Hillcrest Villa, New Giza

The plot is the argument here. Hillcrest sits at the top of its cul-de-sac on the western ridge, which means the terrace faces the sunset and the ground drops away instead of ending at a neighbour's wall — a combination that occurs perhaps a dozen times in the whole compound.

Inside, the house is a 2019 build finished to a standard we rarely see outside custom work: solid oak underfoot rather than veneer, plaster rather than gypsum board, and a kitchen that was specified for cooking rather than for photography. The double-height living volume takes the western light all afternoon.

The lower ground floor is currently a gym and cinema but was structurally planned as a self-contained flat, with its own entrance from the side garden and drainage already run. For a family with live-in staff or adult children, that flexibility is worth more than the finish.