Owning a penthouse in Nepal would have seemed like a farfetched dream few years ago. However, these ultra luxurious condominiums are now within an arm's reach for people with a fat bank balance. Now these are either readily available or are near completion within the valley.

Penthouses are the new trend taking the valley by storm and housing developers constantly endeavour to meet the increasing demands. Nonetheless, penthouses have varied meanings to different people. Some perceive it as an apartment on the highest floor, while others think it does nothing more than drill a deep hole into their bank balance. "Penthouses are extended or larger than normal apartments, which have more space, light and air. It does not necessarily have to be located on the topmost floors and can be located on the lower floors as well," says Gaurav Agarwal, managing director at Sunrise City Homes. Located at Anam Nagar, the project offers four penthouses; two on the ninth floor and two on the seventh floor.

"Penthouses are replications of a villa on a tower," says Sanjay Ladsaria, executive director at Clean Developers (makers of Central Park). According to Ladsari, there are various exclusive criteria for a standard penthouse. He is of the opinion that it is mandatory for it to be located on the topmost floors of high rise buildings with a sky terrace and an open garden. He says it should primarily be a duplex, but could be single levelled too.It must have a private entrance and an elevator. It should have separate family; master and guest areas, family hall, master bedrooms and guest lounge.

Penthouses manifest perfection in all aspects. Every minute detail, from interiors to the finish, is given a flawless touch.
Most penthouses in Kathmandu have special features, ranging from splash pools to custom made gardens. Central Park Pre mium Apartments, which is located in Bishalnagar, is currently under construction and will be completed by the end of 2011. It showcases living with substantial energy and water savings and is the only green project in the country.

Towering to 14 floors, Central Park will comprise of eight penthouses with duplex arrangements. The penthouses will span an area exceeding 4,500 square feet; the lower floor will have three bedrooms, living/dining, kitchen, helper unit, terrace and a splash pool. The higher floor will consist of two master bedrooms of more than 300 square feet each and family lounge. The bathrooms will have high-end designer fittings including shower cubicle, bath tub, concealed cisterns and counter mounted sinks. Moreover, it will have a jacuzzi on the sky terrace with a spectacular view of the city.

"A customer came to checkout the penthouse situated on the topmost floor and insisted that it needed to be facing north," says Dilip Neupane, general manager at Park View Horizon, Dhapasi, emphasising the growing market for penthouses. This much awaited project will have seven duplex penthouses. The penthouse will have four master bedrooms (14 feet x 20 feet) with walk-in-closets for each. It features two balconies -small and utility. A spacious garden of 300 to 500 sq ft adorns the terrace with carpet grass, plants and a fountain.

Penthouses are the new definition for lifestyle and luxurious living. Living on an elevation, inaccessible by others, one gets to enjoy the privacy and the non polluted air. The spectacular view -of lush green hills, magnificent snow capped mountains and Kathmandu Valley in all its glory -can be relished from the comfort of home. This luxury does come with a weighty price tag though. Penthouses at the Park View Horizon can be bought for 30 to 35 million rupees and those at Central Park can be purchased for 30 to 40 million rupees.

And yet, the price tag has not deterred the rising demand for penthouses. In fact, contractors claim that the supply has not been able to meet the demand.That is one of the prime reasons why all the penthouses, which are still under construction at Park View Horizon and Central Park, have already been booked.

source: Manandhar, S. (2010),'"Penthouses: Giving a new dimension to luxurious living", The Himalayan Times-Property Plus, June 26 2010