Once again I’ve stumbled upon a great little neighborhood in the making. This subdivision offers attractive craftsman-style homes for home-buyers.
I was in-between errands and had about 45 minutes to kill so I let the steering wheel take me in whichever direction it hadn’t been before.
I don’t need no stinking GPS!
![Palmdale-A Frank Betz craftsman-style home plan Palmdale-Frank_Betz_home_plan.JPG](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Palmdale-Frank_Betz_home_plan-thumb.jpg)
I could care less about the awards. What I do care about is the fact that these are reasonably-priced homes with lots of features and upgrades that we don’t usually see in homes of this price range (mid-$200’s) in our area. One of the homes I toured had hand-scraped hardwood planks throughout much of the terrace level. There’s also a teen suite or in-law suite, whichever term you prefer. Nice appliances, granite countertops, premium fireplace hearths and much more. One other great feature we saw were those popular free-standing furniture vanities in the bathrooms. Very cool! I’ll write and show more in an upcoming post, or two.
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![Very nice trim work here exceptional_mouldings.JPG](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/exceptional_mouldings-thumb.jpg)
![hand-scraped hardwood plank flooring hand-scraped_hardwood_plank_floors.JPG](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/hand-scraped_hardwood_plank_floors-thumb.jpg)
![catwalk catwalk_separates_foyer_and_great_room.JPG](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/catwalk_separates_foyer_and_great_room-thumb.jpg)
This neighborhood plot is located on what used to be a cow pasture so the land is definitely fertile and it sits up on a ridge, Ridge Rd. in fact, and it catches some of the prevailing westerly breeze to cool things off just a bit.
![a few very old trees in the neighborhood old_tree.JPG](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/old_tree-thumb.jpg)
![rich, fertile soil for the gardener in you fertile_soil.JPG](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/fertile_soil-thumb.jpg)
![fresh country air awaits cow_pasture_within_sight.JPG](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/cow_pasture_within_sight-thumb.jpg)
Why am I showing a picture of dirt in the photo above? (You’re not from around these here parts are you?) The significance of the dirt photo is that you don’t see the infamous Georgia red clay on display. What you do see is a nice thick layer of rich, fertile black topsoil. It even smells rich and fertile. Yes…I said it…now deal with it. Till it and you’re ready to plant.
We met co-developer and real estate agent, LaVaughn Johnson, and discussed a few of the abundant upgrades and details that his homes will offer. I was genuinely impressed with what I saw and heard. Basically, you’d have a difficult time finding homes in this price range in this area with so many choices to offer potential homebuyers. LaVaughn seemed fired up about it all and deservedly so. He should have no problem turning home shoppers into homebuyers.
![Frank Betz Bakersfield craftsman-style floor plan Bakersfield_floor_plan.JPG](https://homebuilding.thefuntimesguide.com/files/Bakersfield_floor_plan-thumb.jpg)
Rustic Craftsman-Style Homes Suit Our Style
My level of interest in Summerlyn spilled over to my wife. After I told her about it I took her out to Summerlyn and she also liked what she saw. We toured the homes that were completed or close to completion and then went for a drive in unchartered territory (for us) to discover new homes that we hadn’t seen before. Hey…I’m not kidding when I tell you that we do this for ideas and fun! Anyway, we drove for a few miles and toured quite a few other homes in the surrounding area. As we’re driving along, I turn here and turn there and somehow we managed to find Sweetwater Bridge subdivision, which LaVaughn happened to mention to us earlier. Destiny I suppose. Same plans…different developer and agents. Frank Betz home plans are popular with developers and homebuyers alike it seems.
By the way…I’ll be writing a post, or two, on what we saw at Sweetwater Bridge subdivision very soon. Nice homes on a less attractive plot. Also, you won’t believe what we saw smack dab in the middle of that subdivision! Very, very creepy!
Frank Betz Associates, Inc. has been honored again this year as “Builder Magazines – Best Selling Designer”. Frank Betz Associates, Inc. has won this prestigious award 11 out of the last 12 years, from Homeplanners, a division of Hanley Wood, at their annual Designer Awards dinner hosted at the International Builders Show.
source
Frank Betz Assoc. also has many “Best of Show” awards from nationwide Parade of Homes events. source
I started as a home-stalker… visiting brand new homes under construction in the neighborhoods near my house.
That inspired me to write about home building and home renovation projects — chronicling homes during different phases of construction from a consumer’s point-of-view. Basically, the tips you’ll find in my articles are a collection of checklists for what I think should (and should not) go into building or remodeling a quality home.