Coming home to freshness at Crosswinds

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Located on the rolling terrain of Tagaytay City and perfumed 23,000 pine trees, Crosswinds formally inaugurates fresh developments in the Swiss luxury resort in a topping-off ceremony to be led by Vista Land & Lifescapes chairman and former Senator Manny Villar. 

“A community, especially that which is devoted on luxury and leisure, should be always marked with constant improvements,” says Joan Patricia Dial, Division Head of Brittany. “At Crosswinds, we are not just adding new features for our current homeowners to enjoy but also expanding our residential portfolio so others may experience the high comfort that living in Crosswinds entails.”

Foremost among these fresh and exciting developments is the rise of the third tower of the Grand Quartier, an enclave of mid-rise condominiums nestled in a high peak of the development. Each of its one- or two-bedroom units has a balcony that opens to a breathtaking view of the Tagaytay landscape. With only eight residential levels and a floor dedicated to amenities that include an infinity pool, spa, gym, function room and coffee shop, the Grand Quartier espouses exclusivity, privacy and luxury to its residents.

“Residents may also decide to lease out their units as part of Crosswinds’ condotel operation,” says Martin John Lim, Project Head of Crosswinds. “With Tagaytay being one of the most visited tourist destinations in the country and with a growing number of travelers looking for more sophisticated accommodations, unit owners will be rewarded with a good return of their investment.”

Aside from the third tower of the Grand Quartier, Crosswinds also welcomes the commercial development of Alpine Village, an enclave modeled to look like a charming and laid-back European town. As the commercial hub of Crosswinds, it will be home to restaurants, gift shops and cafés, among others establishments, that residents, including their kids and guests, will enjoy. They will also get to experience pocket events such as musical performances as they stroll through the Alpine Village.

As part of the vision of making Crosswinds a more dynamic and vibrant community, Vista Land offers townhouse, house-and-lot, and lot-only options to prospective homeowners who imagine a lifestyle couched in the beauty of nature as well as the conveniences of modern-day living.

The three custom home sites are Montreux Ville (along with Montreux Gardens), Pine Grove and Peak and Cedar Brooks. 

Montreux Ville is 4.3-hectare self-contained and exclusive enclave located on the north side of Crosswinds and has its own amenities area. Lot sizes on offer range from 260 to 560 square meters. Right beside it is Montreux Gardens that only offers 58 lots with an average cut of 350 square meters. This is perfect for residents who have a green thumb and want to cultivate their own gardens. 

Another exclusive enclave, this time in close proximity to the amenities area, is Pine Grove where lots on offer range from 400 to 600 square meters (Phase I) and from 225 to 374 square meters (Phase II). Those who want a bigger lot can find it in Phase III where cuts range from 300 to 1,000 square meters. Lot owners will have the chance to build their homes on the natural contour of the land.

The last custom home site is the Peak View & Cedar Brooks where future residents can build their own Swiss chalets, on lot sizes that range from 450 to 1,000 square meters. 

Those who want to move in to a ready-made home can do so in the Swiss Quadrilles which is now in its third phase of development. Situated along the hills, the enclaves are composed of four-unit townhomes that embody the best of Swiss architecture. Each of the four units feature two floors, two bedrooms, three toilet and baths, a deck, a porch and a balcony which opens to the pine-scented landscape of Crosswinds community. Select units also have a provision for an attic.

A more privileged view can be had at Deux Pointe, which is located at the highest elevation of the Crosswinds community. It is composed of duplex townhomes, also built in the spirit of Swiss architecture, that come in two-bedroom (Duetto Tresor), three-bedroom (Duetto Primo) and four-bedroom (Duetto Gran) configurations. With two or three bathrooms, all the townhomes come with a powder room, a maid’s room, a balcony and a two-car garage.

“At Crosswinds, we offer our prospective homeowners a number of options with regard to their residence,” says Dial. “Whether they want to live in a condominium, a town house, or a stand-alone residence which they can build from the ground up, they have the freedom to choose the lifestyle they are most comfortable with. As future members of the Crosswinds community, they can fashion their dream life in a self-contained, secure and beautiful setting.”

Some photos here during the Swiss luxury resort in a topping-off ceremony to be led by Vista Land & Lifescapes chairman and former Senator Manny Villar.

