DEL.ICIO.USDevelopment of the Week: Millstone Manor
Breaking new ground
For the AJC
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Shannon Burke and Leigh Blackistone looked on and off for a couple of years in the north metro area before purchasing a new home in Woodstock’s Millstone Manor. Blackistone chatted about making the move from Alpharetta, where they lived for 10 years, but needed more space for the family, which includes 3-year-old twins Brianna and Caitlyn.
Photos by Christopher Oquendo / AJC Special
Shannon Burke and Leigh Blackistone made the move from Alpharetta because they needed more space for the family, which includes 3-year-old twins Brianna and Caitlyn.
Shannon Burke and Leigh Blackistone’s home has 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, about 5,000 square feet of liveable space.
Getting there
Take I-575 north to Exit 8 (Towne Lake Parkway) and turn right. Follow Towne Lake Parkway as it turns into Arnold Mill Road. The Millstone sales center will be 6 miles on the right.
See more photos of Millstone Manor
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'I think the house found me'
Q. Why did you want to move?
A. Alpharetta was just becoming so congested, and it’s got tons of cluster strip malls everywhere. We were just wanting to get away from all that. My husband still has Carter House Gallery and Framing in Alpharetta. This is a perfect location because it only takes it 15 minutes to get there. You’re in between I-575 and Ga. 400, so it’s like great access to everything. Right down the street, they’re building a new high school and middle school.
How did the house hunt go?
Some of the houses we were looking at in our price point, I would walk in and go, ‘This is disgusting.’ How can they be asking this for that amount? The houses were horrible. I (thought) we couldn’t afford new construction because we had never bought new construction.
How did this house stand out?
Some of the bedrooms in the other houses that we had looked in were so tiny and none of them would even fit furniture. Everything fit. The attention to detail. The hardwood floor designs in the ceilings. The thick crown molding, even upstairs in the hallway. It has wraparound curved stairs in the entrance. If this house were down in Buckhead, it would be over $2 million.
What’s it like to be one of the first people living in a neighborhood, especially in this market?
Our agent was like, think of it long term. You will be able to sell this house. Because of this house, with everything in it, with the way that it’s built, we knew that it would sell (in the future). Because they have been selling. No one has been building more since we’ve been in here. Just the inventory that is standing, they’re selling it.
What was surprising about the location of the home after moving in?
We back up to a wetlands, which before I was so deterred (because of the) mosquitoes. It is incredible. In fact, we have no blinds on the backside of our house. In the summertime, it’s like an orchestra of sound (with) the frogs, the katydids.
At a Glance
Shannon Burke and Leigh Blackistone’s home has 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, about 5,000 square feet of liveable space and an unfinished basement. They moved in during March.
Millstone Manor
Address: 100 Millstone Parkway, Woodstock 30188
County: Cherokee
Price range: $500,000s-$700,000s
Homes: 99
Square footage: 3,300-5,000
Lot sizes: About half an acre
Standard features: Hardwood floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, master bedrooms with fireplaces
Amenities: Pool, tennis courts, playground
Homeowners fees: $800 annually ($1,000 initiation fee)
Developer: John Cowart Properties, Traditional Neighborhood Development
Builder: LPI Cos, Terracraft Homes
Broker: Jeanne Linden, Jenny Pruitt & Associates
Schools: Arnold Mill Elementary, Creekside Middle, Sequoyah High
More on schools: ajchomefinder school guide
Recent sales
$544,900: 113 Millstone Manor Court, Woodstock 30188. A new 5-bedroom, 4-bath home with features such as stained cabinets, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen and a covered porch.
$624,235: 208 Millstone Parkway, Woodstock 30188. A new 6-bedroom, 5-bath home with features such as four fireplaces and a partial terrace level with a recreation room, bedroom and bath.
For sale
$499,900: 232 Millstone Parkway, Woodstock 30188. A new 5-bedroom, 4-bath home with a study, covered porch and features such as a stone and brick fireplace and wrought iron and glass front doors.
$589,900: 205 Millstone Parkway, Woodstock 30188. A new 5-bedroom, 4-bath home with a study with a fireplace, master on the main and vaulted keeping room with a fireplace.