New Homes Trekker: Suburban Living

Suburban Living

January 10, 2008

First 100% Energy-Star Certified Homes in N.Va

A few weeks ago, I drove by Stockwell Manor, a new homes community in the border of McLean and Falls Church and saw the big sign that reads, "100% Energy-Star Certified Homes." The 100% Energy Star homes, peaked my interest to go back and revisit. Because sometime in 2006, I visited the community when they just opened up the office. Don't remember if at the time, they'd started marketing the Energy Star certified homes yet. Maybe they did, or didn't.

With no end sight on how high oil prices can climb, Camberley Homes, the developer really took the plunge and committed to build Energy Star certified homes. Even in today's standard, it's not 'main stream' yet. Wait a few years from now, this type of homes will be trendy by that time, especially as more and more home owners feeling the pinch.

This is probably the first Energy-Star certified community of new homes on the market in Northern Virginia that I know of. There is a few eco-friendly and LEED condos on the market. But, eco-friendly and energy efficient does not necessarily offers the same features. [We'll talk more about some other time about the differences between the two in another post]

What is an Energy-Star Certified New Homes?

According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency information, Energy-Star certified new homes must meet guidelines for energy efficiency set by the Agency. These homes must have 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code [IRC], and include energy-efficient features that typically make them 20-30% more efficient than standard homes. The energy-efficiency that separates them from the regular (standard) homes.

Energy-Star Certified homes uses energy-efficient features that contribute to improved home quality, comfort, lower energy demand and reduced air pollution.

image: front-loading washer & dryer

There are six 'Must-Have' components to qualify (or certified) for 'Energy-Star' homes:

Effective insulation
High-performance windows
Tight construction and ducts
Efficient heating and cooling
Efficient products
Third-party verification

Yes, they do have to be certified by an independent third-party rater.

The components are what separated a home from being energy-efficient versus today's not-so-energy efficient homes. Think about this, a well-sealed and properly insulated home is not only quiet, but it offers other features that aren't so much can be found in today's (or yesterday) standard homes. Things like better indoor air quality, lower utility bills and because it's designed to use less energy, it helps reduce the greenhouse gas emission. Less energy consumption equal to less strain on the grid.

From the outside, you probably can't see the differences between a standard homes versus energy-efficient homes. But, when you get to the inside, that's when you find most of the differences.

Here are some of the specs of Energy Efficiencies that you can find in their new homes:

Third party energy inspections to meet ENERGY STAR certification
Dual-zone gas heating and central AC
Carrier Performance Series 93% high-efficiency gas furnaces
13 SEER Puron refrigerant AC
Carrier 5 day programmable thermostat
Carrier humidifier
75 gallon high-efficiency water heater
Tankless hot water system
Attic spaces insulated to R38

image: Camberley Homes

There are two types of homes available at Stockwell Manor: Townhouses and single family houses. Twenty-nine single homes are planned and seventy-one townhouses. A number of homes already been built and occupied. Single homes offered approximately 3600 s.f. to 4200 s.f. of finished square feet, comes with top-of-the-line kitchen appliances, i.e. Viking Professional and Designer series appliances. Homes are priced from low $1.5 million to high $1.7 million.

Townhouses have approximately 2600 s.f. to 3600 s.f. of living spaces comes with 10' ceilings on the main level with 9' ceilings on lower and third level. All homes come with 2-car garage. These townhouses are priced from the low $900's to high $1.1 million.

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Posted at 05:45 PM in $1M and Over, $1M's & Under , Fairfax Real Estate , Falls Church Real Estate, Falls Church Urban Living , Metro Accessibility, New Constructions, New Townhomes, Pre-constructions, Real Estate, Suburban Living, Urban Living | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

September 25, 2007

New Condominiums: Whitman, 1800 Wilson, Cameron Station and Byron

[This is a long due post, because I visited these condominiums a couple of weeks ago.]

Having gone through so many different new condominiums the last few years, there is only few things that separates one condo to another, i.e. location, structural, exterior, interior including features offered and prices. You might not care what a building is built from. But, from noise level perspective, a better quality condominium building is usually built on concrete using class A material. Once inside, you can tell the difference. Building built on wood, have high noise level!

The WHITMAN

This new condominium is located directly across the street from the new Washington Convention Center in Mount Vernon neighborhood. What is different about Whitman, is they have two-level homes with private courts [read: facing the street] on lower level. The living quarter is on the first level and sleeping quarters is on the second level. Feels like a townhome living but ownership is still condo.

Standard features include hardwood floors in living areas, gourmet kitchens with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, walk-in closets, ceramic tile baths and full-size stacked W&D.

Amenities: party room with billiards, fitness center, rooftop pool, and 24/7 front desk.

These are some of the units they still have (as per visit).

1 BR den/ 1.5 baths include 1 parking space in the price are priced from $529,900 to $569,900. Condo fee $421/mo.
1 BR with den/ 2 baths also come with 1 parking space

are priced from the lowest $499,900 to $689,900 with 1414 s.f. of living quarters. Condo fee $505/mo.

