Avida Settings Nuvali

Throwback: Au Naturel in Nuvali in 2013

Life in Nuvali Philippines

Sometime in 2013, I was asked by Ayala management if I\’d be willing to get interviewed for Avida Living Magazine.  They were to write about me and my experience in Nuvali.

I dug up a copy of the piece and am now shamelessly sharing it below.  Kindly indulge me and my 15 minutes of throwback fame.

This came out in Avida Living Magazine in October 2013: Au Naturel by Nicole Sindiong.

Updates from the Nov2012 ASNU homeowners’ assembly

Life in Nuvali Philippines,

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I got to attend the Avida Settings Nuvali Homeowners\’ General Assembly on November 25, 2012. Wish I could\’ve stayed longer– would\’ve been a perfect opportunity to interact with fellow homeowners and meet neighbors in the flesh. Imagine having over 1,600 families to get to know!  Hopefully can do that at the Christmas party.

The room was packed, with about 400 people in attendance (that\’s just 1/4 of the total Avida Settings Nuvali population), and also present were Ayala Property Management Corp. (APMC) and Avida Land personnel.

Here are the updates I got to pick up:

  • Avida Land Corp. will turnover the management of the village to the Homeowners\’ Association by January 2013, with certain deliverables, such as completion/upgrading of parks and green ribbons.
  • The annual budget to maintain the village was discussed by Engr. Vic Angeles, and this was used as the basis for coming up with a working figure for the monthly dues.
  • Avida Settings Nuvali association dues will start at P7.16/sqm/month effective January 2013

Other relevant points raised:

  • Nuvali developments–whether residential, commercial– pay Nuvali Estate dues to cover common areas such as Nuvali Boulevard, etc.   This is important because now we know that as part of ASNU, we are also paying regular dues for the management of Nuvail as a whole, and can therefore make demands/ask for accountability regarding the ways these dues are being used.  Next step now is to investigate who makes up the Nuvali administration team, and who we can write re specific concerns when needed.
  • I also found out that the non-potable water supply for the whole of Nuvali is not yet in place, and will take, more or less, another 5 years to develop.  This is unfortunate, especially since I redid the plumbing for my house to specifically accommodate the dual piping system in areas that were overlooked by my contractor.  Better to have the provisions in place, I know, but it\’s frustrating to find out it was a hollow effort and will remain one for the next 5 years.

If you got to attend the full briefing, please do share other updates I missed.

The latter part of the assembly was to organize volunteer committees, and ahead of time I already advised Engr. Vic to include me in the Community Relations/Education Committee.  I grew up in a friendly neighborhood in Quezon City (with about 400 households) and can vouch for the myriad benefits of knowing one\’s neighbors.  I would love to get involved and develop community programs or gatherings to foster dialogue on our shared interests, including such topics as green living, gardening, community sharing, solid waste management.  Admittedly I have very little information as to what programs are already in place, and am just very excited to get out there and join the discussion.  Avida Settings Nuvali has a huge population, and although there is a high possibility of coming across neighbors who will just disagree and discourage, there is also as big a chance of finding like minds, and together creating a thriving, engaging community.   🙂

Jungle is gone (for now)

Everyday Life,

I don\’t know whether Avida management responded to a collective call for landscaping maintenance in ASNU or if they really had grass-cutting scheduled last week, but I was happy to see this on my last visit:

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Freshly cut grass in Phases 1-3 of Avida Settings Nuvali.

According to the roving guard, Phase 4 is still a construction zone, so they concentrated on the first 3 areas for now.

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Hope the grass stays trimmed, especially since we can only expect more rains (lush greens) in the coming months!

Jungle alert: grass everywhere!

Life in Nuvali Philippines Farming and Gardening Sustainable Living

Visited a Celena unit in Avida Settings Nuvali Phase 4 last week, and was surprised to be greeted by wild vines inside the unit!
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This was turned over clean and with a visible perimeter in January 2012.  Six months after, it\’s overrun with grass and vines, literally looking like a jungle.

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I asked the ASNU admin re: grass cutting in the village, and was advised that not all areas have been turned over to them for maintenance, so they can only remind/call the attention of the existing landscaping service provider when certain areas remain unkempt.  Also, Avida\’s responsibility only extends to trimming grasses on sidewalks and vacant lots that haven\’t been turned over to owners.

I think this policy can be amended to include all vacant lots regardless of status, if only for the safety of existing residents (we recently heard stories of snakes combing the village grasses).  To date there are still no association dues in Avida Settings Nuvali, however, so we residents are actually in no position to be so demanding.

