Garden homes offer a low-maintenance lifestyle - mySA

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If you are planning to buy a home this year but don't want the responsibility of maintaining a large house and yard, you might want to consider a garden home. Garden homes can vary in square footage, but they are often one story and are built on much smaller lots than traditional single-family homes. These dwellings are sometimes called zero lot line homes, and they can be found in communities throughout San Antonio and the surrounding areas. Many retirees and empty nesters purchase garden homes when they're ready to downsize, but they appeal to buyers of all ages.

The Crest at Elm Creek is one of San Antonio's newest garden home communities. The builder, Tirol Homes, was founded by developers Alejandro and Mayte Tolentino. The gated subdivision is on Vance Jackson Road between Wurzbach Parkway and Huebner Road. Once completed, the community will consist of 18 custom garden homes.
REALTOR® David Kauffman with Keller Williams City View has been working with Tirol Homes since it broke ground on the site in 2018. Kauffman said garden homes were born out of the need for developers to use land more efficiently while at the same time fulfilling people's desire for what's referred to as a lock-and-leave lifestyle.

Q: What is the definition of a garden home?

A: There are a million definitions, but a garden home refers to a neighborhood where generally smaller homes with smaller lots are developed that meet a certain need for buyers. And that need includes a family who does not want a huge yard. They want a small lot; they generally want a little bit smaller home where they don't have nearly the yard maintenance. They likely have a homeowners' association that takes care of some of the details of living in that subdivision.

Q: Are garden homes common in San Antonio?

A: I would say they are very common because lots of people understand that a garden home is a life simplifying effort. It's a smaller lot; it's generally a smaller home. Garden homes have been built since the '70s. They certainly don't dominate the single-family home market, but you can find garden homes in many areas of the I-10 or 281 corridors. You can find them in lots of places.

Q: Is there a maximum square footage?

A: Every subdivision is different. In the last 30 years, it's fair to assume that a typical garden home subdivision would have an HOA to tend to some of the common amenities. In our case, and, in many cases, there's a gate so that there's a bit of privacy and security that is built into the neighborhood that only owners have access to the code. Most of them have a minimum amount of square footage that they require. In general, in garden home neighborhoods, you might find minimum square footage of 1,600 square feet. Some have a smaller amount of square feet, but 1,600 to 2,500 square feet, you're probably going to find most garden homes are in that range. Some raise families in a garden home but, for many, it is the second home for them after the kids have been raised and gone to college.

Q: How big are the lots at The Crest at Elm Creek?

A: Our lots are 40 and 45 feet wide by about 70 feet deep. Where a standard single-family lot can easily be 70 by 150. So, in a garden home, where it's 45 by 70, you're going to have 8 or 10, 12 feet in the front yard, part of which is the driveway. You are going to have about 5 feet on the side where there's grass, and enough room for your AC and some trash cans. And in the back, you'll have 10 to 15 feet in depth, but just the width of the lot is the amount of backyard. Enough for a little dog or enough for one patio with two chairs and a table.

Q: Are garden homes usually only one story?

A: In our subdivision, we have one and two stories. The trend I would say in the last 10 years, at least in San Antonio — and especially in the last five years — is one story. But there are plenty of two-story garden homes. We expect that 70 percent of these 18 homes will be one story, and about 30 percent will be two-story homes.

Q: Is there a difference between a garden home and patio home?

A: When you say patio home, garden home, and zero lot line home, those are interchangeable terms.

Q: What is the starting price at The Crest at Elm Creek?

A: We are at $450,000 to $500,000. COVID has done many things to building trades as did Hurricane Harvey. Lumber is up significantly. In some cases, it's up 80, 90, 100 percent. And so, where we started in the low $400s, we quickly had to adjust our prices because the lumber packages are just so much more expensive.

Q: Do the homes have any unique features?

A: The features we added here we added because they are what the marketplace asked for. Most people in a new garden home want granite countertops or a similar hardtop. They want a stainless-steel appliance package, high-quality plumbing, and lighting fixtures. So, for instance, we use Kohler plumbing fixtures and brands like that. We have 10-foot ceilings on the first floor with 8-foot doors. The outside of our homes is 100 percent masonry. They are a combination of stone and stucco.

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Q: Are there smart home features?

A: We have a 220 outlet in the garage that is electric-vehicle ready.

Q: What are some of the neighborhood amenities?

A: One of the amenities is that our HOA takes care of front yard landscape maintenance. That's a garden home lifestyle feature that is becoming more and more prevalent and allows people what they call a lock-and-leave lifestyle. I can head to the airport and go visit my kids without worrying about cutting the lawn.

Q: How long is the building process?

A: In general, give it six months. Once we have a slab in the ground, we can get it done in about four months.

For more information about The Crest at Elm Creek, contact David Kauffman at 210-254- 2610 or davidkauffman@kw.com.

Lisa.harrison@express-news.net

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