corporate rates at The Sylvan range from $2,800 to $3,700
In terms of rental values,
According to the rental appraisal, it is expected that the two and three bedroom apartments will yield a higher return than those on the higher floors. On top of this, the apartments that overlook Sylvan Road and Toowong Memorial Park are expected to be the most valuable rental apartments.
There is another project located right next door to The Sylvan that is currently on the market called White Dawn by BPM. There are many major differences between these two buildings that will be immediately clear to anybody who is familiar with BPM’s developments. In terms of look and feel, these projects are completely different. White Dawn will be a stark building of black and white, whilst the Sylvan will have a stone, timber and brick facade. These two projects will have a completely different aesthetic, so it would be a worthwhile task to inspect and compare both before you buy.
The White Dawn sales display is next door.
There are number of other projects currently on the market in Toowong. Banc is a luxury building that is located on Coronation Drive. These apartments are larger and more expensive in general than those at The Sylvan.
There is a project called Westside that is located in Indooroopilly that is across the road from Indooroopilly Shopping Centre. It is quite similar in terms of design and price to The Sylvan.
Other projects in Toowong include Landmark, Serenity and Sense.
The Sylvan is a project by WINIM. They are a developer/funds manager with many years of experience and successful projects.
The builder for The Sylvan is yet to be chosen.
There is a sales display for this project located on site at 58 Sylvan Road, Toowong.
There is a car park accessible off Earle Lane. From the car park, you follow the signs into the lift and head to the ground floor.
Exterior of the sales display.
Inside the sales display there are plenty of renders and pictures, as well as floor plates and floor plans.
There is also a fully constructed kitchen, living area and bathroom.
At the time of writing this article, the sales display at The Sylvan is open by appointment only. It will be open regular hours in early 2017.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this project.
Have you visited this project recently, or perhaps you live nearby or bought in a neighbouring building? Tell us what you love about this project, or perhaps what you don't.