[carang]

not any public areas for bbq. you'll have to look for a place with a roof, terrace or garden!

[mumto2]

thanks carang

[carang]

there is one area in la vista, where we used to live, that had picnic tables and you could take your own bbq there, but there were no pits, etc provided so you'd have to lug all your own stuff anyway. not much point in that.

[Skyhook]

Mumto2,

Carang is quiet right. If you plan on having BBQ's outside, and enough room to invite 10 or so people over, it might be a good idea to locate a top floor apartment which includes its own private roof top terrace, possibly you might even get a balcony as well. If you can get a property that has some form of private out door area, life in HK can be greatly enhanced. You should be able to get a place for $30K a month without any drama's. A fair percentage of Discovery Bay apartments have a gas oven too, which you and hubby will appreciate.


We finished renovating our rooftop terrace earlier this year, after extensive renovations of our apartment, and now have it looking really ace, especially the garden. Having a bit of private outdoor space where you can just hang out with friends for a BBQ and a couple of glasses of wine, makes home life a bit more normal, just like AUS, in many ways. Photo of our roof top below.

[carang]

wow! that looks awesome! how big is your rooftop? i'd love to do something like that to ours as our garden is taken over by dogs....but we rent, so don't know how much i'd want to spend...

[Skyhook]

Hey carang,

Our roof top is 520ft2, its taken about 6 months to get it the way it is now, doing all the work myself in my spare time. We love it, its great having a visually enjoyable space to just relax, enjoy the view etc.

Decking aside, most of the garden materials shouldnt cost you more than $4000. Get some Timber deck sections ( 3 - 500 per sq metre ) and some potted plants, palms, cyprus pines and some flower racks, it won't cost all that much if you do the work yourself. Crushed french gravel beds work pretty well in sections also, so you could do a bit of a combination. Add an outdoor setting with a big umbrella, we scored ours from the pub as they get them for free anyway, and you're good to go. Its worth it in the long run if you plan to stay where you are for awhile.

[mumto2]

welll...sob...sob...our rental allowance turns out not to be the same as it is here...i daresay we will not be able to afford a rooftop or garden...nevermind, i am still really happy with the places that hubby was able to find in DB and really think we will be happy which is the main thing. Besides I'm an interior decorating wizard after being an expat for so long and not always alot of money to do it with! lol

Skyhook - that looks awesome - how clever are you guys doing it yourselves! Reminds me of our place here - we have a gorgeous big terrace - will be hard giving that up. And yes, must have gas appliances...just can't work with electric!

[PerryCo]

That is a great view and BBQ area. Which Phase or village are you in?

[KnowItAll]

SkyHook - Was very impressed until I saw the Carlsberg awning / shades! Surely a man of your tastes in music, cars and gadgets can do better!

[Skyhook]

ha Ha Ha, Yeah I can't argue with with that KIA, it was a nice gesture from our local pub, which predominantly has Carlsberg brella's. I really, really wanted a Stella, or a Corona one, but the green canvas suits our garden, its big, and it was a freeebie.

BTW, it does a fantastic job at providing shade, although the missus has hinted that we should look at painting over the carlsberg insignia's lol. The main thing is, it does a grouse job of keeping the sun off us, during the mid day sun, which belts down, making it impossible to see the screen on a note book etc.

And Perry, we don't live in Discovery bay, or on lantau for that matter, but we can see Lantau, ie Tung Chung and the Airport from various directions of our roof top. We live in Siu Lam, in the Tuen Mun castle Peak bay district. We do visit Discovery bay from time to time, catching the ferry across from Tuen Mun Ferry Pier, and then getting the bus , to visit some airline mates.

Another photo below during Saturdays Typhoon, moments before it got windy.

You can see Chek Lap kok at the 11 o'clock position,( top left ) in the distance. On a very rare clear day, we can just make out the Macau tower at the 12 o'clock position, without the aid of binoculars during the day, and at night the red glow of the Sands casino sign..

Mumto2, I suppose we are all a little curious as to what your hubby's thoughts were too, in regard to what he saw on HK Island, and then comparing the difference in accomodation to Discovery bay.
I havent rented for a few years, so I don't really know what the rents in Discovery bay are, i know they would have shot up a bit in the last 18 months. I would have thought for $30K a month that a top floor apartment would have been within budget. We have friends living there near the yacht club, and I didnt think the rents were all that expensive, considering.

Top floor apartments usually have access to a roof top terrace, not in all instances but in most cases. make it a firm requirment of your property agent to get you a top floor within your budget. Otherwise they are playing silly buggers and trying to rip you.