I had previously posted an article about The Peninsula Housing and Builders Association (PHBA) selecting Founders Pointe in Isle of Wight, VA to host their 26th Annual Parade of Homes event in the spring of 2009. As you have now discovered this did not happen. Then I wrote that Hampton Roads Crossing was the new location. This also was changed. The association changed the location from Hampton Roads Crossing in northern Suffolk, a successful mixed-use development after builders who were initially interested in participating indicated the time frame, the lot size and the unique design requirements didn’t allow them to use their standard plans.
Subsequently Tidewater Builders Association ( TBA) announced the Homearama 2009 showcase of homes will be hosted at Culpepper Landing, a mixed-use traditional neighborhood development in Chesapeake.
The event, set for Oct. 3-18, 2009 They expect to feature 12 single-family homes ranging from the mid-$300,000s to the low $500,000′s.
I then wrote about The Oaks at Fenton Mill being chose for a Fall 2009 Parade of Homes. As of last week this apparently is in jeopardy as well. Seems that they cannot get enough builders to commit. Who can blame them, not me. Having participated in a previous Parade of Homes in York County at Taylor Farms I was amazed at how much effort goes into producing an event like this. I witnessed builders and subcontractors working 24 hours a day to get the homes ready as well as volunteers by the hundreds working to make it a success.
I am not sure if it will occur but the Tidewater Builders Association is seeking builders to participate in a spring 2010 Homearama at Founders Pointe in Carrollton, Va.
The spring Homearama at Founders Pointe is tentatively scheduled for April 17-May 2, 2010. There are 15 home sites available to custom home builders who would like to participate. Lot prices range from $112,500 for wooded views to more than $300,000 for waterfront views.
With lot prices like that the builders would have to price the homes from $450,000 to $1,200,000. That’s assuming they get concessions from their suppliers and vendors if they want to load up the homes with options like they normally do.
I have a novel idea. Why not have a Parade of Homes or Homerama for the first time home buyer ? See what you can build for $200k or less. How GREEN can you build it ? Big homes are passe. I see them languishing all over the place. Most home buyers don’t want them even if you give them the extra space for free.
So how about it TBA. Let’s see a Homerama with a $200,000 cap on pricing. Let’s give an award for the home with the lowest monthly utilities. Let’s showcase GREEN Building techniques. Let’s have numerous Habitat For Humanity Homes builds happening during the Homerama or Parade of Homes. Invite the public to help build the Habitat Homes. Teach them how. Show them how you build your homes.
It is easy to build a showpiece with tons of molding and electronic displays. Show us what can be done with efficient floor planning, energy saving appliances/systems and above all common sense site planning. Make it a show of building ideas and not about room staging.
Or what about a show that features updated/repaired homes bought at bargain rates from older neighborhoods. Buying what’s less than desired and making the most out of it is what most people face. Builders would still have a hand in redoing kitchens, adding sunrooms, adding molding, landscaping, etc
Anyone listening ?
Share on FacebookThe property owners behind the shelved Benn’s Grant development in Isle of Wight , Virginia have given county planners a scaled-back version of their original 1,000-home plan.
The revised master plan now calls for 560 homes — 240 apartments and 320 houses of varying sizes — to be built on about 235 acres around the intersection of Benns Church and Brewers Neck boulevards.
The plan, submitted to the Isle of Wight Planning Department last week, also includes about 700,000 square feet of retail and commercial space.
Almost half that space is earmarked for two massive big-box retailers, like the Wal-Mart that was a controversial part of the original development proposal.
The Isle of Wight Planning Commission is slated to meet with property owners Henry Morgan and Richard Turner to discuss proposed changes to the master plan on Jan. 13.
Morgan said he expects Wal-Mart will remain part of the project, although no letter of intent has been signed with the retail giant.
Not included in the revised proposal are plans for an office park and a county-owned recreation complex that was to have included multiple regulation-sized softball fields, said county planning and zoning director Beverly H. Walkup.
Although it’s still early in the process and he hasn’t seen detailed plan changes, Isle of Wight Planning Commission Chairman James P. O’Briant III hopes the public will be more receptive to the revised plan.
The original development fell through after Armada Hoffler Development Co. of Virginia Beach backed out last February. The county gave the landowners an extension on their planning application to have time to find a new developer and make any necessary revisions to the project.
Morgan and Turner have signed a development agreement with a new developer based in Bristol.
While I don’t normally blog about home listings. ( You can usually find them thru my MLS/ Home Search) This home’s story needs to be told.
