Sandoval Gardens

Bavaria Gulf's flagship Sandoval Gardens project has been an interesting mix of German and Arab expertise, and its townhouses are near to completion.

Bavaria Gulf’s flagship Sandoval Gardens project has been an interesting mix of German and Arab expertise, and its townhouses are near to completion.

There is so much suspicion in the market now, everything is questioned. That’s why we’re very transparent,” says Raymond Lefevre, general manager of Bavaria Gulf, standing in the doorway of one of the sand-coloured townhouses in the company’s Sandoval Gardens complex in Jumeirah Village.

He explains that all buyers of the townhouses receive a detailed specification, which is an advance on the state of communication between developer and customer in the context of thelast few years.

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“If you bought a property three years ago often there would be no specification,” he explains.  “I bought a property and for a specification there was a blank sheet that simply said: ‘to beprovided later’. We wanted to be a transparent company, and that’s why we have a huge list.

All items are listed, including which brands and which models. This is very important – when you target end users they want to know what they’re getting for their money.”

The 36 townhouses are the first part of an AED260 million twin-development of the overall Sandoval Gardens that will also include a five-star-level apartment building. The designs and construction are part of a new niche of German design for the UAE market. Thecompany is now close to handing over the residences, which it says are 95% sold.

All townhouses conform to TUeV, a German standard of quality that is a common benchmark in Lefevre’s home market. This means that all construction and finishing is assessed by a third-party, which essentially represents the buyer.

“These third parties are important because they represent the buyer and ensure specifications are fulfilled – otherwise the buyer would just have to trust the developer!”

He adds that the transparency message – which includes monthly newsletters containing pictures and interviews with suppliers – has been well received by the buyers. Site visits are also accommodated, and frequently popular. “Some people come every month,” says Lefevre.

The German paint on the outside is one of the first notable aspects: it has a flexible component that makes it elastic – important to cover cracks and adapt to minor expansions in the building. “As every civil engineer knows, there will always be cracks. The paint can expand and contract with the building, from the heat of the day when it can be 40 degrees to the evening when it’s 20 degrees. “

Lefevre explains that 90% of the finishing materials came from Germany and the rest of Europe, as well as some of the MEP materials. “With TUeV we’re committed to German standards and somefinishing materials, for example from China, we couldn’t get them.”

He admits that there had been some delay to the construction based on the ubiquitous problem of rising material costs, and that this problem is exacerbated by purchasing across continents.