# The Toh Crescent resort home and garden an agronomist spent nearly two decades nurturing, now asking $12 mil

- **Source:** EdgeProp Singapore
- **Published:** 2026-10-09T01:00:00.000Z
- **Author:** Cecilia Chow
- **Original:** https://www.edgeprop.sg/property-news/toh-crescent-resort-home-and-garden-agronomist-spent-nearly-two-decades-nurturing-now-asking-12-mil
- **Topics:** Private Residential, Sustainability & PropTech

## Featured rationale

The well-maintained resort-style home may attract landed-property buyers seeking substantial freehold space near Changi Airport while limiting the need for major renovations.

## AI summary

A five-bedroom detached house on a 9,652 sq ft freehold Toh Crescent site is offered at about $12 million, equivalent to $1,243 psf.

## Original article

CS and Michelle Liew have lived in Toh Estate, in the Changi and Loyang area of District 17, since 1994. “We know the area well,” says Michelle.

For CS, who spent up to 70% of his working life travelling, proximity to Changi Airport was a significant advantage.

When the family grew to include three young sons, the Liews decided they needed a bigger home. But they wanted to stay within Toh Estate. “I love the serenity of the East Coast, especially Toh Estate,” says CS, a Singaporean. “Toh Crescent is very serene and very green.”

Read also: The architecture of ambition: A legacy home built for visionaries

While househunting in the early 2000s, they came across a plot along Toh Crescent, a street with predominantly detached houses. An old, single-storey bungalow sat on the freehold site of about 9,652 sq ft. CS was intrigued by the weed-covered house and, more importantly, the terrain of the land. He had even envisioned what the new house would look like once the old one was torn down.

“It was a beautiful piece of land,” he says. “There was a slope coming down, and I said to Michelle, ‘We should keep it as it is; we shouldn’t flatten it.’”

They called the property agent whose number was on the “For Sale” sign at the gate. When they could not reach him, Michelle contacted another agent, who in turn got in touch with the owners.

Back in 2005, the asking price was $2.3 million. Recognising that the owners were from Hong Kong, CS offered $2.28 million, as the figure sounded auspicious in Cantonese. The wife called her husband in Hong Kong, and they sealed the deal on the spot.

They appointed architect KC Kan & Associates to design their new home. “We had seen a property he had designed which had the kind of tropical feel that we liked,” says Michelle.

A home with the garden and pool as a focal point

From the start, the couple made it clear they did not just want to build a house. “We wanted a home that made the most of the garden and natural lighting, with the pool being the focal point,” she adds.

Read also: Record-smashing $1.701 mil HDB resale: How this Pinnacle@Duxton unit defied the odds

She wanted the home to be a private retreat for the family. The couple personally selected the materials, finishes and fittings. “We wanted something timeless,” she says — a choice that has served them well.

Completed 1.5 to two years later, the new home is a two-storey detached house with a basement that fits three to four cars, and a built-up area of about 5,136 sq ft. Keeping the original sloping terrain paid off: the basement sits at street level, while the pool deck is raised on the first level, overlooking the garden.

The upper level of the L-shaped house has five en suite bedrooms and a family room. The master bedroom has a private balcony that adjoins a jacuzzi pool deck, a walk-in wardrobe and a resort-style bathroom. Each son had his own en suite bedroom. A corner room with an en suite balcony and garden views became CS’ home office.

On the first level are a living room, a bar, an indoor dining room and an open kitchen. However, most of the time, the family prefers to dine at the alfresco dining area next to the pool deck, which overlooks the pool and the garden. It is also where people tend to congregate when they entertain at home.

“The house lends itself to entertaining,” says Michelle. “It’s easy to move between the outdoor and indoor spaces, making it perfect for having drinks at the bar and dining on the pool deck.”

The first level also has a home cinema, a guest suite with an outdoor deck, and a room that serves as Michelle’s office. A helper’s room with an en suite bathroom sits at the back of the house.

Read also: Rare luxury detached home with exceptional scale

As the house was well-built, they have not had to make any changes in close to two decades, notes CS.

Favourite spots

Michelle’s favourite part of the home is the balcony overlooking the garden and the surrounding greenery, where she keeps an exercise bike and a yoga mat. “It’s such a treat to exercise surrounded by greenery,” she says. “I also love the way the house looks towards the pool and the garden.”