The P.D. Gwaltney Jr. House, built by one of Smithfield’s most esteemed residents, has been lovingly restored to its original grandeur. This enchanting Queen Anne Victorian is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.
The house has a special history that’s captured the imagination and hearts of all who visit. It was originally built in 1901 as a wedding gift from P.D. Gwaltney Jr. to his future bride, Estelle. To commemorate this romantic gesture, a whimsical ceiling mural was painted depicting a cheerful cherub with love letter in hand, on his way to deliver it to the home’s delighted new bride. The painting remains to this day, and has inspired two subsequent generations of weddings that have taken place in this gracious home and its adjoining gardens.
The captivating charm of this property lends itself to future celebrations, both joyous ones and moments of quiet contentment. Views from one of many porches surrounding the house are trans-formative and peaceful, overlooking Little Creek and the estate of 87-acre Windsor Castle Farm. The sweeping grounds bloom with century old Magnolia trees, Crepe Myrtles, the shade of Red Maples and a formal garden with paved pathways and Victorian statuary.
The exterior of the house underwent a museum-quality restoration in recent years and includes decorative copper work and copper gutters on the roof. The home also features a spacious, finished attic and the convenience of an interior elevator and outdoor carport.
Inside, thoughtful details woo its delighted visitors. Many rooms feature large bay windows allowing for gentle light to bathe the extensive wood moldings, wainscoting, paneling and ornate trim work. The vestibule boasts a gilded Greek frieze, original gas lighting fixture and intricately designed tile floor with a wreath of olive branches at its center. The stunning entrance-way is further adorned by an artisan’s hand sculptured relief, a pastoral landscape of the local marshland.
Halfway up the main staircase, sunlight streams in through the colorful prisms of an original stained glass window. There are 6 fireplaces in total, including one in each of the large bedrooms and a spectacular mother of pearl inlaid mantelpiece in the music room.
Special decorative details can be found in each room throughout the house. The front bedroom has a generous window seat from which to enjoy the pageantry of colorful Gingko leaves in the Fall, as well as a hand-stenciled, gilded ceiling. The Master bedroom reveals a portrait gallery, large romantic shutters and an ornate gilded frieze with a garland motif. Also upstairs, an Asian-themed sitting room beckons with a decorative, trompe l’oeil border of delicately painted birds.
Spacious, inviting bathrooms have been updated and outfitted with luxurious details including authentic nickel-plated spa jets and sunflower shower heads imported from London . The marble master bath includes an inviting, over-sized claw-footed soaking tub.
While it’s many splendid original details make this a historic show place, it’s a home that will easily adapt to the vision and lifestyle of its future owners. Grand living and entertaining rooms await joyful celebrations and gracious living, and perhaps even a new kind of love story.
This special property is offered for sale at $1,090,000.
For further details or a personal tour contact John@MrWilliamsburg.com or call him at 757 254 8136.
You can read the report for submission to the Historic Register here : pd-gwaltney-jr-house
Share on FacebookEagle Harbor, Isle of Wight Virginia has now been selected “Community Of The Year” three times by the Peninsula Housing & Builders Association ( PHBA) Its charm encompasses not only the quality and diversity of homes featured in this unique community, but also in the lifestyle that is experienced by those choosing to live here.
Newport News and downtown Norfolk just a short drive away. In the center of Eagle Harbor in Isle of Wight is Celebration Park, where families and friends come together. Meet your neighbors here, or go fly a kite on the grassy banks of Eagle Lake. Play a round of Garden Golf™, or make a splash at the pool.
The quality homes at Eagle Harbor are a cut above the rest. Along quaint streets lined with sidewalks and streetlamps, traditional architectural details make way for innovative floor plans you simply will not find in other neighborhoods.
Single family homes range in price from the low $300s to over $674,500. Condominiums start in the low $200s. Home sizes range from 1200 square foot condos to 4200 square foot detached homes.
Sold home Statistics for Eagle Harbor in Isle of Wight: The price range last 12 months for detached homes in Eagle Harbor ranges from $267,000 to $570,000. The average days on market was 220 days. The average price for square foot was $139.37. The average square footage was 2866. The ratio from list price to sale price was 96%
The price range in the last 12 months for atached homes/ condos sold in Eagle Harbor ranged from $208,990 to $320,900. The average days on market was 153 days. The average price for square foot was $148.99. The average square footage was 1722. The ratio from list price to sale price was 100%
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