My own area has overgrown cogon, and we just decided to be proactive about it and replace it with manageable groundcovers ourselves:

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In a few months, hopefully, we\’ll have blooming peanut shrubs instead of wayward cogon covering the sidewalks, much like the one shown below:
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If I had the budget, I\’d plant frog grass– which supposedly never grows high and therefore has zero maintenance — on all sidewalks and frontage of vacant lots in the village.  This was actually an idea I heard from my friend\’s dad, who sits as board director of another residential/farming community in Silang  (bulk of their budget really goes to grass-cutting).  Not only will it maintain the visual and safety standards of a premier subdivision, but it will also cut down on grass-cutting costs and save money for the community in the long run.  We\’d also be doing future homeowners a favor– I remember it took considerable effort to uproot all the cogon on my lot before building could start.

How are Avida houses in Nuvali made?

Everyday Life, ,

Ever since I started building the house, I\’ve been more interested in different construction methods and techniques. I\’ve also documented, whenever I could, the way the different house models (Celena, Maia, Thea) were being constructed by Ayala subcontractors in Avida Settings Nuvali.

Thought to put them together here for everyone\’s benefit, also prompted by a recent exchange on the Skyscrapercity-Nuvali thread:

Concrete slabs for the Celena next door
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Flooring works
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Papa looking at ongoing construction of a Thea in Phase 4:
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Insulation and roofing:
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A Celena unit nearly done:
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Exterior finishing:

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What can you still buy in Avida Settings Nuvali?

Everyday Life, ,

All 4 Phases are open already, and I won\’t be surprised if they sell out soon.

Here\’s a rundown on the different offerings and what\’s still available for sale:

Model Floor Area Price range Available Units
Thea 88sqm 4.1 – 4.9M 14
Maia 69sqm 3.1 – 4.6M 23
Celena 53sqm 2.4 – 4.2M 46
Lot only 102sqm – 203sqm 11,400 – 13,800/sqm 45

That\’s a remarkable take up, considering that a significant number of those who bought are actually living in Avida already. The total saleable units for ASNU were 825 houses and 838 lots.

In Avida Settings, buyers of bigger lots are given an option of which house model to build on their lot (for a 224 square meter lot, for example, you can build any of the three models).  The figures above represent all remaining options for anyone who\’s looking to buy now, so some lots were counted more than once.

I also plotted the remaining inventory on the map to get the big picture– let\’s look at each Phase in Avida Settings Nuvali in my next posts.

If you\’re looking to buy in Nuvali, now is the time, before everyone really starts coming in (and bringing the prices up with them)!  Solenad 2 is due to open this weekend, Republic Wakepark at the end of the year, and Xavier is eyeing June 2012 for their first school year opening.

It\’s all happening!

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AVIDA SETTINGS NUVALI

Total area 43.5 hec
Lot sizes H&L: 113sqm – 220sqm        L: 102sqm – 203sqm
Price range H&L: 2.4M – 4.9M                 L: 11,400 – 13,800/sqm
Saleable units 825 units (838 lots)
Start of house construction 1st batch Phase 4 – April 2011

If you\’d like more information on Avida properties or any of the lots in Nuvali, including commercial lots for sale, just send me a message at johanna@metrorealty.ph or 0920-9624116.

Nuvali street names

Everyday Life

Notice the names of the streets in Avida Settings Nuvali, patterned after US sites and cities– Bridgeport, Fremont Peak, Blueridge, Mt. Rushmore.
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Personally I would\’ve preferred a more Pinoy context…

– Where do you live?
– Pechay St.

Haha 😛

But seriously, what other names would\’ve worked?

Pinoy veggies or herbs: Welcome to Malunggay Ave., Turn left on Pandan St.
Pinoy nature terms: Ilog St., Batis Ave., Dagat St., Araw St.  <— pwede!
Pinoy animals:  Oso St.,  Kalapati St., Lawin St., Paru-paro St.
Pinoy trees would\’ve been nice too (although I know a village in Pasig that already uses them):  Narra St., Mahogany, Tindalo, Ipil

On the upside, Avida\’s current street names do lend a breezy feel to the place–snow references maybe?  At least we can imagine snowy peaks and stay cool when we start feeling the heat of summer again. 😛

For sale: Maia unit ready for move-in

Everyday Life,

We took a slow drive around Avida Settings Nuvali today to just soak in the neighborhood.

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We also looked at a unit we\’re helping sell– it\’s a Maia Standard on a 135 square meter lot in Phase 1.  Floor area is 66 square meters.

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Beautiful location along the green ribbon:

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What makes this particular green ribbon special are these full grown trees!  Imagine having them in your extended garden… 🙂\"Avida

This unit is selling for P3,100,000 (firm price).  Please contact johanna@metrorealty.ph or 0920-9624116 for more information.