My Own Home takes you inside a reader-owned property to ask how much they paid, why they decided to buy and what they have done with it since moving in
Marketing director Lucy Holmes and her husband Lee, who works for the Walt Disney Company in Dubai, have been living in the UAE for 14 years but bought their first home here in 2021 after a decade of living on Palm Jumeirah.
They had been living in their villa in Sustainable City for four months when they got the opportunity to buy it for Dh3.4 million ($930,000).
Now they live there happily with their son Barney, 15, and daughter Daisy, 8, and plan to stay put for at least another decade.
The National takes a look around.
Why did you decide to buy?
We were given the opportunity after about four months of living in our villa to buy it, so we did. We were really lucky that we were able to figure out how to get it.
We had probably lived in about eight apartments on the Palm already and I was fed up of moving. I wanted my children to have something that they knew was their home, that we can make memories in as a family, that we felt would give them a stable environment.
We were so sick of being given notice by landlords and just wasting money on rent, and after 10 years, we realised we'd spent an awful amount of money on rent.
Why this neighbourhood?
We fell in love with the community. I said to my husband, 'if we ever get the opportunity to buy, this is now where I want to live.'
I love the safety aspect for the kids. There are no cars. I wanted them to have the freedom to go around on their bikes.
The sustainable lifestyle is also really appealing to us. We are eco-minded, I’ve always recycled, and we were really intrigued by the whole solar panel idea.
We just felt that it was such a beautifully landscaped community, it's set back from the road and it's really quiet, you can't hear any cars or anything at night, just birds. And we thought that it would really be a difference from living on the Palm. We needed a change.
It ticked every box for us and eventually we even moved our children to the school. They cycle or walk to school or get on the golf buggy every single day. It means I have no school run.
How much is your house worth?
We paid Dh3.4 million and now I think it's worth Dh4.3 million or Dh4.4 million.
What renovations have you done?
We completely redid the garden, the landscaping, the tiling. We've done a few more bits of decorating stuff inside but we haven't renovated inside that much because we're happy with how it is.
After we bought it, we actually had to do quite a big renovation on our British home that we rent out. It's a really old Victorian house and it needs a lot of work, so we had to invest in that rather than our home in Dubai. But that's fine, because it's super-modern here and we love it anyway.
We could redo the kitchen, or I could redo the bathrooms but actually I'd rather go on holiday.
How would you describe your interior design style?
Very beach house style, very clean and white, with lots of wood.
A lot of my pieces have been made to order by The Garden Concept carpentry and I'm really happy. They made my rabbit huts, they made the furniture in my bedroom, they made my dresser. I like to have a lot of colour among the white and wood, and it's quite modern.
How has your experience of Dubai changed since moving from Palm Jumeirah?
It has changed massively. We've gone from being able to go everywhere at night and on the weekends, doing a million things because we were so central and going to the beach all the time and having a sea view, to having more of a quieter life. And that suits us. It suits our children. We have more barbecues, more dinners with neighbours, have friends over.
I'm not zooming around Dubai all weekend like we used to on the Palm because it takes too long to get anywhere. Although we are busy and I do a lot of stuff, we have a more wholesome existence.
It’s just really nice to have your own space and to feel that you don't have to leave Sustainable City if you don't want to. It's become more of a lifestyle for us. We’ve gone from that city lifestyle with the beach on our doorstep to a suburban lifestyle because the kids were at an age where they needed it.
What facilities do you have?
We have pools, a gym. We've got a Zen garden now, which is lovely. There's a running track, a cycling track. There are the shops and cafes, there's a yoga studio. There's a horse-riding school.
We also have our own golf buggy. You can access the community ones but it's great to have your own.
We make good use of everything. My son's playing football at the pitch every single night because we can book it through the app. My husband plays football three times a week. I'm part of the running club. Even my daughter comes on a Monday night.
We’re very much part of the community here, we get involved and we have a nice time.
How long will you stay in this property?
Until Daisy finishes school, so probably another 10 years, all being well. I know I could get a bigger house for my money, but I would really struggle now to live on a road where there are cars and I don't know anywhere else in Dubai that's got a no-car zone like we've got.
If went to Arabian Ranches 2 or Dubai Hills, for example, I would love it, I'd have more house, but my kids wouldn't have the freedom they've got here.
Now I’ve had the opportunity to buy after 10 years in Dubai, it makes me think I should have bought earlier but everything happens at the right time.
I firmly believe Dubai is a very excellent, perfect, exciting place to live and very safe. And that's definitely what Sustainable City is. It's super, super safe and we love it.
Read next: How to plan your finances for buying a home
