Posts Tagged ‘Hilton Head Gated Communities’
Hilton Head Homes Require Approved Landscape Plans
Registered Landscape Architect Eric Walsnovich gives a free seminar about "How to make the most of your outdoor living space" at the 2011 Home and Garden Show sponsored by the Hilton Head Area Association of Home Builders.
Hilton Head gated communities have beautiful custom homes that must meet the architectural review standards of design, color, size, set-backs and building materials. The landscape plans are also approved by Architectural Review Boards (ARBs) and the combination of home and landscape make for a beautiful sight, as anyone who has driven through Hilton Head’s many outstanding gated communities can attest.
What Architectural Review Boards Want to Know
Trees more than six inches in diameter must have architectural review approval to be removed. All new plants to be installed are reviewed as well as the drainage and grading of the site, how much impervious surface is required for the driveway, walkway, patio and pool deck and where these features are located. At any time, when an owner wants to build a home addition, build a swimming pool, patio or outdoor kitchen or make landscape upgrades, the plan must be approved by community’s Architectural Review Board.
ARBs want to know that your foundation is hidden behind attractive plants, swimming pools have privacy and that one’s golf view is not blocked by their neighbor’s plants. Homes may be required to have a minimum number of flowering trees and larger homes may be asked to install ‘vertical elements’ – tall trees to visually offset the large size of the home.
Ruth and John Iannazzo of Liberty Wallcoverings with a great selection of wallpaper and window coverings at the 2011 Home and Garden Show.
The Art and Skill of the Landscape Architect
Architects who design your home do not design landscapes. Instead, a Landscape Architect who specializes in outdoor spaces draws your landscape plan based on the community requirements and the kind of yard you want to have. A plan can have natural landscape with little or no improvement or it can be highly detailed with numerous plants and exotic trees, grasses, walkways and recreational features. It’s what you want together with the minimum and maximum requirements of the community. The beauty of your landscape is important to the value of your house and appearance of the community.
At the 2011 Home and Garden Show on March 5, Registered Landscape Architect Eric Walsnovich of E. Paul Wal Landscape gave a free seminar “How to make the most of your outdoor living space”. The show was sponsored by the Hilton Head Area Homebuilder’s Association and held at the Mall at Shelter Cove. Mr. Walsnovich spoke in some detail about the services that Landscape Architects provides to homeowners that include planning, design, permitting, installation, project management and consultation. Here is a summary of his seminar.
Outdoor living spaces were a highlight of the 2011 Home and Garden Show.
Your Hilton Head home landscape must have a master plan
To make the most out of your outdoor living space, you must have a master plan and it will consider the most important things that you want to do with your property. Entertaining outdoors means having a patio, fire pit, outdoor kitchen – whatever you want and these features must be in the right place for their maximum enjoyment. Other factors to a master plan are your irrigation, the kinds of plants you like, their colors and heights, layers and textures, sun and shade considerations, drainage, grading, soil conditions, grass, other ground cover, backfill and more.
Landscape Architects have varied backgrounds that may include civil engineering, botany and landscape architecture degrees. Mr. Walsnovich has a college degree in landscape architecture and is a Registered Landscape Architect in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania where he lived before moving to Hilton Head Island.
Hilton Head home renovation and cabinet refinishing are popular trends according to vendors at the 2011 Home and Garden Show.
Your Hilton Head home landscape plan must have a survey
The most important thing of any master plan is developing a base plan, or survey. I tell my clients who want to save money that they should do these things for me:
- Get some graph paper and go outside and locate on paper your trees, your house, your windows, property lines, ponds and lakes.
- Take photographs of the existing site and give them to your designer.
- Clip pictures from magazines things that you like. This is valuable information for your designer.”
Nasser Shaheen of Commercial Flooring and Design Services and other vendors showed the latest floor coverings including a variety of carpets, syntethic tiles and woods that are popular today in many vacation villas and commercial buildings.
Popular ‘green’ developments in landscaping
Environmentally friendly options have increased what we can offer our clients. New products include underground cisterns that collect water from the roof that is used again for irrigation and drought resistant plants. We stay up with these innovations and install them as appropriate and desired. Permeable pavers are another example, more popular now than ever.
- Rain gardens that can draw water away must be built correctly. Drainage is very important and must be considering in your planning.
