Elbow room can win hearts

Space to spread out makes some communities stand out.

A few metro Atlanta developments with lots larger than an acre are positioning themselves to house hunters who want privacy and space to build expansive homes, with land to spare.

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Photos by Christopher Oquendo / Special

The Johnsons hang out in front of their home in Roswell. From left to right: son Grant, father Glenn, son Quincy, daughter Ansley and mom Shannon Johnson.

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The Schwartzes thought carefully about how their River Club house in Suwanee would be oriented in relation to other residences and to amenities such as the golf course and the lake. Photos by Christopher Oquendo Special

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Husband and wife enjoy a walk behind their home in Suwanee. Buying a lot that provided privacy was a major factor in their search for a new place. ‘We don’t want to have houses sitting on top of each other,’ Ron Schwartz said.

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Ron and Norma Schwartz bought a 1.3-acre lot overlooking a golf course and lake and built a 4,500-square-foot European-style home.

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Room for the kids to roam – kicking a ball, chasing the dog, playing on the swing set – was a priority for the Johnsons.

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The Johnson family – Shannon (from left), Grant, Ansley, Glenn and Quincy – walk in the woods behind their home in Roswell, built on 3 acres.

Getting there: Litchfield Hundred

Take I-85 north to Ga. 400 north to Exit 7B (Holcomb Bridge Road-Roswell). Turn right at King Road intersection, then left at dead end onto Cox Road. Take a right into second entrance of Litchfield Hundred onto Bucksport Drive, right onto Addison Road. Addison Road will lead into the new phase of Litchfield.

Getting there: The River Club

Take I-85 north to Exit 108 (Sugarloaf Parkway), heading west. Travel 3.2 miles to Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. Turn right, travel north on Peachtree Industrial for 2.7 miles. Turn left onto Moore Road. Travel 1.2 miles. The River Club will be on the left.

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Buyers and real estate insiders say it’s tough to find large homesites because many developers have downsized lots to appeal to buyers seeking little or no maintenance.

“Most developers try to squeeze as many lots as they can in a development,” said R. Hardy Smith with RHS Holdings, which is developing Litchfield in north Atlanta. “Most of these developments, you ride through and the houses are 50 feet apart. They’re building big houses on small lots.”

He said buyers in Litchfield have sought the 1- to 10-acre lots because of the room for pools, tennis courts and play areas for their children.

Ron Smith of Fourth Generation Custom Homes, who has two million-dollar homes on more than an acre for sale in Alpharetta’s Blackberry Ridge, said the space between the homes causes a different look in a neighborhood.

“If you’re buying the large lot, you need to take advantage of the privacy situation, instead of, ‘Hey, look at me, here’s my big house right here on the road,’” he said.

Seller Brad Bradham hopes the size of his 4-acre property in Alpharetta’s North Valley neighborhood will set his $1.325 million home apart from others.

“I think it appeals” to buyers, he said. “It’s a small enclave of homes. Mine is sort of the central part of the neighborhood. There’s a lake behind my house and a view out over the valley.”

And the key is no noise. That’s different from trendy developments where you’re close enough to hear neighbors’ conversations.

Two families who have purchased new homes in neighborhoods with large lots shared why they made the choice, and what they learned in the process. For a look at other communities with lots more than 1 acre in a variety of price ranges, check out this week’s In the Market.

Litchfield Hundred

The buyers: Glenn and Shannon Johnson and their kids, 5-year-old Ansley, 3-year-old Grant and 7-month-old Quincy. Glenn owns a technical staffing company. Shannon chatted about their home.

Moved in: April 2007

Moved from: A neighborhood across the street, where they had a lot between a quarter and a half acre. “It was a great first house, but we just wanted more space,” she said. Both of them grew up in homes on more than an acre.

What was important to them: Privacy and room on the property for the kids and their golden retriever, Phoebe, to roam. “We wanted a lot of grass. We wanted places for them to run and kick balls and to put the swing set in,” she said. “You don’t have quite as much freedom with that, with a smaller lot.”

The property size: Three acres. Their five-bedroom, 7½-bath home has more than 7,000 square feet. The basement was created with two bathrooms, including one accessible from the outside, for when they add a pool. The property also includes a garden and peach trees.

How it’s different from their previous home: The setting. “We’ve got lots of mature trees that give us privacy,” she said. “We’ve got tons of color right now. We back up to a farm so that when the leaves do fall off, my kids get to see cows and cute stuff like that.”

What you could learn from them: When deciding on the lot size, they determined how much space would be needed for a wraparound porch, pool and other kid-friendly extras without edging too close to the property line. “Everything that we did with this house, we did with having kids in mind,” she said. “We are very informal and just tried to keep it very kid friendly. Then 20 years from now, when we get rid of everybody, then we’ll sell everything and go live in a Winnebago somewhere.”

Litchfield Hundred

Address: 13300 Bishops Court, Roswell 30075

County: Fulton

Information: 678-461-0884, Litchfield

Price range: $900,000s-more than $1 million

Homes: 54

Square footage: Average 5,000 and up

Lot sizes: 1 to 10 acres

Amenities: Clubhouse, pool, three lighted tennis courts, playground, outdoor covered picnic area with fireplace

Homeowners fees: $700 a year

Developer: R Hardy Smith, RHS Holdings

Broker: Jenny Pruitt & Associates

Schools: Sweet Apple Elementary, Elkins Pointe, Roswell High

More on schools: ajchomefinder school guide

For sale

$1.09 million: 13225 Addison Road, Roswell 30075. Six-bedroom home with six full and two half-baths, a three-car garage and full finished terrace level.

$1.07 million: 13330 Bishops Court, Roswell 30075. Five-bedroom, 5½-bath home with a master on the main and a three-car garage.

The River Club

The buyers: Ron Schwartz, owner of R. Schwartz, a Cumming-based sheet metal company, and his wife, Norma.

Moved in: October 2007

Moved from: Chestatee in Dawsonville.

What was important to them: The privacy. “We don’t want to have houses sitting on top of each other,” Ron Schwartz said. “We were looking for about an acre lot, and a little privacy with the lot.” Their previous homes were built on lots that were at least three quarters of an acre.

Current property size: A 1.3-acre lot on a cul-de-sac, overlooking a golf course and a lake. There’s enough room for a porte-cochere connected to the garage and a courtyard, along with the 4,500-square-foot European-style home and another two-car garage.

What they realized during the search: “In order to get a large lot, you had to basically pull yourself out of the Atlanta area,” he said.

What you can learn from them: They thought about how the home would be oriented to other residences and amenities like the golf course and lake. “For us, the privacy was probably first, the setting, then we enjoyed the aesthetic views we would have from the lot,” Schwartz said.

The River Club

Address: 681 Trinity Place, Suwanee 30024

County: Gwinnett

Information: 1-877-298-4238, The River Club

Price range: $1.5 million-$5 million

Homes: 380

Square footage: 4,000 to more than 20,000

Lot sizes: ½ acre to more than 3 acres

Amenities: Sports center with tennis and aquatics complexes and workout facility, nature trails, golf course, clubhouse

Homeowners fees: $2,935 per year (club membership is separate)

Developer: Crescent Communities

Broker: Kayc Carper

Schools: Riverside Elementary, Lanier Middle, North Gwinnett High

More on schools: ajchomefinder school guide

For sale

$2.39 million: 918 Crescent River Pass, Suwanee 30024. New five-bedroom, five full and two half-bath home with 140 feet of lake frontage.

$1.59 million: 4843 Ispwich Glen, Suwanee 30024. Five-bedroom, six-bath French provincial home built in 2006 with a master on the main.