Centex moves upscale with Lowcountry Series

By: BOB LANG OF THE POST AND COURIER   
Originally Published on: 3/24/01
Page: G 4

     Homebuilder now offering high-end homes in Mount Pleasant One Color and Four B&W photos by Wade Spees/Staff: Homes in Centex's new Lowcountry Series line feature large porches and drive-under garages (440874). This Centex Lowcountry Series house has an optional sun room off the living room (440875). Sunlight filters through windows in a new Lowcountry Series home at The Gallery at Charleston National (440873). All Lowcountry Series master bathrooms come with a cultured marble garden tub and separate glass-enclosed shower stall (440872). Wooden steps lead to the main entrance of this Lowcountry Series house. Most floor plans allow for an optional elevator ( MOUNT PLEASANT-In case you haven't noticed, Centex has gone upscale. Sure, the high-volume Dallas-based company still builds plenty of entry level homes around Charleston. But it's also begun building larger, more upscale homes that cater to this area's healthy step-up market.
     Which is why Centex has introduced a new line of home designs - the Lowcountry Series - created especially for coastal South Carolina.
     The designs reflect traditional Southern architecture, with wide porches, dormer windows and high ceilings. All 10 floorplans in the series include drive-under garages.
     The homes range in size from about 2,000 to 3,100 square feet and in price from the $260s to the low $300s.
     "We are very excited about this new product," said Jay Thrower, president of Centex's Coastal Carolina Division.
     "The Lowcountry Series demonstrates our ability to design and build higher-end homes at a tremendous value to our customers," he said.
     Lowcountry Series homes are available in three of Centex's Charleston-area neighborhoods, and they're all located in Mount Pleasant: The Gallery at Charleston National, Magnolia Woods at Seaside Farms and The Isles at RiverTowne Country Club.
     A number of the new homes are already up in Charleston National and Seaside Farms. RiverTowne Country Club is brand new, and construction on three model homes won't be completed for a few more weeks. That neighborhood should be ready for residential construction later in the spring, said Stacey Berndt, operational marketing manager for the Coastal Carolina Division.
     Each neighborhood offers wooded, marsh, pond and/or golf fairway homesites. Buyers can purchase a home in inventory or have one built from among the floorplans.
     One- and two-story plans (in addition to the ground floor) are available, each with two exterior elevations in a choice of cement fiberboard siding or stucco.
     All plans include a screened porch, which for an additional fee can be made into a sunroom. Some of the designs have room for an optional elevator or dumbwaiter.
     "When we were developing the Lowcountry Series, one of our primary objectives was to create homes that had a friendly, nostalgic feeling, but with the kind of flexible interior space and features that today's sophisticated home buyer demands," Thrower said.
     Yvonne Powell, an agent at Charleston National, said the drive-under garages have been a big hit with customers.
     "It's the closest thing to having a basement in Charleston," Powell said. "A lot of people are excited about having so much storage room in addition to room for their cars."
     The floorplans feature large great rooms and open kitchens, with plenty of natural light coming in from multiple windows. Extra molding on the walls and high-end plumbing fixtures help give the homes a luxurious feel, Powell said.
     "When you walk through the front door, you get the ambience of being in an old Charleston home," she said. "Then you see to the back of the house and how it blossoms with vaulted ceilings and sunrooms. The layout really is exciting."
     Said Thrower: "We believe home buyers will be impressed with the fine craftsmanship that goes into the construction of each Lowcountry Series home. It's the kind of craftsmanship that has earned Centex extremely high satisfaction ratings from our customers." Centex is among the nation's top volume homebuilders, with $5.7 billion in revenue in 1999. The company is building homes in more than 75 markets in 22 states.
     Centex is opening two additional neighborhoods this year in the Lowcountry: The Bridges of Summerville and Moss Creek at Grand Oaks in West Ashley.
     For information on those neighborhoods, call Centex's main office locally at 740-7270.
     Lang covers automotive and real estate news. Contact him at 937-5594 or at blang@postandcourier.com.
     NEIGHBORHOODS
     Magnolia Woods at Seaside Farms
     The Gallery at Charleston National
     The Isles at RiverTowne Country Club
     BUILDER
     Centex Homes
     MORE INFO
     Seaside Farms: 884-7499
     Charleston National: 881-1225
     RiverTowne Country Club: 849-7902
     Each neighborhood has its own sales center. Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday 1-6 p.m.
     HOME DESIGN
     Lowcountry Series
     PRICE RANGE
     Mid $200s to the low $300s
     SQUARE FOOTAGE
     About 2,000 to 3,100
     INTERIOR FEATURES
     9-foot and higher ceilings
     Oak flooring in the foyer and dining room
     Fully cased windows
     Levered door hardware
     Cultured marble vanity tops in all bathrooms
     24-inch-deep cabinet over refrigerator
     EXTERIOR FEATURES
     Elevated drive-under design
     Fiber cement siding
     Front and rear lawns sodded
     2 palmetto trees
     Screened porch
     Wood front porch with wooden steps
     WARRANTY
     One year limited warranty
     10-year limited structural warranty
     PROPERTY TAXES
     About $1,560 a year on a $275,000 owner-occupied home
     AREA ATTRACTIONS
     Towne Centre shopping complex, Palmetto Grande movie theaters, Slammin' Sammy's driving range, public parks and beaches.
     DISTANCE TO CHARLESTON
     Between 8 and 14 miles to downtown area.
     HOUSING TRENDS IN NORTHERN MOUNT PLEASANT
     Number of sales in fourth quarter of 2000: 54 (up from 40 in the fourth quarter of 1999).
     Average sales price in fourth quarter of 2000: $236,100 (up from $206,600 in fourth quarter of 1999).
     Median sales price in fourth quarter of 2000: $208,000 (up from $194,000 in the fourth quarter of 1999).