I recently visited our Active Adult community at
Shenandoah and was touring a few homes under construction. We were walking through the
Willowcroft lower level when I was asked how to work with the support columns that are needed for this specific home. This question comes up quite a bit when we are working with homebuyers who are designing their lower level.
In this specific home, the column was located close to two foundation walls creating a tight space. One possible solution is to use the column as a focal point for a wet bar. Take a look at the sketch and quick video and let us know what you think of the idea!
Do you have an idea for your new home? Comment below and tell us about it! Or stop back and read about other real world examples of how customers have used the
Your Home. Your Way. program to design the home of their dreams.
Jack and Eve saw one of our very first
Your Home. Your Idea.'s of the week and contacted us via our blog about customizing their new home at
Shenandoah. We exchanged a few emails to and started discussing different ideas for their new home. With the help of our Sales Manager, Debby Palladino, we were able to identify a starting floorplan and then we went to work designing Jack and Eve's dream home. It turns out that the home they designed was so amazing that the Design Department has decided to make these permanent changes going forward. Here is what they did:
We started with the Shadwell floorplan. The following was changed on the first floor (the original plan is on the left and the redesigned plan is on the right):
- Relocated kitchen; new kitchen includes an island and butler pantry area and is located directly behind the family room
- Staircase, powder room, and coat closet were all moved to where the kitchen used to be
- Wall niches were added in the rotunda
- The Dining Room flipped locations with the Study
The second floor/loft area so a complete redesign. Nothing stayed the same as you can see from the before (on the right) and after (on the left) below.
We held a special luncheon for Jack and Eve at Shenandoah this week to thank them for helping us create an even better home. Their input about what they wanted and needed in a home was invaluable to us! Thanks again Jack and Eve for all your ideas! We hope you enjoy your new home!
More photos of the special event can be found on our
Facebook page!
There are many times that we are asked by our customers to design a 3 car garage on a smaller homesite. We decided to take on this challenge by looking at the
Cooper which is currently offered at
Poplar Run in Montgomery County and
Stratshire Crossing and
Brambleton in Loudoun County. Designed to fit on a 46 foot wide footprint, we looked at how we could redesign the main level to create a 3 car tandem garage. Below is one of the ideas we came up with. We would love to hear what you think about this concept versus a traditional 2 car garage.
The exterior of the home still shows a two car garage. We did a few
Your Home. Your Way. modifications with the addition of a full front porch and carriage style garage doors.
The main level of the home now includes additional space for a third car or storage in the garage. To make room for the space, the living room was eliminated and the kitchen and family room were reconfigured.
The second level could have either three or four bedrooms depending on your lifestyle needs. This example shows three full bathrooms, three bedrooms, and a bonus area that could be used for a home office, play area, or easily turned into a fourth bedroom. The home, as shown, is 2900 finished square feet.
Let us know what ideas you have for your new home or stop back and read about other real world examples of how customers have used the
Your Home. Your Way. program to design the home of their dreams.
Facebook fan, James Chou, had an e
xcellent idea of what he wanted in his dream home. He chose the
Fieldbrooke as his starting point and then let his imagination run wild. His first wish was a covered porch that was built off the master bedroom...a place where he could relax and read a book. He sent us this picture of a place he saw in another home which we used as inspiration in the final design. His other desires included more room in the family room, moving the laundry room to the main level, a two story side solarium, and adding a 5th bedroom on the second floor.
After reviewing the Fieldbrooke floorplan, here is what we came up with.
On the main level, we added a rear solarium and a 4' expansion off the family room. The mud room and pantry were reconfigured to allow room for a full size washer and dryer right off the kitchen.
On the second floor, the master bedroom was redesigned...moving the sitting room closer to the bathroom allowing for the covered porch to sit nicely off the back of the home. A 5th bedroom was easily added by using the space above the garage.
The rear elevation helps illustrate the noted changes on the floorplan. The second floor covered deck blends nicely with the architecture we used on the rear solarium. Also note the addition of the two story side solarium.
Let us know what ideas you have for your new home or stop back and read about other real world examples of how customers have used the
Your Home. Your Way. program to design the home of their dreams.
The Washington Post suggested a few weeks ago that there is an emerging trend of multiple generations living under one roof. This is the case with Nancy, a recent homebuyer at
Shenandoah at Lake Frederick. She came to us with a need to create a special space for her daughter who would be sharing the home with her. The solution was to turn the lower level of the
Piedmont into an adult suite that was equipped with everything a girl could need.
The original lower level was a blank canvas…providing one large open room for customization. After talking to
Nancy about her specific needs,
Your Home. Your Way. was able to create a customized floorplan that included a separate bedroom with a large walk-in closet and bathroom. The space also included a defined rec room with a gas fireplace and a wet bar that flowed nicely into a flexible area which would be great for entertaining. The result was a dream home that allowed private spaces for both mother and daughter.
Let us know what ideas you have for your new home or stop back and read about other real world examples of how customers have used the
Your Home. Your Way. program to design the home of their dreams.
This past weekend,
Poplar Run, a planned community in Montgomery County, held an off-site event. I spent several hours meeting with customers and discussing ways they could customize their new home. One man wanted to fireproof a hobby room for his wife's jewelry making business, another family was interested in closing in the two story family room to create a play space on the second floor. Another couple was interested in the Williamspo
rt,
Winchester Homes' newest single-level living plan that was introduced at the weekend event. The original plan had one large walk in closet but the couple needed extra space to accomodate the wife's large shoe collection.
Through the
Your Home. Your Way. program, we were able to modify the floorplan to create the space she always wanted. A 6' expansion was added to the rear of the home and an additional smaller closet was added to the Owner's Bedroom. The new closet can be finished off with a small window for light and customized shelving to display her favorite pairs of shoes.
Let us know what ideas you have for your new home or stop back and read about other real world examples of how customers have used the
Your Home. Your Way. program to design the home of their dreams.
What is
Your Home. Your Way.? It is an opportunity for you to design the home of your dreams through customization and changes that meet your lifestyle. Recently, I spoke with a customer who just purchased a new home from us. She loved the homestyle that she chose with one exception, the closets in the Owner's Bedroom. One closet didn't seem like it would be enough space to hold all of her clothing, but she was willing to compromise because she fell in love with the rest of the home. What she didn't realize, is that she could have the best of both worlds - the floorplan she adored with the closet space that she needed. After a quick discussion of what she wanted in her Owner's Suite, I was able to sketch up a few ideas for her to look at. In the idea shown below, the size of the sitting room was reduced, the bathtub eliminated, a large shower was designed with two tiled seats, and most importantly, the size of the original closet was increased while also finding room for the addition of a second closet. Now she has a distinct home that she can truly call her own.
Visit our
website for a list of more ideas that have been brought to life with the help of
Your Home. Your Way.!
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that luxury home builders all across the nation are downsizing and building smaller homes with fewer amenities to meet the growing demand of homebuyers in this challenged economy.
Winchester Homes has addressed this growing need for smaller new homes in Virginia and Maryland by creating several new floorplans that range from 1,973 to 2,800 square feet of finished living spaces. These homes are built with the same level of quality that Winchester Homes is known for but at a price point that is much more affordable to buyers in today's market.
How do you feel about the trend towards smaller homes and what are you willing to give up? Formal living rooms are being replaced with studies. Owner's suites are getting smaller with the elimination of sitting rooms. Have you considered what you can live without in your new home?
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