2 BR/ 2.5 baths (parking incl.) are priced from $589,900 to $719,900. Condo fee $589/mo.

The Whitman offers incentive. The catch- you gotta use their 'preferred' lender and/or title company.

1800 WILSON

1800 Wilson, is the new condominium located in Rosslyn-Courthouse corridor on Wilson Boulevard. It is conveniently located between two Metro stations, Rosslyn and Courthouse, and walking distance to everything - shops, restaurants, etc. This is one of the few new construction condominium that offers live/work condo, a condo hybrid.

With more and more people working at home at least part of the week, it's perhaps not surprising that condo developers around the country are beginning to promote live-work units as part of their mix of offerings.

via MSN

If I remember it correctly, Wilson is built on light construction (read: stick wood). So- noise level should be something to think about when buying a new condo in a building like this.

Standard features include 9' ceilings, hardwood floors in foyer, kitchen, living and dining room, gas cooking, and SS appliances. Amenities include fitness center, e-lounge and business center, lobby and landscape courtyard.

They're sold out on 1 BR or 1 BR/dens! All of units sold include one parking space, additional parking is available for a cool - $35K and only for those who buys 2 bedrooms. Some of the units still available are 2 BRs and 1 BR lofts.

The 1 BR/ loft (876 s.f. to 902 s.f.) priced from the lowest $464,900 to $474,900.
The 2 BRs (1050 s.f. to 1079 s.f.) are priced from $540,000 to $569,900.
The biggest unit is the 2 BR and loft with 1243 s.f., 18' ceilings and National Cathedral views is available for $679,900.

CAMERON STATION CONDOS

This is the latest residential condominium inside Cameron Station subdivision. Cameron Station is a community of townhomes, single homes and condominiums. It's a very popular subdivision in the City of Alexandria. There's a lot of activities here - people move up from condo to townhouse, move out to another area or downsized from single to condo.

The big plus here: GREEN FEATURES - that is the use of energy efficiency appliances and windows. The green features include, energy conserving insulation, central AC, energy efficient gas heat, 30 to 50 gallon quick recovery electric water heaters, and aluminum insulated windows. I noticed also that they offer front-loading washing machine, which is part of energy-efficient appliances.

The big difference between the existing condominiums and its newest addition is - the condo fee. Condo fee pays at this new Cameron Station include a $90 fee on top of your Association fee, around $230 per month. So- you are looking at a difference of almost $100 for amenities that are already offered by the community anyway. I don't get it..

Standard features include, 42" kitchen cabinet, corian countertops, ceramic tile floors in all baths, walk-in closets, ceramic tile tub/shower surround in full bath, Duron two-toned interior paint.

You still have plenty of choices available at Cameron Station condos from 1 BR all the way to 3 BR.

The 1 BRs condos are priced from the low $348,000 (783 s.f.) to high $427,000 (1039 s.f.).
The 2 BRs starts at $432,490 (1128 s.f.) to high $462,980 (1177 s.f.).
The 2 BRs with den starts at $462,690 (1258 s.f.) to $520,072 (1359 s.f.).
2 BR lofts starts at $550,982 (1443 s.f.) to $715,038 (1793 s.f.).
3 BRs starts at $537,490 (1545 s.f.) to $695,038 (1860 s.f.).

I don't know who the target market is for the condos priced from the $500's because it competes head-to-head with popular housing type at Cameron Station - the townhouses. A new townhouse by N.V. Homes start at $650K with 2000+ s.f. Why would you want a condo if resale is going to be a challenge later on?

The BYRON

This brand new condominium is located on Broad Street aka Route 7 in the City of Falls Church. It is near the proposed Falls Church City Center. I watched the development of this building on what used to be the site of Red Lobster restaurant. Developer converted the 2-acre lot into 90 condominium units! See how smart growth works? Going up as opposed to side expansion.

The size of the condos here are huge. I think at one time, I heard that this condo was targeted for people who are thinking of downsizing. The one bedroom with den size starts at 1032 s.f., is a little bit bigger than a typical 1 BR/den. The price also reasonable -- Falls Church price -- without 'the premium' of walking to the Metro thing. Although, it is only less than a mile from East or West Falls Church Metro, and George bus (FC rapid transit) stops at site.

This is a building built on class A office construction -- meaning it's on concrete and steel -- which makes a big difference in terms of "noise level."

Standard features include, hardwood floors in foyer, living, dining, kitchen, den and powder rooms. fireplace, SS appliances, granite kitchen countertops, 9' ceilings, hot water dispenser, full size W&D, 6-ft soaking tub, ceramic tile and flooring in full baths.

Amenities: Club room, fitness room, underground parking space (included in the price), Falls Church metro bus stop at site, and lots of parking space for residents and guests.

