Hunt Club combines custom design, Lowcountry style
In fact, the Hunt Club took its moniker from a former plantation where patrons hunted deer, bears, wild boars, foxes and game birds.
The development, which broke ground about 18 months ago, will wind up with close to 500 homes when fully built out. It has 14 residences thus far.
Located off Bees Ferry Road, the neighborhood seeks to marry the affordable costs of large home builders with custom features of local contractors to produce one- and two-story brick, stucco and Hardiplank homes in the $250,000 to $350,000 price range.
"It is basically an old hunting ground," said Scott W. Dow, contractor with Mount Pleasant-based Dow Inc., which designed the model home and is a preferred builder in the Hunt Club. The project will maintain its woodsy theme, setting aside 100 acres for riding trails and clustering the homes in half of the 510-acre property to leave plenty of undeveloped space.
Buyers can choose house plans or custom build as long as it meets architectural standards, said Guy T. McKenzie, a Realtor with Prudential Carolina Real Estate who is handling sales at the Hunt Club.
The subdivision, surrounded by woods, looks like it is out in the country. Yet the neighborhood is close to the $43 million West Ashley High School campus, Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, parks and shopping centers. "It's nine minutes to downtown," said Dow, who acknowledged the drive was during a low-traffic period. (The Hunt Club brochures estimate the trip at 15 minutes.)
Other perks include nearby retail spots. The planned Hunt Club Common shopping plaza will be in walking distance across Bees Ferry. The center will include a Fresh Market-type of grocery store and a clothing store. Also, Wal-Mart Stores intends to builkd a supercenter on Bees Ferry.
"We think that's a large asset," McKenzie said.
The Hunt Club has five floor plans: Oren, Woodard, Walterboro, Will Town and Durst. They are three- and four-bedroom, 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 baths and run from 2,413 to 2,798 square feet in size. Buyers can tweak the floor plans or start from scratch with their own designs.
Through careful buying and special deals, The Hunt Club has provided high-end features at reasonable prices. Dow said that's a big selling point.
"We have one of the most inexpensive square-foot prices in the area," he said.
Indoor flourishes include floors and cabinets crafted with a variety of woods such as cherry and Cameron from Africa; foyer floors with intricate mosaics carved from ash, oak and mahogany; appliances from Jenn-Air and Bosch; and master bedrooms with sitting areas and, in bathrooms, whirlpool tubs.
Kitchens come equipped with microwaves, ranges, heavy-duty disposals and large pantries -- everything but refrigerators. Each home is designed with a central vacuum and is wired for online and cable service. In raised homes, the two-car garage and playroom can add an extra 1,100 square feet. The model home has three heating and air conditioning units -- upstairs, downstairs and in the room over the garage.
Exterior features range from screen porches with extra-strength mesh to the use of various roof materials including metal. In some models, the upstairs can be redesigned with a piazza off the master bedroom.
All homes have front porches. "We're trying (to build) so you can walk around the neighborhood and know your neighbors," McKenzie said.
The model home has a temporary attraction: The furniture and fixtures come from Sea Island Habitat for Humanity's store as a promotional and fund-raising effort.
The Hunt Club developers intend to break ground on the second of seven phases this summer. It will begin construction of a red-tin-roofed community center with a swimming pool, fitness center, tennis courts, indoor meeting and luncheon rooms, and outdoor grill and recreation area.
To get to the Hunt Club from downtown, take the Ashley River Bridge to Savannah Highway. Turn right on Main Road. Follow Main until it dead ends into Bees Ferry Road. The Hunt Club is just ahead.
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