Berkleigh offers lots of standard features
Saturday, July 6, 2002

BY BOB LANG
Of The Post and Courier Staff 

    While many home building companies have broken ground in Park West, the most prolific builder in this large Mount Pleasant subdivision has been D.R. Horton.
     The Dallas-based chain is on its third Park West neighborhood, Berkleigh, which combines some of the best features of its previous two, Churchill Park and Wellesley.
     Berkleigh's homes have more standard features and available options than those offered with Horton's earlier efforts, but without a large price increase. Homes range in size from 1,427 square feet to about 3,000 square feet, and in price from $165,990 to about $250,000. The neighborhood is one of the last in Park West where buyers still can find new homes starting under $200,000.
     Berkleigh sales manager Erin Maddox Groh said the company is able to hold prices down by building on concrete-slab foundations instead of crawl space, as was done in Churchill Park.
     "We decided to take the cost of building on crawl space and put it into the interior of each home, which is the area most people care about," Groh said. "We can offer a lot more house for the money. You don't have to add a lot of upgrades, and most people aren't adding much."
     Among a lengthy list of standard interior features are 9-foot or higher smooth ceilings on the first floor, ventless gas fireplace, separate tub and shower in the master bathroom, customizable structured wiring package and extensive molding.
     Kitchens come with extra-large cabinets, including two with slide-out shelves. A built-in microwave oven is also standard.
     Buyers can choose a home in inventory or have one built from one of nine floor plans, each with three or four different exterior fronts. Most plans include optional bonus rooms. One plan, the Rosewood (the model), offers options for three additional rooms: a fifth bedroom, a finished room over the garage and a finished or unfinished attic.
     All homes come with a two-car garage and at least three bedrooms. One- and two-story plans are available, including the 1,474-square-foot single-story "Beaufort" plan, which has won a number of local and national awards.
     Vinyl siding is standard, although some of the smaller homes come with brick fronts. Brick and stucco fronts are optional on the larger plans.
     Most plans come with a covered porch, or lanai, which for an additional charge can be screened or converted to a sunroom.
     Yards come fully sodded in the front and sides as well as up to 40 feet in the rear. Each home also gets a palmetto tree in the front yard.
     Only 75 homes are planned in Berkleigh, and about half of the lots are sold or on reserve. Some lots that back up to wetlands and/or ponds are still available, but that can add as much as $10,000 to the price of a house. About a dozen families already have moved into the neighborhood.
     Groh said Berkleigh is attracting all kinds of buyers. "It's been a nice blend of young families, couples with no children and retired couples," she said.
     Berkleigh is situated near the center of Park West and is a short walk from the subdivision's amenity center and planned commercial area. The amenity center contains a swimming pool, clubhouse and playground. After an initiation fee of $150, the annual homeowner's fee is $515.
     School-aged children attend Pinckney Elementary and Cario Middle, two highly rated public schools within the subdivision. A new high school is being built nearby that will have a connecting road from Park West.
     To get to Berkleigh from downtown Charleston, take U.S. Highway 17 north about 10 miles. After passing the intersection with S.C. Highway 41 (and the KFC restaurant), go 1.6 miles and turn left into Park West. Go through the first traffic circle. When you come to the second traffic circle, bear to the left and stay on Park West Boulevard. At the third traffic circle, turn right onto Grey Marsh Road. The entrance to Berkleigh will be your first right. The model home is open seven days a week.
     D.R. Horton is building in a number of other areas around the Lowcountry. For information on those communities, call the local division office at 573-2060 or go to www.drhorton.com on the Internet.
    

     Bob Lang covers real estate and automotive news. Contact him at blang@postandcourier.com or (843) 937-5594.