For more information, visit brittany.com.ph or call 02.749.9999.

Summer’s here: are you prepared for a termite attack?

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Summer is the best time to prepare your home defense against termite attacks. There’s still a lot of time before the termites start swarming. It’s better to prepare for any termite attack now than to regret it later. For maximum protection against termite infestation, it’s best to use Solignum Wood Preservative from the leading and trusted wood preservatives for more than 100 years.

The Solignum wood preservative is effective against termites, wood-boring insects, and fungi—three known pests that may cause irreversible and costly damage to our homes if they aren’t stopped in time.

Another breakthrough is the introduction of Solignum Interior.  Solignum Interior is the same tried, tested, and trusted Solignum but now in a reduced odor formula making it very convenient to use inside the house.

Together with Solignum wood preservative, there is Soilguard odorless soil termiticide that creates a barrier to prevent termites from entering the structure. Subterranean termites may live under the soil around your house and they are able to build passageways called “mud tubes” from their colony underground to your house. Treating the soil around your house with Soilguard will prevent subterranean termites from attacking your home. Soilguard creates a barrier in the soil that will kill any termites that come into contact with it. It is formulated to be less hazardous to humans, animals, and the environment.

There’s also another type of termite, called the drywood termite, which lives inside and feeds on the wooden parts of your home. Using a combination of Solignum wood preservative and Soilguard will prevent an infestation of both termite types protecting your home inside and out.

Since summer generally has good, dry weather, it is also a good time to have the house inspected for a possible termite infestation, or to take steps to prevent such infestation. During the summer you may do the following:

Watch for termite warning signs. These include: wood damage; shed wings from a termite swarm; a termite swarm (just before the rainy season); termite mounds (punso); piles of termite droppings; or mud tubes that termites use as passageways from their colony to the wood that they are eating. You may not be able to recognize all signs of termite infestation so it’s best to call for a pest control professional to inspect your house.

Prevent moisture from getting in the wooden parts of your home. There are several ways to do this. Get rid of any stagnant water sources around your house. Make sure that gutters and drains spouts are clean and unblocked, and also ensure that the water flowing from them does not touch wooden parts of your house. Make necessary modifications in your house so that moisture does not accumulate in its interiors and exteriors.

Keep wooden parts of your house from touching the soil. Wooden structures, including posts and fences, must be at least six inches above the ground.

Get rid of potential termite food sources. Termites eat cellulose, which is the organic material from plants and trees. So if you have firewood or piles of discarded paper materials, or junk wood or wooden furniture lying around the house, get rid of them or make sure they are about 20 feet away from your home. Keeping them in your home may attract termites. Get rid of trees stumps or dead trees that are near your house.  Also, if you have plants or trees, trim their leaves or branches so these are not touching the wooden parts of your house.

These are just some of the things you can do to prevent a termite infestation of your home. For more information, you may call Jardine Distribution at 02-8436011 or visit its facebook page or website www.jardinedistribution.com.

Follow The Rainbow Fashion Show at the SM City Manila

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Live in colours as SM City Manila showcases FOLLOW THE RAINBOW FASHION SHOW AND DANCE PARTY! Join us tomorrow by 4pm at the upper ground floor event center to witness the SM Summer collections. 

See poster for details and visit 

https://www.facebook.com/SMCityManila?directed_target_id=0

Make the best Happen when BPI Family Brings Housing Madness to Pampanga

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BPI Family Housing Loan is set to bring excitement in Pampanga when it holds the 3-day Housing Madness on April 25-27, 2014 at the activity area of Marquee Mall, Ayala Center. 

During the Madness event, the Bank will be putting together under one roof eight (8) residential developers featuring their local projects, each one backed with exclusive home acquisition packages to offer. Real estate developers participating at the Housing Madness include Alveo Land, Inc, Avida Sales Corp (Avida Towers Vita), Avida Land (Madera Grove Estate), Ayala Land, Inc., Central Country Estate (Lakeshore), Filinvest, Hausland Development Corp. and St. Catherine Realty. 