CS’ favourite spot is the pair of lounge seats on the pool deck, facing the pool and the garden below. He loves sitting there after work to enjoy the sunset, watching the sunlight streaming through the tree canopy.

“I used to always sit there to read magazines, newspapers, or just gaze at the pool,” he says. When it rains, he especially likes watching the raindrops falling into the pool.

‘A passionate gardener’

The garden is CS’ creation. “He is a passionate gardener, and it has been his pride and joy since we moved in,” says Michelle. “He has continued to develop it over the years.”

It has some unusual plants and regularly attracts hornbills. An old chiku tree, already on the land when they bought it, has been carefully preserved.

Armed with a double degree in agronomy and pest management, CS knows that a flourishing garden depends on understanding plant nutrition and which fertilisers to apply. “You often run into nutritional problems, micronutrient deficiencies,” he says. Knowing the symptoms and remedies is essential.

Understanding pests and diseases, and which fungicides and insecticides to apply, is equally important. “That knowledge becomes very useful in the maintenance of a garden,” he says.

His expertise was built over a career in crop protection that took him around the world, and the garden bears its marks.

After graduating from Iowa State University, CS joined Ciba-Geigy in Malaysia. A year later, US-based crop protection company Uniroyal Chemical recruited him in Singapore to oversee its entire Asia Pacific market — from China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and on to Australia and New Zealand. He was only 23.

After 11 years with Uniroyal, he spent seven years with Nufarm before starting his own firm, Pacific Agriscience, in 1998. “In the early years of Pacific Agriscience, we were basically trading in generic pesticides that we sourced from India and China, and we sold those all over the world,” he says.

Travel souvenirs

Wherever his work took him, if he came across an interesting plant or flower, he would buy a pot or take a cutting home to plant in his garden.

Fruit trees and edible plants in the garden include papayas and sugarcane from Thailand, along with edible bananas, pineapples and purple chillies from across Southeast Asia.

His favourite transplant is the “100 hands banana”, grown from two seedlings he brought back from Chatuchak Market in Bangkok 18 years ago. One bunch grew to 2.5m long. “That was an all-time record,” he says.

The trees became a talking point for the foreign dignitaries, ambassadors and business associates he frequently entertained at home. These associates would give CS samples of new plant nutritional products, fertilisers and pesticides, which he would trial in the garden. “I like to experiment with them,” he says.

CS finds gardening “very therapeutic” and “a real joy” — from trimming old leaves and branches to watching new plants and flowers grow.

Just as his garden has evolved over the decades, so has his business. Drawing on the network he has built over his career, CS has reinvented himself over the past 15 years. From trading in pesticides in the early years, the business has moved into mergers and acquisitions, helping start-ups raise capital and find global partners.

Now semi-retired, CS still travels frequently. Over his 46 years of work, he has paused his travelling only twice: six months during SARS in 2003, and about 18 months during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

New chapter

With three sons now grown up — two working in London, and the eldest married and living in Singapore — CS and Michelle find the house too large for just the two of them. That prompted their decision to sell the property.

“We feel it’s the right time,” says Michelle. “It’s been a wonderful family home, but our lives have changed, and we’re ready for a new chapter.”

They have appointed Gavan Lee, principal head of district at PropNex Eminence Landed, as the exclusive marketing agent. Lee is indicating a guide price of about $12 million for the home. Based on the site area of 9,652 sq ft, the land rate works out to $1,243 psf.

As the property is well-maintained, Lee expects the new owner would need to undertake only minor renovations. “The property appeals to those who want a resort lifestyle,” he says.

Now that the house will be sold, Michelle says what she will miss most is “the feeling of being away from everything”. That feeling was strongest during the pandemic, when the family gained a renewed appreciation for their home. “When so much of the world was restricted, I realised how fortunate we were to have created a home where we could swim, exercise, enjoy the garden, dine outdoors — it really was a sanctuary.”

The garden is “definitely” something CS will miss, and he hopes it will go to the right owner. “Being an agronomist and agriculturist, of course I love plants, and I love my garden. I hope the garden will stay.”

His biggest fear is that the new owner will tear up the garden, or pave or tile over it. “In fact, I told Michelle if the new owner needs me to look after the garden, I’ll be very happy to do so because I know all the plants in the garden,” he says. “I planted them, each and every one of them.”

Property Diaries is a new series that goes behind the scenes of real estate transactions, featuring homebuyers, investors, renters and sellers sharing their journeys, decisions and lessons learnt.

