Friday, 01/11/08
After long wait, Windstone finally on its way
First residents settle into high-end Brentwood development
By NANCY MUELLER
For Williamson A.M.
BRENTWOOD — The first residents have moved into Windstone, a Brentwood neighborhood that is planned to be a "crown jewel" of upscale housing but that has been beset by delays.
John and Peggy Crunk moved into one of Windstone's townhouses just two days after Christmas.
Empty nesters who have grown children and grandchildren nearby, the Crunks were happy to trade the responsibility of maintaining their "Brentwood acre" in River Oaks for the relatively maintenance-free lifestyle of the townhouse.
In recent years, the retired pair has spent more time at their home in Sandestin, Fla., than here. Their new home in Windstone is going to be more like a secondary home, they said.
"It sounded like something perfect for us," Peggy Crunk said, adding that the couple sold their River Oaks house, by themselves, in only nine days. "We had just decided we didn't want the yard and the maintenance of it anymore."
At the same time, the Crunks aren't giving up much space in the move. Their new townhouse features four bedrooms, four bathrooms, two half-baths, a bonus room and a two-car garage. The house they called home for the past 35 years "is about the same size as the townhouse, actually," Peggy Crunk said.
The Crunks apparently aren't the only people around interested in townhouse living without necessarily downsizing.
Southern Land Company had originally planned for townhouses in the 2,400 to 3,000-square foot range, then through market research discovered that Brentwood empty nesters wanted more space. So the company bumped up the size ranges to 3,200-4,500 square feet. That was in 2005, when the company projected prices starting at $600,000.
Today five townhouses are finished. Three were listed at $995,950 and the other two were over $1.2 million, with square footage ranging from 3,533 to the 4,557 square feet in the Crunk's home. All but one of these units is already sold. A total of 30 townhouses will be built eventually.
Site construction took time
The main factor slowing down Windstone was the fact that the site required more pre-construction prepping than anticipated. The neighborhood is on a 200-acre tract off Murray Lane that is a valley rimmed with steep hills. The company had to build more retaining walls than it had expected, spokesman Jim Cheney said.
"We anticipated some of it, but it ended up being more," he said. "It took about a year and a half to get that site prepped.
"It would be fair to say that we had an expectation on delivery, and that expectation was delayed by getting the product and the site," he said.
The neighborhood now appears to be on its way. Not only are the first townhouses completed, but also several houses.
When complete, Windstone will have several categories of housing. There will be single-family houses in "the villages," where homes sit on approximately quarter-acre lots and garages will be located consistently in the back. Garage access will be available via alleys. But the houses themselves won't be all that small; square footage is presently ranging from 4,152 to 5,469 among the seven under construction.
Southern Land Company Homebuilding is building four of the houses while three others are custom homes.
The villages will include 31 homes when built out. Another 26 homes fall in the category of "manor" homes. These houses will sit on three-fourths to
1-acre lots. Ten manor lots have been sold to Windstone-approved builders. Ford Custom Classic Homes has one under construction with a completion date of April 30. It is listed for $1.6 million.
Another six manor lots have been sold to individuals for custom homes.
Sixteen "boulevard" houses will be 9,000 square feet and up on lots of 1 acre or more. Five of those lots have been sold to builders for market homes; three are under construction with prices ranging from $2.97 million to approximately $3.5 million. One boulevard lot has been sold for a custom home.
Windstone was approved by the city of Brentwood for seven ridge-top lots before the city's decision last year to ban construction on hilltop sites. The ridge-top lots are each 5 to 7-plus acres, with views of the valley or the city of Brentwood. Two had been sold for custom homes as of late December.
The 'crowning jewel'
At build-out in 2012, Windstone will have 110 homes. The gated community's neighborhood amenities will include an English Jacobean-style clubhouse and an infinity pool.
Southern Land Company, best known locally for the development of Westhaven and Laurelbrooke subdivisions in Franklin, has ambitious plans for Windstone.
"After designing 20 upscale properties in as many years, Southern Land company holds its crowning jewel in these 200 elegant acres," the company says in its new magazine, Southern Land Luxe.
The company is holding its approved list of builders to rigorous design approval, requiring the use of natural materials and authentic architecture. There is a goal for "360-degree" design on all homes, meaning that the sides and the backs of homes are architecturally consistent with the front and no less distinguished.
"They're not going to allow any shortcuts, because this
will be the highest end that Southern Land has done in Williamson County," Cheney said.
At Windstone, the developer also plans to offer horticultural services. The gardening services, which are optional, will offer everything from turf care to maintenance of planters and flower boxes.
"We want people to be blown away by the attention to detail," Cheney said.
Approved homebuilders for Windstone, in addition to the homebuilding company of Southern Land, are Adam Stern Homes, Classic Design Homes, Dan Stern Homes, Davis Properties of Tennessee, Deer Creek Construction, Forte Building Group, Graymont Group, Hancock Construction, Hulen Homes, Langfitt and Associates, Lesley Properties, Ford Custom Classic Homes, Nashville Construction, Parker Custom Builders and Wall Construction Company.