Thoughts or information on St James Plantation (Wilmington, Welcome: park, building)
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Me too! There are apparently a bunch of us SJP lot owners who are extremely interested in everything that is being shared here. Many thanks for all of your updates and opinions.
As far as Kent goes larger homes include Pamlico Bay, Grand Belle and a few others. Long story short, you can usually take a home with a smaller footprint and make it larger.
Pony
Do you happen to know what the side set-backs are in SJP?
If they are 15 feet on each side, you would need an addition 30 feet added to the floor plan width. The Grand Belle plan is 65 feet wide, so you would need an 95 foot width to site the house facing the road. The Pamlico Bay is 54 feet wide, so the lot would need to be 84 feet wide. The difficulty in finding the right lot was the main reason I suggested scratching these builders. If I was wrong, help me out.
Setbacks depend on the part of the community you are in. In the Irwin section they are 5 ft. on each side. On our street in the Reserve, they were just changed to 3o ft in the back, 30ft in the front and 10 ft on each side. You should check with the POA for the latest setbacks as they can vary by street.
PS: Just another bit of info regarding mentioned "The Builders Guild "... being a member has no reflection on anyone's "Standards or Code of Ethics" ( that sounds nice in advertising )... in reality it simply means that the "Guild Members" have agreed to pay an "EXTRA" 3% commission on the price of the new home to be constructed to the developer of St James in return for a share of "leads" that are generated by the developers advertising...
I see what you mean, and I over-stated the ethics bit. Good point about the 3% commission.
As an example, the Woodland Park section advertised on the main St James site features some of the larger homes that Biscman was asking about. Five of the Builders Guild firms have plans there, and I would find them appealing. Of course, they could buy their own lot elsewhere in the development, and build one of the same models.
Well. last night i got revised instructions. It (the house) can-should only be 2600 sq feet at most according to the boss. Even at that she feels its too big. Shes retiring from cleaning larger houses being the majority of the time it will be the 2 of us. This "MAX" sq footage should probably allow me more options. I am totally lost on " Do you happen to know what the side set-backs are in SJP?
If they are 15 feet on each side, you would need an addition 30 feet added to the floor plan width. The Grand Belle plan is 65 feet wide, so you would need an 95 foot width to site the house facing the road. The Pamlico Bay is 54 feet wide, so the lot would need to be 84 feet wide. The difficulty in finding the right lot was the main reason I suggested"
I know nothing about this stuff and i would feel like a idiot discussing this stuff with any builders. You guys know your stuff.
Now i know why i was thinking resales as a first option.......
Biscy.... have no fear, it's not rocket science, the setbacks are clearly spelled out in a chart for each "section" in St James, they are usually 8 ft or 10 feet sideyards... but it is "very clearly" spelled out in a handout from the P.O.A. which your realtor / rep should give you when you are looking around..... you are much better off with a new house that you hopefully will live in for 25 - 30 "or more" years.... IMHO...... when you get here I'll be happy to guide you thru anything and everything and if I can do it so can you..... that goes for anyone else that needs a bit of guidance / splainin'...... for the price of a diet coke at Tommy's I can easily be bought !
Based on some quick math looking at resales in the 2,500 - 3,000 sq ft range it appears less expensive to buy a resale than build. If you pick up window treatments, landscaping etc it is even more in the resale favor. Mind you there would have to be some "accommadations" involved that may haunt you for years to come. Still not sure what direction I will take in 4 years when I join the fun.
When you look at resales you have to take a few things into consideration that will impact the price, even for houses in the 2,500-3,000 square foot range:
* Is the lot in flood plain and does it require flood insurance. These resales are priced cheaper.
* What is the age of the house. If it is 10-15 years old, it will be listed cheaper.
* Is the lot golf course or natura woodlands (preferred by most), or is it an interior lot?
* What section of the community is the lot. Some of the older sections, i.e. Sanderling, have much smaller lots. There is a great resale lot in Sanderling with a picture post card view, but it is 0.19 acres. Also, houses on busy streets sell lower.
* Beware of floor plans and descriptions. There is a house on Irwin for $387 listed as golf course, but you can't even see the golf course. There is a 4,000+ square foot house off of West Medinah, which has a location that you cannot even pull into.
I looked at resales for 2 years. I found the house of my dreams but it failed inspection for moisture/mold issues. My best advise is if you go resale (which I still think is great if you can find what fits your requirements & budget) make sure you have an excellent home inspector and that way you are covered.
When you look at resales you have to take a few things into consideration that will impact the price, even for houses in the 2,500-3,000 square foot range:
* Is the lot in flood plain and does it require flood insurance. These resales are priced cheaper.
* What is the age of the house. If it is 10-15 years old, it will be listed cheaper.
* Is the lot golf course or natura woodlands (preferred by most), or is it an interior lot?
* What section of the community is the lot. Some of the older sections, i.e. Sanderling, have much smaller lots. There is a great resale lot in Sanderling with a picture post card view, but it is 0.19 acres. Also, houses on busy streets sell lower.
* Beware of floor plans and descriptions. There is a house on Irwin for $387 listed as golf course, but you can't even see the golf course. There is a 4,000+ square foot house off of West Medinah, which has a location that you cannot even pull into.
I looked at resales for 2 years. I found the house of my dreams but it failed inspection for moisture/mold issues. My best advise is if you go resale (which I still think is great if you can find what fits your requirements & budget) make sure you have an excellent home inspector and that way you are covered.
PonyPride,
Great advice.......
Stoney, Appreciate your reply and as we get closer to "pulling the Trigger" i will take yopu up on your offer.
Well. last night i got revised instructions. It (the house) can-should only be 2600 sq feet at most according to the boss. Even at that she feels its too big. Shes retiring from cleaning larger houses being the majority of the time it will be the 2 of us. This "MAX" sq footage should probably allow me more options. I am totally lost on " Do you happen to know what the side set-backs are in SJP?
Sorry if I confused you about the side setbacks. The easy way is to say the the footprint of any plan you choose has to fit within all the set-backs on the lot. Sometimes that's impossible if you want a wide floor-plan on a narrow or wedge-shaped lot. You might have to have a builder do some geometry modelling to see your desired plan fits on a particular lot.
A 2600 square foot plan would be easier to fit on any lot. I am imagining Stoney drawing diagrams on a napkin for you. Good luck on your decision.
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