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Check out the latest listings for District 17 properties

## Chinese translation

> Translation model: grok_cli

### 农学家近二十年悉心培育的Toh Crescent度假别墅与花园，现喊价新币1200万

这栋位于Toh Crescent的两层五卧室独立洋房，建筑面积5,136平方英尺，坐落于9,652平方英尺的永久地契地块上。

CS与Michelle Liew自1994年起便住在第17区樟宜与洛阳一带的Toh Estate。“我们对这一带很熟悉。”Michelle说。

对CS而言，他职业生涯中多达70%的时间都在出差，靠近樟宜机场是一大优势。

当家里添了三个年幼的儿子后，Liew夫妇决定需要一栋更大的房子，但他们希望继续留在Toh Estate。“我喜欢东海岸的宁静，尤其是Toh Estate。”新加坡人CS说，“Toh Crescent非常宁静，也非常绿意盎然。”

延伸阅读：雄心的建筑：为远见者打造的传世宅邸

2000年代初看房时，他们发现了Toh Crescent沿街的一块地，这条街以独立式洋房为主。一栋旧的单层独立洋房坐落在约9,652平方英尺的永久地契地块上。CS对这座杂草丛生的房子产生了兴趣，更重要的是对地块的地形感兴趣。他甚至已经构想好旧屋拆除后新房子会是什么样子。

“这是一块很美的地。”他说，“有一道往下的斜坡，我对Michelle说：‘我们应该原样保留，不应该把它铲平。’”

他们拨打了大门“待售”牌子上的房产经纪电话。联系不上对方后，Michelle又联系了另一名经纪，后者再与业主取得了联系。

2005年，喊价为新币230万。CS察觉业主来自香港，便出价新币228万，因为这个数字用粤语听起来吉利。妻子打电话给身在香港的丈夫，双方当场成交。

他们委任建筑师事务所KC Kan & Associates设计新居。“我们看过他设计的一处房产，那种热带风情感觉正是我们喜欢的。”Michelle说。

以花园和泳池为焦点的家

从一开始，这对夫妇就明确表示，他们不只是想盖一栋房子。“我们想要一个能充分利用花园和自然采光、并以泳池为焦点的家。”她补充道。

延伸阅读：破纪录的新币170.1万组屋转售：这套Pinnacle@Duxton单位如何逆势成交

她希望这个家成为家人的私密静修之所。夫妇俩亲自挑选材料、饰面和配件。“我们想要经得起时间考验的东西。”她说——这一选择后来证明很明智。

约一年半到两年后完工，新居是一栋带地下室的两层独立式洋房，地下室可停三到四辆车，建筑面积约5,136平方英尺。保留原有斜坡地形得到了回报：地下室与街道齐平，泳池露台则抬高至一楼，俯瞰花园。

这栋L形房子的上层有五间带独立卫浴的卧室和一间家庭厅。主卧配有连接按摩浴缸泳池露台的私人阳台、步入式衣帽间和度假风格浴室。每个儿子都有自己带独立卫浴的卧室。一间带独立卫浴、配有阳台和花园景致的转角房，成了CS的家庭办公室。

一楼有客厅、酒吧、室内餐厅和开放式厨房。不过大多数时候，一家人更喜欢在泳池露台旁的户外用餐区用餐，那里可以俯瞰泳池和花园。在家宴客时，大家也往往聚集在这里。

“这栋房子很适合宴客。”Michelle说，“室内外空间之间走动很方便，非常适合在酒吧小酌、在泳池露台用餐。”

一楼还有家庭影院、带户外露台的客房套间，以及一间用作Michelle办公室的房间。房子后方有一间带独立卫浴的佣人房。

延伸阅读：罕见的超大规模豪华独立式洋房

CS指出，由于房子建造扎实，近二十年来他们几乎没有做过任何改动。

最爱之处

Michelle在家中最爱的地方是俯瞰花园和周围绿意的阳台，她在那里放了一辆健身车和一张瑜伽垫。“被绿意环绕着运动，真是一种享受。”她说，“我也喜欢房子朝向泳池和花园的感觉。”

CS最爱的位置是泳池露台上那对躺椅，面向泳池和下方的花园。他喜欢下班后坐在那里欣赏日落，看着阳光穿过树冠洒落。

“我以前总是坐在那里看杂志、报纸，或者只是望着泳池发呆。”他说。下雨时，他尤其喜欢看雨点滴入泳池。

“热衷园艺的人”

