Exterior Pictures of Kitts Creek in Morrisville (Rolesville, Forest Hills: construction, school)

[morrisville2007]

Thank you IndigoBlue. . . you are right. . . home is where the heart is and when people poke fun at the homes of others it IS hurtful.

[MrsSteel]

Morrisville, I can certainly understand why you are taking this so personally. Afterall, a home is an enormous investment, as well as an expression of your personal tastes. When someone says that they don't like the design of the homes in your neighborhood, it is bound to feel like a personal insult.

I think it might help if you keep in mind the unique nature of your neighborhood. Many of the houses in Kitt's Creek look completely different to any other homes in the Triangle. But there is a blessing and a curse in that. Some people are bound to be impressed, some are guaranteed to hate it. But there is no one perfect home design for everyone. As another poster said, "that's why they make chocolate and vanilla".

That being said, I still feel that these homes are not right for me and my family. I love classic architectural styles - bungalos and Victorians and Queen Annes and Crafstsmans and the other styles of homes that this neighborhood is trying to emulate - but these homes just feel off to me because the design features are relegated to just the front facade. The sides of the homes all look the same. The backs of the homes all look the same. It's almost as if the houses are wearing masks. Personally, I see it as a missed opportunity. They could have fully embraced the classical styles & with a little work, made them covenient for the demands of a modern family. These houses may offer a nod towards classic home design, but I would stop short of actually calling them Victorian, Queen Anne, etc.

I'd be interested in seeing some photos of the inside of these homes, just to see if the builders tried to bring any of the design features of the facades into the homes as well.

[Desdemona123]

Originally Posted by Check123

No worries. I may have lost some points for being honest, but at least I don't have to live in Kitts Creek. No doubt the person who got insulted by our honesty was bamboozled by the builder who told him/her that they were purchasing the real deal. I can almost hear their conversation now...

"Of course Victorian homes are made with vinly siding and particle board. For a extra $5,000 we'll throw in an aunthentic 19th century chandelier from Wal-Mart."

LOL

Were these really sold as authentic Victorian though? I thought they were just Victorian style (big difference).

Now the Wal-mart crack is a bit much....while these homes are not your taste, it doesn't make them Wal-mart trash either. The hallway lights in my new home came from Lowe's....I saw them there a week after we moved in. However, I like them so I am not going to change them.

[morrisville2007]

"I'd be interested in seeing some photos of the inside of these homes, just to see if the builders tried to bring any of the design features of the facades into the homes as well."

Honestly, the interiors of the homes are probably the same as other new construction homes. Hardwood floors, for the most part, on the first floor and carpet upstairs. Wrought iron chandeliers. I will say that the homes do have beautiful, heavy trim packages/mouldings. . . even in the master bathrooms. High ceilings and open floorplans. And, many of the fixtures/extras that would be upgrades and cost more in other developments are standard here, so the price of the home reflects that. . . there are not any hidden costs or add-ons. You can see some interior pictures on the webside at www.kittscreek.com. I'm starting to sound like a sales rep. . .yikes!!

[Check123]

The bit about Wal-Mart was a joke. I don't know how they were marketed.

To All,

I did not intend to insult anyone. However, it would seem that I was unsuccessful. I apologize to anyone who took offense to my posts.

C123

[Check123]

The photos are from various areas. Photos #011, #127, and #998 are in California. Photos #13 and #26 are in New York. Photo #123 is in New Jersey.
Others are in Pennsylvania, North Carolina...

Originally Posted by NYer

BTW Check, where are all these gorgeous homes you are showing us?

[cosanostra]

Okay, so I'm going to weigh in on the ugly/not real discussion. I can see where both sides have a point. With all the different styles, the neighborhood may seem a bit cluttered and busy. And yes, it would be nice if the builder could make all the exterior and interior details "authentic", but considering the pricing on the houses, that decision might price them out of even more folks' pocketbooks. I'm with Check123 in that I would love to live-in/own a real live Victorian (or true Craftsman, or Federalist, etc.) that someone else has restored/refurbished, but that's not an option for me - not a zillionare here. For the most part, the "true" houses are often in disrepair or have already been modified through the years to "update" them. Those that aren't are $$$$.

So, I side with Morrisville 2007 in saying, what's wrong with a little whimsy in the exterior of the house? It can differentiate the area from other new construction (cookie cutter homes if you want), but still allow you to have modern amenities with fun exterior accents.

Disclaimer: The house my wife and I love is an old Craftsman style (built 1921) that has been resided in vinyl siding (cream), new vinyl windows, had the attic converted to a master suite with a ¾ bath, a 1980's main floor bath, most of the interior doors are long gone, and a finished basement with another ¾ bath put in by the current owners. About the only original thing left are the hardwood floors in the LR/DR and the plaster and lathe walls.

[Desdemona123]

Originally Posted by cosanostra

Disclaimer: The house my wife and I love is an old Craftsman style (built 1921) that has been resided in vinyl siding (cream), new vinyl windows, had the attic converted to a master suite with a ¾ bath, a 1980's main floor bath, most of the interior doors are long gone, and a finished basement with another ¾ bath put in by the current owners. About the only original thing left are the hardwood floors in the LR/DR and the plaster and lathe walls.

That is the one thing I miss about my old home....it was well-maintained original from the early Craftsman era...down the the leaded glass windows, all original doors (including pocket doors off the living room), woodwood (can we say 8 inch solid oak crown moldings) and the plaster and lathe walls. It wasn't a fancy home, it was small....but it never suffered from bad remodels over the years either.....and there was nothing like it down here so I didn't even try to replace it but went with something completely different.

[NYer]

We had plaster & lathe- it was gorgeous, but it really soaked up the paint- like 5 coats!! Just 1 of the more expensive renovation costs we faced. We had tons of cracks, and they were hard to repair. We hugng our pictures off a moulding strip at the 10 foot mark of our 12 foot ceilings!
Our art deco tile was a mess- I salvanged tile & scraped each one to prep it before I put it in. Our floors were light but had mahogany "frames" to them- another gorgeous detail. That renovation was a labor of love, and we enjoyed it... this was pre-kids, of course. Now you would have to pay me to live in a clsasic house- I just don't have the time or resources for all that work!

[cosanostra]

Originally Posted by Desdemona123

That is the one thing I miss about my old home....it was well-maintained original from the early Craftsman era...down the the leaded glass windows, all original doors (including pocket doors off the living room), woodwood (can we say 8 inch solid oak crown moldings) and the plaster and lathe walls. It wasn't a fancy home, it was small....but it never suffered from bad remodels over the years either.....and there was nothing like it down here so I didn't even try to replace it but went with something completely different.

The screwy thing is we don't even live in the house (but should it come on the market again we probably will). I did fudge a bit, the base molding is original on the main floor and the mantle/fireplace are believed to be original (but it was converted to a gas fireplace by the current owners ). There are 2 cabinets on either side of the LR/DR division that are missing their leaded glass doors. Which is probably a good thing. The house I grew up in had 4 of those and in my youthful exuberance I managed to break 3 of them before we moved. Yeah, I'm going to have karmic payback for those should we ever have kids (I won't even mention the Hot Wheels I threw the DR window incident ).