Saturday, July 6, 2002
BY BOB LANG
Of The Post and Courier Staff
While many home building companies have
broken ground in Park West, the most prolific builder in this
large Mount Pleasant subdivision has been D.R. Horton.
The Dallas-based chain is on its third
Park West neighborhood, Berkleigh, which combines some of the
best features of its previous two, Churchill Park and Wellesley.
Berkleigh's homes have more standard
features and available options than those offered with Horton's
earlier efforts, but without a large price increase. Homes range
in size from 1,427 square feet to about 3,000 square feet, and in
price from $165,990 to about $250,000. The neighborhood is one of
the last in Park West where buyers still can find new homes
starting under $200,000.
Berkleigh sales manager Erin Maddox Groh
said the company is able to hold prices down by building on
concrete-slab foundations instead of crawl space, as was done in
Churchill Park.
"We decided to take the cost of
building on crawl space and put it into the interior of each
home, which is the area most people care about," Groh said.
"We can offer a lot more house for the money. You don't have
to add a lot of upgrades, and most people aren't adding
much."
Among a lengthy list of standard
interior features are 9-foot or higher smooth ceilings on the
first floor, ventless gas fireplace, separate tub and shower in
the master bathroom, customizable structured wiring package and
extensive molding.
Kitchens come with extra-large cabinets,
including two with slide-out shelves. A built-in microwave oven
is also standard.
Buyers can choose a home in inventory or
have one built from one of nine floor plans, each with three or
four different exterior fronts. Most plans include optional bonus
rooms. One plan, the Rosewood (the model), offers options for
three additional rooms: a fifth bedroom, a finished room over the
garage and a finished or unfinished attic.
All homes come with a two-car garage and
at least three bedrooms. One- and two-story plans are available,
including the 1,474-square-foot single-story "Beaufort"
plan, which has won a number of local and national awards.
Vinyl siding is standard, although some
of the smaller homes come with brick fronts. Brick and stucco
fronts are optional on the larger plans.
Most plans come with a covered porch, or
lanai, which for an additional charge can be screened or
converted to a sunroom.
Yards come fully sodded in the front and
sides as well as up to 40 feet in the rear. Each home also gets a
palmetto tree in the front yard.
Only 75 homes are planned in Berkleigh,
and about half of the lots are sold or on reserve. Some lots that
back up to wetlands and/or ponds are still available, but that
can add as much as $10,000 to the price of a house. About a dozen
families already have moved into the neighborhood.
Groh said Berkleigh is attracting all
kinds of buyers. "It's been a nice blend of young families,
couples with no children and retired couples," she said.
Berkleigh is situated near the center of
Park West and is a short walk from the subdivision's amenity
center and planned commercial area. The amenity center contains a
swimming pool, clubhouse and playground. After an initiation fee
of $150, the annual homeowner's fee is $515.
School-aged children attend Pinckney
Elementary and Cario Middle, two highly rated public schools
within the subdivision. A new high school is being built nearby
that will have a connecting road from Park West.
To get to Berkleigh from downtown
Charleston, take U.S. Highway 17 north about 10 miles. After
passing the intersection with S.C. Highway 41 (and the KFC
restaurant), go 1.6 miles and turn left into Park West. Go
through the first traffic circle. When you come to the second
traffic circle, bear to the left and stay on Park West Boulevard.
At the third traffic circle, turn right onto Grey Marsh Road. The
entrance to Berkleigh will be your first right. The model home is
open seven days a week.
D.R. Horton is building in a number of
other areas around the Lowcountry. For information on those
communities, call the local division office at 573-2060 or go to
www.drhorton.com on the Internet.
Bob Lang covers real
estate and automotive news. Contact him at
blang@postandcourier.com or (843) 937-5594.
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