Grove 1 asking-price is $10.5 million US for 4 1/2 acres and two homes
Sun
So memorably new that the judges in an industry competition created a new category for it, Grove 1 is the creation of ‘obsessive’ construction. ‘Building really high-value homes requires thousands of small choices about quality and cost,’ Tim Regan of Vision Pacific comments. ‘Every time I come to one of these decisions I have to choose “do it right” rather than “cut corners.” . . . You’ve got to become obsessive.’
Builder Tim Regan calls the Whistler home that goes with the bathtub pictured at right Grove 1.
He wants $10.5 million US for it — and $8.9 million US for the under-construction Grove 2.
The president of Vision Pacific says there’s a very good reason you could jump into this tub from just about anywhere in the room, an egress a relatively few could claim for their tubs: Singularity sells in the international luxury market.
And that’s the market for which Regan designed and built Groves 1 and 2 and his other Whistler homes, Kamakura and Falcon Point.
“Global buyers” have demanding expectations.
“They know exactly what they want, and they’re prepared to pay a premium if the value is real,” he says in comments prepared for publication of the Vision Pacific portfolio.
Vision Pacific won two ”Georgies” in February for Grove 1.
One of the awards was new this year — for best single-family home valued at $5 million and over. It also won an award for best interior design custom residence.
The awards are named after Capt. George Vancouver and organized by the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association.
The Grove 1 property is about 4 1/2 acres in size.
There are two residences on it.
The main home, Reagan says, is ”21st century post-and-beam Whistler meets traditional English manor house, with touches of modern Tudor.”
It has five bedrooms; seven bathrooms, five of which are en suite; a great room and family room and media room.
The secondary home is suitable for a spa/gym, in-laws, domestic staff, a large home office or a recording studio, Regan says.
He says Whistler has always been a “high-end” destination — with hotels and homes to match. But high keeps getting higher.
The arrival last summer of the Four Seasons Whistler resort; the craftsmanship of some of the newer homes; and a retail scene that is sparing residents trips to Vancouver all signal an up-market direction for the resort’s residential properties, Regan says.
Interior designer Robert Ledingham says the quality of Whistler’s best housing is finally catching up to its ski hills, which have been designated “world’s best” many times in the past decade.
“Whistler’s always had a kind of rustic, comfortable luxury,” said Ledingham. “But its best accommodation never quite matched the world class homes and resorts in places like Aspen or St. Moritz.
“Now that’s changing.”
Vision Pacific’s Regan said he is deliberately investing in extra value to make his Whistler homes more competitive in the international luxury market.
“Whistler’s high-end builders typically build for the regional marketplace,” he says.
“I’ve moved it up a notch by building luxury homes for the global market.”
That notch is measured in time and, therefore, treasure.
“Building really high-value homes requires thousands of small choices about quality and cost.
”Every time I come to one of these decisions I have to choose ‘do it right’ rather than ‘cut corners.’
“Sometimes this means investing more time, sometimes it means bringing in specialized craftsmen for a tricky bit of work, or it might mean chasing down the best building materials or installations.
”You’ve got to become obsessive.”
Regan said much of the quality built into his homes is hidden from the eye. “Nobody sees the extra-capacity copper pipes needed for ‘rainfall’ shower heads in the bathroom,” he said. “But these extra touches are there, hidden away, adding value to the house.”
The Grove 2 property is about five acres in size. Its main residence — ”inspired by the stone farmhouses of Tuscany and Provence” — will have up to five bedrooms and seven bathrooms when completed next year. It, too, will have a second house on the property.
”Grove 1 and Grove 2 are adjacent, and can be combined to create a single multi-home compound.”
© The Vancouver Sun 2005