A homeowner’s dream house at Illumina Residences Manila

MANILA, Philippines - For high school science teacher and mother of five Jacq Tychuaco, home is a big house with a lawn. So when she and husband Irwin decided to get their own house in 2012, size, like their in-laws’ spacious Quezon City residence that has a garden, was a prerequisite.

In their house hunt, the couple saw and liked a Cubao townhouse, but units were no longer available. A Taguig village’s big house and lot was fitting, but its P10 million price tag was beyond their budget. They considered living in her Batangas house or buying similar ones in Laguna, but going to their workplaces and the children’s school in Metro Manila would be very inconvenient.

The 32-story Illumina Residences Manila in Sta. Mesa, Manila entered their option list one day. The resort-themed residential community of DMCI Homes along V. Mapa Street is accessible to work, schools and even their in-laws’ home in Araneta Avenue. Option turned into prospect, and prospect became a choice after the Tychuacos saw the inside of the building.

 “The structure is unlike other condos that look like a box. When we went inside, it was bright and windy,” recalls Jacq of one of the reasons Illumina Residences Manila convinced her to try a condo home.

The unique T-shape design of Illumina Residences Manila features single loaded corridors. Units are on one side of the floor for privacy. Natural light and ventilation are provided by the building’s breezeways.

 “Another thing that convinced me to buy a condo is that when we’re up here, I don’t smell the pollution from the streets and you rarely hear the noise of cars,” she says. “It’s just like we’re in the province. The air is not as fresh but also not as polluted as below.”

There are no tall buildings beside Illumina Residences Manila, giving upper floor residents an unobstructed view of the Metro Manila skyline.

 “When you go out of your balcony, you’re not facing another person in his balcony,” says Irwin, who doesn’t like condos facing each other.

 “One reason I chose Illumina Residences Manila over other condos is because when you come out of your unit, it’s not a hallway meeting you. When you come out of your door, you don’t see another door,” he adds.

 “I love the glass windows because it saves on electricity cost,” says Jacq, referring to the natural light that brightens up the unit at daytime. “We only open our lights at night unlike my friends who turn on their lights the whole day because it’s dim inside their condo units.”

For the family used to living in a big house, where kids play in a garden, living in a condo felt odd at first. The advantage was that their 30th-floor, three-bedroom unit’s size promotes closeness. The living room is a scene of togetherness when watching TV.

Irwin drives everyone to school every morning on his way to the office and Jacq, who teaches at her two younger children’s school in San Juan, walks home with the kids after their class. The children — ages are 19, 13, 12, nine and two — always swim together. Irwin and Jacq also bring their children to the basketball court to play when time permits. Aside from swimming pools and the basketball court, Illumina Residences’ other amenities are an entertainment room, fitness gym, function hall and roof deck lounge.

For information, call 324-8888 or visit www.dmcihomes.com.