It's kind of like having dessert first and then the main course.

When Beresford Hall's developer broke ground four to five years ago, the designer of the upper scale Berkeley County neighborhood started by laying out attractions including an artsy swimming pool and clubhouse, an oak-lined town square, docks, a brick postal box shelter and a playground.

At the beginning of development, the community off Clements Ferry Road had just a handful of houses under construction and no permanent residents.

Now, a few years later, the construction is catching up with the infrastructure.

Beresford Hall sold the last of its 200 lots in spring 2005, including many sites to other builders. Now, a host of contractors from small custom craftsmen to regional builders are erecting Lowcountry-style bungalows, brick Colonial dwellings and single homes with garages and mothers-in-law suites. About 20 houses are under way or completed, including the Sea Island style enclave of developer Greenwood Development Corp.'s local chief of acquisitions.

Many of the houses going up are two-story, 3,500 square feet or more with four to five bedrooms and baths on lots of half an acre and up. Homes are available on interior, town square or waterfront lots. Views vary: there are woods, marsh and nearby Beresford Creek. The homes now on the market run from $849,500 to $2,099,000.

Charlotte-based Simonini Builders, a customized contractor with a local office on Daniel Island, is building three homes in Beresford Hall and owns two other lots, said Rick Mullin, area manager. "It is more of a custom-type environment," he said, noting that the company intends to build one or two homes a year in Beresford Hall.

Changes are expected this year at Beresford Hall, which while secluded is a few miles from Inter-

state 526 and from more populated Daniel Island. In the next couple of months, Beresford Hall will be a gated community, with two entrance points, including one off Clements Ferry Road. Meanwhile, Berkeley County School District boundaries have been revised so the elementary school under construction on Daniel Island will serve Beresford Hall once it's completed. Currently, Cainhoy Elementary is the primary public school for the neighborhood.

Buyers in Beresford Hall include former executives who like the "live-work" aspects of living in the Charleston area, Mullin said. As second-career consultants, they don't have to reside in a big city to continue business. "It's 20 minutes to town," Mullins said. "You can work out of your home."

To reach Beresford Hall from downtown Charleston, take Interstate 26 to I-526 and exit toward Mount Pleasant. Follow I-526 to the Clements Ferry Road north exit. Continue on Clements Ferry for about three miles. Beresford Hall is on the right. An alternate route is to cross the Ravenel Bridge to U.S. Highway 17 in Mount Pleasant and take I-526 to the Clements Ferry Road north exit. Continue on Clements Ferry for about three miles. Beresford Hall is on the right.

Contact Jim Parker at 937-5542 or at jparker@postandcourier.com.