Lure of the no-chore lifestyle

Press, 7 October 1987, Page 17

Lure of the no-chore lifestyle

In Residence

by

Sarah Sands

To a nation that views home as a “quarter acre paradise,” the concept of serviced apartments is like something out of a futuristic novel.

Mowing the lawns, digging the garden, and every now and again painting the house have been accepted chores in the New Zealand way of life for a long time. They have become so ingrained that even new townhouses' and ownership flats have retained small areas of garden and/or lawn. But a new Christchurch development offers a totally different life-style. Chateau Blanc is several floors of serviced apartments — something quite common overseas but relatively new to New Zealand.

Under the serviced apartment concept, a person or couple buys an apartment for a fixed price then pays a monthly service fee which covers cleaning, laundry, a main meal per day, rates, insurance, and maintenance — including running the lift. Bed linen, towels, and tea towels are supplied and laundered, and handyman services — such as mending tap washers and replacing light bulbs — are provided on site. These are also included in the service fee.

Chateau Blanc, on’ the corner of Montreal and Kilmore Streets, has been developed by Ashgrove Management Services, Ltd, a company directed by three Christchurch businessmen.

They believe more New Zealanders — in particular, the elderly — will soon be looking for this style of accommodation. One of the directors, Ron Ball, says Chateau Blanc is the culmination of a 12-year dream for the directors.

“The idea of bringing together a group of people to live in a complex such as Chateau Blanc whereby the needs of their everyday life-style can be looked after by a smaller number of people seems to be a sensible idea. “It also enables the residents of the serviced apartments time to enjoy their life-style to the full — the service provided by Chateau Blanc will leave free the week-ends because there will be no domestic chores to attend to.”

He sees the life-style offered as appealing to the “mature” person — “people nearing the end of their business careers, the retired person or couples, or the person living alone, who wishes to live In a secure environment, and whose requests may be serviced 24 hours a day.” “Chateau Blanc may suit the person who wishes to live in the centre of Christchurch; the person who travels will appreciate returning to a well-cared-for and secure apartment; and the busy executive will find Chateau Blanc convenient”

Chateau Blanc offers 36 compact, one-bedroom apartments with an open plan living area. Each has been co-ordinated in fashionable pastels by an interior designer, and comes with light fittings, carpet, and net curtains — the remainder is up to the individual.

Each apartment has a small kitchen area with a refrigerator and a tiny

stove for preparing breakfast and lunch. Dinner — which is covered by the monthly service fee — is served in the communal dining area on the ground floor.

The complex will have a resident nurse, but the developers say that noone who is terminally sick or who requires full-time care will be accepted for the apartments.