Parade wins added to Chapel Hills’ honors

The community awarded “2014 Community of the Year” by Kansas City Homes & Gardens magazine earned several more honors during the 2014 Fall Parade of Homes. Chapel Hill homes earned two awards.

Don Julian Builders Inc. was named a Grand Award-winning home builder in the Pick of the Parade contest for its Edgewood plan in Chapel Hill. The ranch reverse at 13200 W. 170th St. has a four-car garage, covered deck and a walkout basement that backs up to green space. It is priced at $519,900.

“Don Julian has set a new standard for award-winning design, quality and outstanding customer service,” said Bill Gerue with Weichert Realtors Graham-Welch, who markets the community. “Over the past 35 years, Don Julian Builders has constructed more than 2,000 of the finest quality homes for satisfied customers in metropolitan Kansas City. His unique architectural designs and innovative award-winning floor plans have become his trademark.”

First runner-up Pick of the Parade honors went to Lambie Custom Homes for its Juniper 11/2-story at 13428 W. 172nd St. in Chapel Hill. The home backs up to green space, has a nearby walking trail and many model home enhancements. Priced at $527,810, it also has five bedrooms, four bathrooms, custom fireplace, granite counter tops and daylight basement.

Another of the community’s model homes, the reverse 11/2-story model home by ParkView Homes, was most recently awarded Best New Home Model in Kansas City by Kansas City Homes & Gardens magazine. The Broadmoor, a reverse 11/2-story at 13440 W. 172nd St. includes many model home enhancements for $547,289. ParkView Homes has built and sold over 20 homes in Chapel Hill this year alone.

“Their floor plans are fine tuned to efficiently utilize every square foot, which maximizes their potential,” Gerue said. “With a variety of beautiful floor plans to choose from, ParkView Homes fulfills the wants and needs of practically any buyer and does it for an amazing value. This award-winning building company will continue to adapt to exceed the ever changing expectations of homebuyers.”

There are several reserve 11/2-story homes underway in Chapel Hill. Each features at least two bedrooms on the main floor, two or more bedrooms downstairs, three to five garages and the affordable luxury found in every Chapel Hill home. The plans, which range in size from 2,405 square feet to 3,800 square feet, are priced from the mid-$300,000s to mid-$500,000s. Several traditional two-story homes are also available.

“You won’t find more variety and available homes anywhere else than Chapel Hill this year,” Gerue said, adding that visitors particularly love the reverse ranch homes under construction.

All have four bedrooms (three on the main floor), three or more bathrooms and three to five garages. Prices range from the low $300,000s to mid-$500,000s. Square-footages are approximately 2,200 square feet to just under 3,500 square feet.

The current building companies in Chapel Hill include Don Julian Builders, Rodrock Homes, Lambie Custom Homes, ParkView Homes, Dan Smith Homes, James Engle Homes, Sallee Homes, Ashlar Homes and Martens Family Enterprises, all of which offer a variety of plans that may be viewed on the Chapel Hill website at LiveatChapelHill.com or on the builders’ individual websites. Buyers may bring in their own builder and plans, as well, with developer approval.

Many of the current builders are offering basement finish promotions and buyer value-added bonuses in Chapel Hill on selected floor plans. Rodrock Homes is offering a half price basement finish on selected inventory two-story plans. ParkView Homes is offering family room and bath finishes on selected inventory homes for added value. Sallee Homes is offering a $2,500 buyer bonus right now on any finished home and $5,000 on any custom build that goes to contract by Nov. 1. Buyer bonuses can be used for upgrades, closing costs, blinds or whatever the buyer desires.

The Estates, Chapel Hill’s second phase, has opened with 93 new home sites, many of which are adjacent to the Chapel Hill and Overland Park tree preserve area. Several pre-sold custom homes are under construction now with a wide variety of builder spec homes started in the Estates for late 2014 or early 2015 deliveries. The Estates’ next phase, Phase III, will be released shortly with 72 additional home sites that unexpectedly exceed all expectations with an estimated 50 percent additional walkout lots available.

Although the community is spread out on 240 acres of beautiful, rolling terrain, developers decided from the very beginning to set aside 70 acres of open green space. Residents love the heavily wooded tree preserve, small parks, open green spaces and hike and bike trails that link into more than 300 miles of Johnson County trail systems. Residents also enjoy a pool and play area now with a second pool for the community planned in upcoming phases.

Also providing recreation is the Heritage Park complex adjacent to Chapel Hill. It covers more than 1,200 acres and features an 18-hole golf course and a 40-acre lake for fishing, sailing and swimming. A 30-acre off-leash dog park is a popular amenity as are picnic cabanas, sports fields and green spaces.

This story was originally published October 24, 2014 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Parade wins added to Chapel Hills’ honors."