Many of Singapore's landed homes can be found in Bukit Timah and in the East so it should be no surprise that we're back in Joo Chiat again this week.
Today, we're headed to Joo Chiat Avenue, a street that connects Telok Kurau and Telok Kurau Park/ Siglap Canal. (It's actually just across from Frankel Estate, which we did a tour of a few years ago, but Frankel generally has larger houses so you'll need deeper pockets if you want a house there.)
PHOTO: Stackedhomes
Here's a map of the area for your reference. As shown, Telok Kurau Park is a very sizeable green space and one of the best things about living at Joo Chiat Avenue, in my opinion.
The other plus point is the lifestyle factor: you're within walking distance of a lot of great eateries and cool places to hang out, such as George's Katong Laksa and the Brewing Ground.
(As is often the case in terrace house estates, street parking can be hard to find but the Brewing Ground has a car park at which your visitors can park, it's a very short walk away thanks to all the alleys linking Joo Chiat Avenue and Joo Chiat Park.)
Here's the Masterplan: you'll probably have immediately noticed that houses zoned 1.4 are not in short supply here. Almost the entire section left of Siglap Canal is zoned 1.4 (which means that in absence of other restrictions, large enough plots can be turned into boutique low-rise condos.) PHOTO: Stackedhomes
Another interesting thing you may have noticed from the Masterplan is that some of the houses on the "upper" side of Joo Chiat Avenue are very long and have frontages on both Joo Chiat Avenue and Lorong H Telok Kurau (the parallel street.) In contrast, the units on the "lower" side of Joo Chiat Avenue appear to be divided into 2 (with 1 unit having a Joo Chiat Avenue frontage and the 2nd a Joo Chiat Place frontage.)
Let's start our tour at the junction of Telok Kurau Road and Joo Chiat Avenue. PHOTO: Stackedhomes
Along Telok Kurau, you'll find a bus stop with three buses serving it: 15, 150, and 155.
Looking to the right. PHOTO: StackedhomesAnd to the left. PHOTO: Stackedhomes
Along Telok Kurau, there are a few more landed houses (4 to the left to be exact.) However, do note that Telok Kurau is a pretty busy road.
After these houses is The Brewing Ground where you'll find a complex with a cafe, pottery studio, fitness centres, and more. PHOTO: StackedhomesAcross the road is Parkway East Hospital. PHOTO: StackedhomesAnd a few steps down are YiLo Bar, a kopitiam, and more. PHOTO: Stackedhomes
Now that we've seen the surroundings amenities, let's walk down the actual street itself.
PHOTO: StackedhomesThese are the houses closest to the Telok Kurau end. As you may have noticed, it's a dotted white line so technically you can park on the street. PHOTO: StackedhomesThere's also a pre-school near this end (Little Big Pre-School.) PHOTO: StackedhomesAlthough it's mainly terrace houses, there is the odd bigger unit too. PHOTO: StackedhomesSome vintage style properties. PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesWhen I visited, it was possible to find street parking, but this may not be the case once everyone is back from work. PHOTO: StackedhomesYou can find some colourful units here. I haven't seen many yellow houses on these walkabouts! PHOTO: StackedhomesSo far most of the houses we've seen are 2-storey units but you can also build higher, as shown above. PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesAnd bigger ones. If I had the budget to look for a terrace unit, my preference would be for one set on a street with semi-Ds and detached units, as that makes the area less claustrophobic. PHOTO: StackedhomesAnother photo to show you the difference in heights between the older and newer units. PHOTO: StackedhomesEarlier, I had mentioned how some of the units on Joo Chiat Avenue are very long and extend all the way back to the parallel road (Lorong H Telok Kurau)— this could be one of them as it only has a backdoor that opens up to Joo Chiat Avenue. (It's hard for me to say for sure without actually entering the unit.) PHOTO: StackedhomesThis photo may give you a better idea of how much higher you can go with a 1.4 plot ratio. Most of the units here are still 2 storeys though. PHOTO: StackedhomesEarlier, I had mentioned that you can find several (pedestrian) alleyways connecting Joo Chiat Avenue and its parallel street, Joo Chiat Place, which serves as shortcuts. PHOTO: StackedhomesThis is one of them. I also like how they provide some extra buffer space between the Joo Chiat Place houses and Joo Chiat Avenue houses. (The alleys are in a shape.) PHOTO: StackedhomesLooking at Joo Chiat Place from Joo Chiat Avenue. The closer we get to Telok Kurau Park, the bigger units we see. (But it's still majority terrace units.)PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: Stackedhomes(No alleys or roads linking Joo Chiat Avenue to Lorong H Telok Kurau though.)PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesThis single storey house was definitely one of the more memorable ones on this walkabout. PHOTO: StackedhomesThis house marks the end of Joo Chiat Avenue, where it meets Telok Kurau Park. PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesHere you'll find a 2nd road that connects to Joo Chiat Place. On the left is the park and Siglap Canal. PHOTO: StackedhomesTaking a last look down Joo Chiat Avenue before we enter the park. PHOTO: StackedhomesThe park, I love how green, peaceful, and spacious it is. PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesThere seems to be quite a good community feel too (note the community day poster above.) I also spoke to a lady who lives in one of the houses nearby and she was very happy living here, no complaints about the neighbours. PHOTO: StackedhomesThose are the Frankel houses in the distance. PHOTO: StackedhomesNo lack of space for activities here. PHOTO: StackedhomesPHOTO: StackedhomesI'm not sure if this is a community garden? If so, it's one of the neatest ones I've seen. PHOTO: Stackedhomes
This brings us to the end of today's tour. How did you find the area? One thing to mention: unfortunately, there have been flood warnings for Joo Chiat Avenue in the past.
Something prospective buyers may want to know more about is the transaction history (shown above)PHOTO: Stackedhomes
