Builder - November 2008 - (Page 38)

SEE THE LIGHT: Attached homes are often dark on the inside. Not these, thanks to plenty of recessed lighting and large windows. lieu of broom-ﬁnished concrete or asphalt), bluePatio stone patios, solid-wood front entry and interior D MBR doors, built-in ﬁreplace 10’ x 14’6” 18’ x 19’ mantels with custom millL work, commercial-grade 14’ x 14’ appliances, and hardwood ﬂoors. Carriage-style garage doors are natural wood Loft with hammered iron strap hinges. Open “It’s the stuff at eye level that people notice,” McGuinness says. Most G buyers have not only emB B braced that value proposi13’6” x 12’6” 13’6” x 12’6” tion, but also splurged E above and beyond the standard package with even higher-end cabinetry, ﬁnGOOD AND PLENTY: The 2,333-square-foot Avon plan ishes, ﬁ xtures, and elecoffers an island kitchen, a large stone patio, high ceilings, and tronics. “Despite what may extra bedrooms that can double as hobby or workout spaces. be going on in the market, people are still willing to attached houses to step down a hill and fol- spend more to get more. They’re concerned low the natural grade. “As a result, we show about the real estate market, but they are a lot less foundation wall and the rooﬂines not shy about spending on the amenities have a nice rhythm,” McGuinness says. “We they want in their own homes,” he says. were trying to avoid all the little telltale So far, sales have split evenly between signs that these are production homes.” empty-nesters and urban professionals Other design differentiators include without kids. Large end-unit townhomes driveways inlaid with red brick pavers (in featuring master-down ﬂoor plans have TO READ OTHER SUCCESS STORIES AND HOT SELLERS, VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM/SUCCESS. won big with downsizing boomers, while younger commuters have snapped up the interior units as an affordable alternative to living in the city (with a heck of a lot more pantry and storage space, thank you). Twenty units are set aside as affordable homes for families making 50 percent or less of the area median income. What buyers don’t see on the surface is that the homes are built using panelized construction—a strategic move that McGuinness says reduces jobsite waste while allowing greater ﬂexibility in the cycle time. “We did a price comparison of stick frame versus panelization and went with the latter,” he says. “It’s better from a green standpoint, and it will allow us to pick up the pace if sales start to go faster. We’re optimistic.”—J.S. TURF WAR T here’s always a hang-up, but in Palmer Hill’s case it wasn’t the permitting process. The project was approved in less than two years but then litigated for ﬁve years when the town of Greenwich sued the city of Stamford for approving it. Greenwich officials feared that a higher-density project next door would compromise the character of their oldgrowth neighborhoods. Those fears proved unfounded. Photos: Evan Joseph GOT A SUCCESS STORY? E-M AIL JENN Y SULLIVAN AT: jsullivan@hanley wood.com 38 ■ B U I LD E R nov e m ber 2008 W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM http://www.builderonline.com/success http://WWW.BUILDERONLINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Builder - November 2008

Builder - November 2008 Contents Editor’s Notes B-Mail Book It Missing Links Inside Story Top Shelf Green House Business Update Sales Strategies Industry Insight Products Tech Tools National Best Seiders' Economy Sifting Through the Ruins Cottage Industry Upside Down Ad Index Last Word

Builder - November 2008

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