[Burnaby] Aviara | 32fl | Escala | 42fl | Completed

[rockychocbill]

The day I was there they were not handing out any price sheets. This was the price the sales rep gave me when I pushed her for one. This was a Northwest facing unit on the 12th floor. They started selling this past Saturday but I haven't gone back. She did e-mail me to tell me that they are now putting in elongated toilets and the ones in the display centre have been changed out. I wonder if other people were making the same comment as me? lol

[Homeowner]

Originally Posted by rockychocbill

I know why they do it, but I really don't understand the reasoning. Why not just spend the extra $2500 in finishing and then charge another $5K for the unit? It's not like it's going to be a deal breaker for anyone looking at spending this kind of dough. It'd make the stuff much more appealing to buy imo.

Maybe they did research around the area and figure buyers would be more sensitive to price than upgraded finishings.

[MFB]

Floorplans can be found here:

http://www.mylasso.com/FileWarehouse...ans_Sept28.pdf

I find the angle of the 1 bed unit makes for odd shaped rooms

[MFB]

Final Release Pricing Starting From*:
•1 Bed and Den 634 sq ft $269,800

•2 Bed and 2 Bath 769-942 sq ft $349,800

•3 Bed Townhome 1330-1389 sq ft $649,800

•Sub PH / Penthouse 989-1243 sq ft $650,800

VIP Purchasing Incentive:

•2% Purchasing Incentive

[rockychocbill]

Originally Posted by Homeowner

Maybe they did research around the area and figure buyers would be more sensitive to price than upgraded finishings.

The problem is the pricing really isn't that great. I visited the SOLO yesterday (first time for me) and it has much more going for it imo. I mentioned to the sales rep that I wasn't that impressed with the Aviara display. He said their sales team was joking that they should send a thank you card over to the Aviara because since they opened sales and interest at SOLO has jumped significantly. I think people who were waiting on the Aviara (like me) are now connecting the dots.

[rockychocbill]

Originally Posted by MFB

Floorplans can be found here:

http://www.mylasso.com/FileWarehouse...ans_Sept28.pdf

I find the angle of the 1 bed unit makes for odd shaped rooms

I hate angled walls in small spaces like this. The living room you could maybe deal with but that kind of angle in a bedroom is a real space/deal killer imo.

[officedweller]

Angled walls typically mean that the space allocation if off. However, that layout is pretty good in that the dining room is separate from the living room - i.e. not a bowling alley. The problem, as rockychocbill mentioned, is that you can probably only fit a double (full) bed in the bedroom and little furniture.

One good thing about those floorplans and the floorplate of the tower - there's very little space wasted on hallways inside the suites.
I like it when you walk into a suite and it opens up and you have a clear sightline to the windows (not to a hallway or a closet door(i.e. compare with corner units at SOLO which are more typical with a long hallway)).
This one is more of a skinny slab tower, rather than a point tower.

[rockychocbill]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Angled walls typically mean that the space allocation if off. However, that layout is pretty good in that the dining room is separate from the living room - i.e. not a bowling alley. The problem, as rockychocbill mentioned, is that you can probably only fit a double (full) bed in the bedroom and little furniture.

One good thing about those floorplans and the floorplate of the tower - there's very little space wasted on hallways inside the suites.
I like it when you walk into a suite and it opens up and you have a clear sightline to the windows (not to a hallway or a closet door(i.e. compare with corner units at SOLO which are more typical with a long hallway)).
This one is more of a skinny slab tower, rather than a point tower.

This is a very good point, and it was one of the nice things I noticed walking the Aviara display. One thing I noticed with the SOLO design is that the front entry doors are often quite close to one another. In some cases they face each other. This could make for some awkward coming and going moments with your neighbors. I wish the Aviara had 9 foot, flat ceilings like SOLO.

[spiritofevil99]

One thing to point out is that the balcony space these units come with is immense.

[Aishi]

I would say this will be the nicest tower in Burnaby when it's done.. with all that glass and the blue feature light down the side. I checked the showroom out the other day and the finishing is quite nice for the 854 sqft 2 bedroom unit. It had nice thick quartz countertops and a high powered hood fan (although kind of noisy due to high speed). Noteworthy features included receptacles on the kitchen Island and the sliding shower door was really cool.
Pricing was tens of thousands cheaper than Solo and the Strata fee is pretty decent too @ 32 cents/sqft compared to 39 cents/sqft @ Solo..
obviously don't pick the units that face the cemetery and all will be good

[rockychocbill]

SOLO has a Geo-therm heat exchange system and A/C though. I was told the fees for these are included in the HOA fees. This would mean a significant reduction in your utilities bill I believe. While we don't need the A/C option here very much, it is nice to have.

