Hampton Lake’s Lakeside Village, home built in Ridgeland nab top industry honors
By Gail WesterfieldSpecial to The Island Packet
Published Monday, February 18, 2008

Photo: The Reed Development Company and Fraser Construction this week took home top honors from Professional Builder magazine and the National Association of Homebuilders for Hampton Lake’s amenity center, called Lakeside Village. Also honored at the annual Best in American Living awards ceremony was a modular home built by Ridgeland’s Haven Custom Homes.Special to The Island Packet

A new community in Bluffton won the homebuilding industry’s “Oscar” this week, when Hampton Lake received top honors from the National Association of Homebuilders and Professional Builder magazine. Laurels from the same group also went to a modular home built in a Ridgeland factory. Hampton Lake Hampton Lake’s Lakeside Village and Fraser Construction Company received the twenty-fourth annual “Best in American Living Award” for the best community facility among neighborhoods with 151 homesites or more. The BALA banquet is the kickoff each year to the International Builders Show and is attended by some of the best architects, land planners, developers and builders in the business. The awards ceremony took place in Orlando, Fla. Judges made their selections on six basic criteria including effective use of design, innovative use of products and attention to detail. An NAHB spokesperson said they received more than 350 entries in the competition. Hampton Lake was originally conceived as a golf community by John Reed’s development team, but when research revealed market saturation in the Southeast, management nixed the golf course in favor of a large man-made lake. The site plan was redesigned around a 165-acre, man-made freshwater lake and a 340-acre wetland nature preserve.
The result is a residential development designed as if it were a destination resort. Inspiration for the unusual amenities came from interviews with more than 100 women and dozens of couples living in the Bluffton/Hilton Head Island area or thinking about moving here, said Gary Sandor, a partner with Reed Development Company. The superior amenities helped win the BALA award. Features at Hampton Lake include a state-of-the-art fitness center, full-service spa, a lakeside “beach” and a family-oriented resort-style pool with a central island and lazy river. Perry Wood, president of Wood & Partners, the community’s land planner, says “the key was diversity. ... We created a place that everyone in an extended family of grandparents, children, and grandchildren could enjoy.” Kayaks and quiet boats are available for residents to use, as well as a bait and tackle shop for supplies to fish in the bass- and bluegill-stocked lake.
Sandor calls Hampton Lake “a place where people can do the same things that they fondly remember doing when they were kids” and notes the unique small island in the middle of the lake for camping under the stars. The community also has nine miles of nature trails and boardwalks, and a dog park will be dedicated March 15.
Joe Fraser Jr., president of Fraser Construction, has spent more than 30 years building a variety of facilities in the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia. He calls Lakeside at Hampton Lake “the finest family-oriented amenity we’ve ever constructed.”

Learn more about Fraser Construction

http://fraser-construction.com/

Like everyone involved in the current slow housing market, the development faces some challenges. Hampton Lake president Gerrit Albert said that the down market has led to a shift in marketing efforts from a national to a more local focus, and that the company also has begun to market Hampton Lake in home shows in New Jersey, Chicago and other areas.
Albert says home prices haven’t been discounted, but those who agree to build within two years of purchase receive a 15 percent incentive. Some custom builders working in the community are also offering incentives. Last summer, management dropped amenity fees by $750, Albert said, when ongoing costs were determined to be lower than originally estimated. Property owners now pay $2,750 per year.
Ten families live in Hampton Lake and more than 100 homes are either finished or under construction. At build out, Hampton Lake will have about 900 homes.
Homes in the neighborhood include “Carolina Lifestyle Homes,” which feature a built-in pool, and four-plex condominiums. These villas are the community’s best-sellers “specifically because of the location” adjacent to Lakeside Village (the amenities center).
Single family cottages by David Weekly Builders in Hampton Lake range from about $450,000- $700,000 for two to three bedrooms and 1,900-3,000 square feet. Condos, called villa and coach homes, range from the high $300s-$800s for two to three bedrooms and 2,200-3,500 square feet. Custom homes range from the mid-$500,000s-$1.5 million for three to five bedrooms and 2,500-4,000 square feet. Sandor adds that the company is “looking into ways to create some smaller lots overlooking the lakes. There is a lot of buyer interest in having detached homes on smaller lots for a smaller price tag.”
Haven Custom Homes
Also at the BALA awards ceremony in Orlando, a modular home built at the Haven Custom Homes factory in Ridgeland won the Home of the Year award. Called the Tucker Bayou, the southern-style home in the WaterSound community near Panama City, Fla. also is the 2007 Southern Living Idea House. It appeared on the cover of the magazine’s August issue. The announcement created a nice buzz of conversation in the room with respect to modular homebuilding and is a source of pride to the folks at Haven. Looney Ricks Kiss Architects designed the home for the St. Joe Company in Florida.

Want to know more about the Low Country Real Estate Market Contact;

Charlie B Fraser charlie@fraserrealty.net or visit http://www.fraserrealty.net/