The only 1 BR/ den with 1.5 bath approximately 1032 s.f. is priced at $438,900. Condo fee $277 a mo.
The 2 BR/ 2.5 baths with 1298 s.f., priced at $548,900. Condo fee $352 a mo.
2 BR/ den with 2.5 baths have 1537 s.f. of living space, is on the market between $612,900 to $652,900. Condo fee $416 a mo.
2BR/den with 2.5 baths with 1661 s.f. to 1825 s.f. priced from $698,900 to $776,900. Condo fee $448 to $493 per mo.
3 BR/ 3 baths with 1998 s.f. (this is huge unit!), price from $808,900 to $854,900. Condo fee $542 per mo.

Their condo fee is rather low, because there is no pool. Less amenities - less condo fee. Having a pool tends to increase the condo fee.

All of these condominiums offer incentives. The catch with incentives - you have to either use their preferred lender or title company.

One more thing, regardless who you are dealing with, make sure that you use the service of a Realtor. The sales rep works for the builder and not- you!

It's all about representation. A builder's rep does NOT represent you! They represent the builder and their interests! And a Realtor, represents YOU. Big difference.

Posted at 08:01 AM in $1M's & Under , $600's & Under , Alexandria Real Estate, Arlington Real Estate, Arlington Urban Living, Condominiums, Falls Church Real Estate, Falls Church Urban Living , Lifestyle, New Constructions, Real Estate, Suburban Living, Urban Living | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

May 29, 2007

New Community: Potomac Club

Potomac Club, is a new gated community sits on 200 acre of land in Woodbridge, Prince William county. Its location is walking distance from the future 'Potomac Town Center', a mixed-use community with the popular main street retail theme. (Soon to be breaking ground)

Potomac Club, is a KSI's planned community build by three developers, M/I Homes, Ryan and Pulte. The biggest attraction for this community besides its closeness to I-95, is probably rec/ community center: Club Mac (exclusive for residents), athletic club, the pools and the rock. Club Mac, is the exclusive residents-only lounge in the rec center with a custom bar, cocktail tables, pool tables and plasma TVs. The athletic club, is the gym. The pools have 25-meter indoor pool and outdoor social pool. And the rock, is a three-story rock-climbing wall.

Types of homes you can choose from: condominium or townhouse with many different layouts and variations. Depending on the builder, your options also include stacked condos or sometime called townhouse/ condo -- a 2-level condominium.

M/I Homes

Choices available >> 2 or 3br/ 2.5 ba townhome style garage condos (a two-level condo) from the low-$300's to mid-$340's. A 2 car garage townhome starts at $399,000.

Ryan Homes

Choices available >> 2 or 3 br/ 2.5 ba townhome style garage condos or, two-level condos from the low-$300's to mid-$350's. Their 2 car garage townhome 3br/2.5ba starts from $370's.

Pulte Homes

Choices available >> 3br/2.5 ba townhome style garage condos from the low-$300's to $350's. The two car garage townhomes start at $380's to $460's.

Of the three builders, the best model homes I find: Pulte. What I like about Pulte -- the design and (open) floor plan. I think they 'hired' one of the best designers out there 'to stage' their model homes.

Posted at 06:18 AM in $600's & Under , Condominiums, New Constructions, New Townhomes, Pre-constructions, Prince William County Real Estate, Real Estate, Suburban Living | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

February 01, 2007

Beazer Dream Home Dollar Days

A dollar for any option for all of Beazer communities in Virginia and Maryland, including TOD developments, Avera Station and the Reserve at Tysons Corner. It's a smart marketing campaign to warm up the cold winter weather sales.

Here are some of their dollar deals:

Boat Slip
State-of-the-Art Home Theater with Leather Theater Seating
Gourmet Kitchen
Climate-Controlled Wine Room
Home Fitness Center
Custom Garage-Organizing Package
Whole House Closet Organizing Package
Outdoor Deck and Grill Package
Finished Rec Room
Light-Filled Sunroom

Not bad for a dollar. The catch: Not all options available at every community. Promo only good for February 9-11, 2007!

SINGLE HOMES ALERT!!

Also available homes of the week, which usually are what they called "inventory homes." These are homes either available immediately or sometime soon, comes with all the bells and whistles -- ready to go and priced to sell.

Some of the ommunities that have "Homes of the Week."

Coles Run Manor >> Homesite 82. Sunroom ext., walkout basement, stainless steel appliances, fully finished basement and gourmet kitchen for $539,990. Another one available for March/ April move-in for $589,990.
Innisbrooke >> Homesite 38. Brick and front incl. a study. Walkout homesite, sun room addition, extended breakfast/kitchen, finished rec.room and bath room in the basement.. and more features April/May move-in for $567,990.
Landsdowne >> 5+ acre conservancy homesite. You can either buy the homesite (and build your own custom home) for $799,990, or Beazer build their Lancaster model -- 3 car garage, finished basement, morning room, estate room, 4.5 bath, etc., for $1.6 million.

They do have more communities that offer the homes of the week program. Too many to list here. So, if you've been waiting for special deals or incentives to purchase, this is it .. just go-for-it.

Posted at 05:18 PM in $1M and Over, $1M's & Under , $600's & Under , Fairfax Real Estate , Loudoun County Real Estate, Real Estate, Suburban Living, Urban Living | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)