Right-size, energy efficient villas boast wooded walkout homesites, luxurious touches

Many of today’s homebuyers are looking for the benefits of a new construction, maintenance provided villa offering the craftsmanship and details they are used to, plus the privacy of a secluded location. Tom French Homes’ new community, Gatewood Villas, offers all these features and more. This enclave has only 21 homesites, so buyers are encouraged to act quickly so they won’t miss out. Building has just recently begun here, but two homes have already sold.

These reverse 1 ½-story stand-alone villas offer five distinct floor plans with a choice of three or four bedrooms, three or four baths and three-car garages. Each home features exceptional finished living space of 2,500 to 3,000 square feet. Front elevations feature stucco and stone, with several elevation designs for each floor plan.

All of the homes offer an open floor plan with a traditional entry, large great room with vaulted ceiling, an ample dining area, a gourmet kitchen, plus the luxurious touches that buyers have come to expect from Tom French Homes. Several arched openings, elegant trim details, expansive wood floors, a dramatic fireplace design and a rich color palette set the tone for a casual elegance expected in villa living. Window placement and outdoor living areas take advantage of the views afforded by the secluded walkout home sites.

Three homes are ready for occupancy, with prices starting in the $450,000s, plus a fourth will be ready in June.

The Woodside floor plan offers four bedrooms and three bathrooms, as well as a three-car garage. The main floor flows from the entry, past the island kitchen to the great room with a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace with a stained wood mantel and corbels. The great room opens to the dining room with views of the covered deck just beyond.

The gourmet kitchen includes the high-end touches of custom alder cabinetry, granite counters and tile back splash, as well as a large walk-in pantry. The master suite is tucked to one side and is conveniently near the laundry. It includes a stylish bath with custom, raised double vanities, a walk-in shower and separate tub as well as a large walk-in closet. A secondary bedroom on the main level near the entry has its own bath and could be an office. A split staircase leads to the walkout lower level that includes a large recreation room with a beverage center that includes custom alder cabinets with a wine rack and microwave.

The Rockwood also offers four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The great room showcases beautiful wood floors and a stone fireplace, visible from the dining room and overlooking the covered deck. A main-level master suite features a spacious master bath with raised double vanities, walk-in shower and tub, as well as a large walk-in closet and linen closet. The second bedroom on the main floor has its own bathroom. The lower level offers a large recreation room with a beverage center, knotty alder custom cabinets and microwave, perfect for entertaining.

The Pinewood, the largest of the available homes under construction, features many custom touches in the open plan and offers a huge deck for outdoor entertaining.

A fourth reverse 1 ½-story plan under construction, the Linwood, will also have an open main floor design and finished lower level. This home offers a covered front porch, giving the homeowner additional outdoor living space to enjoy the views. Buyers acting quickly may still be able to select their desired finishes.

“Gatewood Villas is more than amazing Tom French homes. It is a small unique community offering homeowners a serene lifestyle that allows them to decompress at the end of the day,” said Susan Hoskinson with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Kansas City Homes.

Provided maintenance includes lawn mowing and edging; fertilization and weed control; mulch of front and side yards; irrigation start-up and winterization; snow removal from driveways, sidewalks and porches; and maintenance of the common areas.

Gatewood is in the expanding College Boulevard corridor, allowing homeowners to quickly get anywhere in the greater Kansas City area, Lawrence and Topeka. Minutes from K-7 and K-10 highways and near a number of new restaurants, grocery stores and services, Gatewood is also is near the Kansas State University Olathe campus and the Kansas Bioscience Authority.

Several Tom French communities, including Gatewood Villas, will be featured in the Spring Parade of Homes, April 23 through May 8. Prospective buyers can tour the Woodside plan at Gatewood, Parade Entry #224, at 11113 S. Montclaire Drive; Entry #210, 8543 Barstow in the Cottages of Cross Point Creek neighborhood; and Entry #319 at 3112 W. 137th St., in Leawood’s Tuscany Piazza Townhomes. Tom French’s newest and highly anticipated twin villa community, Covington Court, will offer buyers a chance to tour 11588 S. Waterford Drive, Entry #209.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Right-size, energy efficient villas boast wooded walkout homesites, luxurious touches."