This housing madness is even more exciting this year with BPI Family Housing Loan’s summer special offers which include: BPI’s guaranteed best rates at 5.5% p.a. fixed for 1 year and 6.88% p.a. fixed for 5 years and waived processing fee. These offers are valid for loan applications received during the BPI Family Housing Madness event and loan proceeds released on or before June 30, 2014. Clients will also get a FREE BPI Gold Master Card with their approved and availed housing loan.

“The influx of real estate property developers in Pampanga and nearby provinces is a good indicator that potential for growth of the area is high and there is a continuing demand for modern communities in the local market. Thus, harnessing the real estate prospects in a province such as Pampanga is one of the goals of BPI Family Savings Bank. This is why we are bringing our Housing Madness here so that our fellow Kapampangans could take advantage of our very competitive rates and exclusive offers. The heart of the Bank is not just about giving out loans to our target market, but more on providing the best financial advice to guide them as they make a major decision in their lives such as owning their own home. We are coming in with our trusted partner developers’ projects that our clients could explore and choose from. We are here to ’Make the Best Happen’ in the lives of our kababayans,” says TG Limcaoco, President of BPI Family Savings Bank. 

Join BPI Family’s 3-day Housing Madness invasion and know more about what you could own. Make your best decision now. Visit www.bpiloans.com. 

Thousands of Youth Gather for Habitat Youth Build 2014 “Tagbo. Tukod. Tana!”

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This year’s Youth Build is expected to be one of the biggest youth gatherings in the country. Over 5,000 youth will converge at Habitat Youth Build 2014 “Tagbo. Tukod. Tana!”

“Tagbo. Tukod. Tana!” as this year’s Habitat for Humanity “Youth Build”, happening simultaneously on May 3, 2014 in five key provinces in the country, to make a commitment to help rebuild homes across calamity-stricken areas in the Philippines. 

Beginning May 3, young volunteers will sweat it out as they get their gloves, hard hats, and shovels ready to begin the construction of Habitat houses in earthquake-hit areas in Bohol, and Yolanda-affected communities in Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Naga. After Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) destroyed parts of the country in November last year, Habitat launched its “Re-Build PH” campaign with a target to rebuild 30,000 houses. This year’s Youth Build aims to rally the youth to do their share to meet this target.

“Rebuilding the Philippines is everyone’s responsibility. This time, we want to gather our youth and tap into their passion and energy to help get the job done while at the same time serving as role models to the younger generation,” shares Charlie Ayco, Habitat for Humanity Philippine’s CEO and Managing Director.

“Tagbo. Tukod. Tana!”

Since the build-sites are mostly around the Visayas region, this year’s theme was taken from the local Visayan dialect-- “Tagbo. Tukod. Tana!” (Let’s gather. Let’s build. Let’s do it.) It hopes to speak more urgently to the Visayan youth to rise to the challenge of helping their own neighbors, friends, and kababayans rebuild their own communities by taking part in the Youth Build.

“For us to be able to truly move forward from the horrors of the earthquake and typhoon, we need to work hand-in-hand as one community-- the progress of one is the progress of all. We encourage the Boholanos to help their kababayans, because by doing so they are helping the entire province,” Ayco adds.

Rebuilding 7,000 houses in Bohol

In October last year, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake rocked parts of Bohol leaving houses in shambles and families homeless. The Youth Build targets to rebuild 7,000 homes in 16 municipalities across the province providing decent shelter to families still living in tents and make-shift houses.

To kick-off festivities in Bohol on May 3, a motorcade of celebrity youth supporters will take place in the morning leading all the way to the Habitat site in Loon, Bohol where Habitat’s Youth Council will begin the initial build. To cap the day, a youth concert open to the public will be staged to further urge the Boholano youth to respond to the call.

Other local festivities to kick-off the “Youth Build” will also happen in Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Naga.

The Habitat Youth Build is a movement that engages young people to raise funds for, and awareness of the poverty housing situation in the Asia-Pacific region where one in eight people live in slums, according to the United Nations.

Now on its third year, the annual campaign challenges the youth to do something concrete to help. Young people from 11 other Habitat countries across the region will also participate and build or repair homes for low-income families. 

Habitat for Humanity Philippines is a global non-profit organization committed to addressing the housing backlog in the country.

To know more about Habitat and its programs, log on to www.habitat.org.ph.