花园是CS的作品。“他是个热衷园艺的人，自从我们搬进来，这座花园就是他的骄傲和乐趣。”Michelle说，“这些年来他一直在持续发展这座花园。”

园中有一些少见的植物，还经常引来犀鸟。一棵他们买地时就已存在的老人心果树被小心保留下来。

CS拥有农学和有害生物管理双学位，深知一座繁茂的花园取决于了解植物营养以及该施用哪些肥料。“经常会遇到营养问题、微量元素缺乏。”他说。了解症状和应对方法至关重要。

了解病虫害以及该使用哪些杀菌剂和杀虫剂同样重要。“这些知识在花园养护中非常有用。”他说。

他的专长来自走遍世界的作物保护职业生涯，花园也留下了这段经历的印记。

从爱荷华州立大学毕业后，CS加入马来西亚的Ciba-Geigy。一年后，总部位于美国的作物保护公司Uniroyal Chemical在新加坡聘用他，负责整个亚太市场——从中国、日本、台湾、韩国，到印度、巴基斯坦和斯里兰卡，再到澳大利亚和新西兰。当时他年仅23岁。

在Uniroyal工作11年后，他又在Nufarm待了七年，随后于1998年创办自己的公司Pacific Agriscience。“Pacific Agriscience创业初期，我们基本上是买卖从印度和中国采购的仿制农药，再销往世界各地。”他说。

出差纪念品

无论工作把他带到哪里，只要遇到有趣的植物或花卉，他就会买一盆或带回枝条，种进自己的花园。

园中的果树和食用植物包括来自泰国的木瓜和甘蔗，以及来自东南亚各地的食用香蕉、菠萝和紫辣椒。

他最心爱的移栽植物是“百手蕉”，由18年前从曼谷Chatuchak Market带回的两株幼苗培育而成。有一串果穗长到了2.5米。“那是有史以来的纪录。”他说。

这些树成了他经常在家宴请的外国政要、大使和商业伙伴的谈资。这些伙伴会给CS新的植物营养产品、肥料和农药样品，他会在花园里试用。“我喜欢拿它们做实验。”他说。

CS觉得园艺“非常疗愈”，也是“真正的乐趣”——从修剪老叶枯枝，到看着新的植物和花朵生长。

正如花园几十年来不断演变，他的生意也是如此。凭借职业生涯中建立的人脉，CS在过去15年里完成了自我转型。生意从早期买卖农药，转向并购，帮助初创公司募集资金并寻找全球合作伙伴。

如今半退休的CS仍经常出差。在46年的职业生涯中，他只暂停过两次出行：2003年沙斯疫情期间的六个月，以及2020年新冠疫情期间约18个月。

新篇章

三个儿子如今都已长大——两个在伦敦工作，长子已婚并住在新加坡——CS和Michelle觉得这栋房子对只有两人居住来说太大了。这促使他们决定出售这处房产。

“我们觉得现在时机合适。”Michelle说，“这是一个美好的家庭住所，但我们的生活已经改变，我们准备好迎接新篇章了。”

他们委任PropNex Eminence Landed区域首席主管Gavan Lee为独家营销经纪。Lee给出的指导价约为新币1200万。按9,652平方英尺的地块面积计算，地价约为每平方英尺新币1,243元。

由于房产保养良好，Lee预计新业主只需进行小幅装修。“这处房产吸引的是向往度假生活方式的人。”他说。

如今房子即将出售，Michelle说她最会想念的是“远离一切的感觉”。这种感觉在疫情期间最为强烈，当时一家人重新体会到这个家的可贵。“当世界那么多地方都受到限制时，我才意识到，我们能打造出一个可以游泳、运动、享受花园、户外用餐的家，是多么幸运——这里真的是一处庇护所。”

花园“毫无疑问”是CS会想念的，他希望它能交到合适的业主手中。“作为农学家和农业从业者，我当然爱植物，也爱我的花园。我希望这座花园能留下来。”

他最担心的是新业主会拆掉花园，或者铺上地坪或瓷砖。“其实我跟Michelle说过，如果新业主需要我帮忙照看花园，我会非常乐意，因为园里的植物我都认识。”他说，“每一棵都是我亲手种的。”

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