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Braemore's ridge, so gradual it can't be seen with the naked eye, is just one perk at the 31-home enclave of upscale custom and speculative homes. The mostly two-story dwellings run from 2,000 to 3,500 square feet and are priced in the upper $500,000s to $700,000. The designs differ but are primarily in the Lowcountry style, with large porches, verandas, front columns and peaked roofs.
Through much of the neighborhood, homes are built among tall stands of oaks and other native woodlands. "We have kept the (tree) umbrella and put in more plantings," Washburn said. "It's what Charleston neighborhoods had. These homes look like they've been here 60 years," he said.
The community is flexible about home construction, although there are a few requirements. The houses, on quarter-acre lots, must have wood, stucco, brick or fiber-cement siding. Brick and fiber-cement have proven the most popular thus far. Roofs are metal or architectural shingles. There is a 2,000 square foot minimum for one-story homes and a 2,800 square foot minimum for two-story dwellings. The largest houses are around 3,500 square feet. Linking the neighborhood together are sidewalks.
Interiors have standard features such as custom kitchen cabinets, a variety of hardwood floors; granite countertops in the kitchens, crown and other moldings, base board work and 10-foot ceilings. One home has towering French doors. Close to a dozen homes are completed or in various stages of progress. Builders are involved with no more than three spec homes at any one time. Washburn said he expects the majority of home construction to be completed by 2005.
Acting on a mandate from the town of Mount Pleasant, Braemore connected its main streets into neighboring I'On, and to Molasses Creek and Hobcaw Point off Muirhead Drive. The move is to keep traffic off scenic but heavily traveled Mathis Ferry Road. Washburn said the community is in a convenient location. It is less than a mile south of Hobcaw Creek and a mile north of U.S. Highway 17. "You can literally walk to shop," he said.
Braemore is a variation on "brae," a Scottish word meaning a hillside especially along a river. The neighborhood doesn't have a stream, but it does have a manicured elbowed-shaped drainage pond frequented by birds and other wildlife.
Washburn is involved in two ways in the neighborhood. He's a partner in Braemore Development LLC, which planned and designed the community. He is also a lead manager with Exit Realty, which is marketing a number of houses and properties.
The agent-developer said he believes that the neighborhood's lasting appeal is it's natural setting. Citing the height above sea level, Washburn said, "That's pretty high. I tell you, one of the biggest things (about Braemore)," he said, "are the actual lots themselves."
To reach Braemore from downtown Charleston, cross the Cooper River Bridge to Mount Pleasant and follow U.S. Highway 17 (Johnnie Dodds Boulevard). Turn left at the second traffic light on Mathis Ferry Road. Follow Mathis Ferry to Muirhead Drive and turn left. Braemore is the first right.