Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are contemplating a move to Brickyard Plantation in Mt. Pleasant and would love to hear feedback on the neighborhood. We have two small children, and I work downtown and my husband works in North Charleston. Thoughts on location, traffic, sense of community, HOA, family-friendliness, etc. would be much appreciated!
I would also appreciate any thoughts people have about pros and cons of Brickyard vs. Hobcaw Creek Plantation.
I live in Brickyard. The neighborhood is friendly. Lots of kids, people walking, etc as you see in so many of these neighborhoods. To me, one of the better things about this neighborhood is that it is established (actual full grown trees in the yard) and the boat ramp/boat yard (only $170 per year for boat storage). My daughter is in high school now but when she was very young, the amenities were a huge draw for her. I would imagine, having young children it would be the same for you. There's a neighborhood tennis pro if you want to take classes and/or private lessons. Additionally, the swim team is very well established. The main pool can get crowded in the summer but it's so big that it doesn't feel too overwhelming.
On the HOA - AMCS managed by a full time property manager. New property manager is much better than the old one (who was very difficult to reach). Fairly typical HOA with all the associated rules. Some of them are a pain but if you're comfortable with HOAs, you're likely fine with Brickyard. The ones that they enforce the most are leaving your trash can out and having your boat in your driveway overnight - although they tend to be lenient on the weekends with that. They're most lax about parking in the street because so many of the Brickyard driveways are sooo short. I think they're trying to crack down on that. We tend to get in trouble for the yard because my husband is a landscaper and keeps bringing home 'orphan' plants. They got onto us for the palm trees but other than that, they've overlooked a lot - but we're really, really not typical. My yard is starting to look like a botanical garden. Well, they must overlook a lot for the yard for us, because they keep giving him yard of the month which I feel is encouraging him and wish they would stop doing so!
Location is good and easy commute now that they've finished widening 17. One of the best parts is how close we seem to be to everything. Five minutes from everything. Makes it easy when I'm feeling lazy about cooking and just want takeout - maybe that's a bad thing!
My favorite Brickyard memory. One year it snowed late at night (2 AM) about 6 inches. All of the parents in the neighborhood woke their kids up and let them play in the middle of the night since the snow would likely be gone the next morning. Our neighbor, the IOP sheriff, parked his car at the beginning of the street to block it off so the kids could play safely. We all stood out there watching our kids sled, make snow angels, and snowmen at 2 AM in the middle of the street. It was really wonderful. My daughter still remembers that night even though it was years ago.
One word of caution. Make sure whatever house you pick has actual hardiplank siding (or brick). Some of the homes were built with fiberboard siding - a recalled product by Louisiana Pacific. 99.99% of the homes have since replaced their siding but it's a huge price tag that you do not want to deal with on a new home purchase.
One word of caution. Make sure whatever house you pick has actual hardiplank siding (or brick). Some of the homes were built with fiberboard siding - a recalled product by Louisiana Pacific. 99.99% of the homes have since replaced their siding but it's a huge price tag that you do not want to deal with on a new home purchase.
We had the seller change out the fiberboard to hardiplank when our inspector found it (only on the upper back side of the house). I thought that it HAD to be done for the sale -- but I may not be recalling correctly.
We didn't buy in Brickyard, but it was in our top choices then & even more so now. I say "more so now" because it is closer in to Charleston than the rest of the 29466 developments & almost central in the middle of this newly expanded Mt P of the last 2 decades, Good luck!
This was posted by CDrummond in another thread in response to a question I had...
"I live in Brickyard and it has all the amenities you mentioned. It is one of only three neighborhoods in MTP with a community boat ramp. You may have go on a waiting list for boat storage though. We like it a lot. There are many families with children, a number of retirees. it is a nice group of people; for the number of houses there is very little crime, vandalism, etc. It is kind of old-fashioned in that you see children around doing "kid things" - riding bikes, skateboarding, etc. not always under lock-n-key which gives it a nice feel. There are a lot of people with dogs. My favorite "amenity" is the parade of dog walkers along the main parkway. In general, it is safe, adults and children are polite, yet non-intrusive. The pools and the boat ramp are very nice, as are the walk/bikeways throughout the community. It is very convenient to shopping, schools, medical stuff. There must be 5-6 groceries and drugstores within 5 minutes of the entrance. I think Brickyard one advantage it has over Dunes West or the other neighborhoods off of Hwy 41. When I have to go to a home in Dunes West, it can literally take twenty minutes from Brickyard and Hwy 17. Park West, Hamlin, and Charleston National are also slightly further out. That seems to me to add extra car time for no real advantage. That said, all are nice neighborhoods. Mount Pleasant is a very *pleasant* place to live."
I live in Brickyard and love it for the reasons listed above (we have 4 kids). All I can add, is that if you don't have a boat, your neighbor probably does. Also, while Brickyard is social, the back yard fence design leaves a nice buffer of no mans land in between houses (at least in our area).
Hobcaw is a beautiful neighborhood, and homes are a little more pricey than brickyard, generally speaking. Location wise, it's built for the N Chas. commuter. Your husband's drive would probably 10-15 minutes less each way in comparison, but your drive to downtown Chas would probably be the same, as there is no direct route to 17 from the neighborhood. There is some great shopping on long point road, but you pretty much will have to get on the the highway to go anywhere else. This may be convenient and desirable for some, as it's only one exit to route 17, but it could also make you feel a bit separated from the rest of the town.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