If you compare closely, I think you'll see the finishing in SOLO is far superior to Aviara. Take a look at the ceilings for starters. Flat finish in SOLO. Stipple in Aviara. Plus they are mostly 9 feet in SOLO vs. 8 at Aviara. Better accent tiles in SOLO too imo. I could go on.

[Kirin]

I've been searching for some decent discussion about Aviara. Nice to see something has started here.

I agree that SOLO has the leg up on Aviara. The baseboard heating Aviara offers isn't very impressive compared to SOLO's geo thermal. And Aviara's AC upgrade is just a unit outside of your balcony. (That was the case last time I spoke to them at least.)

When I asked why AC wasn't part of the building's plan, I was informed that it would of drove the costs up, but... aren't the SOLO and Aviara priced rather similarly?

Square footage wise for a 1br with den was practically on par when I looked. Strata fees run about the same as well. So aside from the expansive balcony, what else does Aviara offer that I'm missing here?

Rather confused myself.

[officedweller]

I think it would depend on the particular units that you are looking at. May not be much difference in layouts of 1 bedrooms, but for the 2 bedroom units, Aviara has more open layouts.

WRT air conditioning, be cautious of where the bulkheads are located for the ductwork. They can destroy the symmetry of a space.

[rockychocbill]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I think it would depend on the particular units that you are looking at. May not be much difference in layouts of 1 bedrooms, but for the 2 bedroom units, Aviara has more open layouts.

WRT air conditioning, be cautious of where the bulkheads are located for the ductwork. They can destroy the symmetry of a space.

This is a good point. I sat on the couch in the living room of the 2 bedroom unit at SOLO and studied the ceiling a bit. There is a fair bit of bulkhead. I suppose this is why they had to go with 9 foot ceilings vs. 8. About half the unit ends up being 8 foot because of the bulkheads. Fortunately they have been designed so that the 9 foot space ends up being in the living room area. It doesn't really break the symmetry too much. The unfortunate thing is the three vents you see along the side of the bulkhead. It would be so cool if they could incorporate the venting behind some false valance or crown molding scenario so you don't see them. I saw this done as a custom job for someone on one the HGTV shows a while ago. Big bucks though I suppose. At least they're on the side of the bulkhead facing away from the entry of the unit so you don't really notice them until you are well into the living room area. I still prefer this over baseboard heaters too.

I will also add that when finishing our basement I was concerned about the bulkhead issue too. I had to pay $2K extra to get some of the ductwork moved to the other side of the basement so the bulkheads evened out on each side (vs. running parallel). It was money well spent. Totally improved the finished look.

[Laniatus]

I haven't seen this side of the tower before. I like the look, I think it will stand out and bring some variety to the brentwood area.

[Laniatus]

http://www.burnabynewsleader.com/news/226323831.html

Public hearing on Oct. 29th for a 52-storey tower right next to Aviara

[rofina]

Originally Posted by Laniatus

I haven't seen this side of the tower before. I like the look, I think it will stand out and bring some variety to the brentwood area.

I think this is a very visually pleasing development. Definitely not getting much attention.

[jb1969]

Yes very different from anything in the area. the first building is 30+- floors, and the second is supposed to be 50+-. Where is the second building going to sit on the property?

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by jb1969

Yes very different from anything in the area. the first building is 30+- floors, and the second is supposed to be 50+-. Where is the second building going to sit on the property?

Will the second, taller building be similar in design to this??
Hope so. Very smart and upbeat, IMO, especially the big curve in the design.

[Laniatus]

Originally Posted by jb1969

Yes very different from anything in the area. the first building is 30+- floors, and the second is supposed to be 50+-. Where is the second building going to sit on the property?

I believe this is the plan, taken from https://burnaby.civicweb.net/Documen...y.aspx?Id=9164



1st avenue is to be connected to Douglas.
Douglas will be closed from Carleton to Gilmore
the triangle lot will be turned into a park
The blue area is the current Aviara development, and the red area is the second tower.
Gilmore could also see a widening treatment