- French drains may be employed. They go by two other terms, under-drains and infiltration trenches. These are basically a drainage ditches back filled with gravel and in the bottom are 4” perforated and corrugated pipes. It captures your run off and gets the water away, often away from your foundation and lets it perk out into the ecosystem. You have to take it somewhere to a pond or pit that may require permitting and architectural review.
Energy saving features of all kinds were on display by vendors at the 2011 Hilton Head Home and Garden Show.
What does a landscape plan cost?
Experts say that you should spend 15-20% of the value of your home on landscaping, meaning the entire site: plants, sidewalks, driveways, arbors, water fountains. Design fees are based on the cost of the job, similar to the way you pay your home architect, typically 3-6% of the cost of the work. The cost of a master landscape plan is also based on how simple or complex the job. It takes time to make a plan and if you just want some plant beds, it may just take one day however it can take 2-3 days to make a plan for a half acre back yard depending on what you want in that space.
When people are on budgets, we often give a five year master plan. We look at the site and everything that you want to incorporate into the plan and then prioritize construction, breaking the cost into phases based on your budgetary needs.
The final master plan will tell you those costs and phases. That plan can be taken to any garden center, your landscape contractor and anyone with whom you feel comfortable with to get an estimate.
Porous ground surfaces and 'green' landscape features were of interest to people who attended the Hilton Head Home and Garden Show.
Options to hiring a Landscape Architect
You may want to try and do it yourself. If so, think of your outdoor space the same way that you think of your living room. Think about your view, patio and outdoor furniture, fences, privacy, shade, arbors, trellises and other things.
Another option is to go to a garden center and find a landscape architect on their staff. Many are registered and they can do a master plan or design for you. It’s important to look for a registered landscape architect. We are licensed because we are liable for hazards and injury for which we carry insurance.
Planting Vegetables
Vegetable gardens are not allowed in most gated communities. Some have ‘farms’ where you lease a plot designated for your vegetable garden, such as Lawton Farm in Sea Pines and similar arrangements in other communities. But if you do plant vegetables,
- Get a soil test. Nine times out of ten you need to modify your soil. Careful with sun exposure – give your vegetables at least 6 hours minimum of sun every day.
- Your master plan will show the location of your garden and your storage area for tools.
Landscape lighting
12 volt lighting is not a problem any home and owners can install them themselves. 12 volt lighting is very attractive these days. You don’t have to bury the cable, just put it under the mulch and it is easy to move around.
If you want 120 volt lighting, hire an electrician. 120 volt wires should be at least 12” below the surface and they can’t be moved easily.
Stay away from blue lights. Solar powered lights that are not LED are blue.
There were about 80 exibitors at the 26th annual Hilton Head Home and Garden Show at Shelter Cove Mall. The Hilton Head Area Association of Home Builders sponsored the show and has 415 member homebuiders and contractors. Lindsay Hocking, Member Relations Manager for the Association said that the show was a great success with large public attendance.
Check References
There are a lot of good landscape architects and landscape contractors in the area. Ask for references and don’t forget to check them!
Landscape fertilization, Insect and Weed Control
Proper fertilization starts with proper planning and construction. The design needs to be built as intended. That goes a long way in helping to maintain the space over time, whether high or low maintenance is required.
Chemicals should be applied by someone who is well-qualified and has been in the area for many years, not just somebody with a pickup truck and lawn mower, the cheapest in your neighborhood. Talk with somebody who is higher up the ladder of authority with your landscape company about their fertilization and chemical experience.
To find a beautiful Hilton Head home or building site, please call:
Richard Kadesch, Owner and Broker-in-Charge Go Gated Realty ® The Gated Community Specialist ® Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Cell 843-684-2933, Email Rich@gogated.com, www.GoGated.com
Hilton Head Gated Communities Say Merry Christmas!
At Palmetto Dunes this Christmas, reindeer are leaping.
Merry Christmas!
The Long Cove Club is looking good at Christmas.
Spread the Cheer!
Sea Pines and Hilton Head Island has great weather for golf and tennis at Christmas.
Another Sunny Hilton Head Christmas
Santa is sure to be busy in Hilton Head Plantation this year.
Santa Loves Hilton Head
Santa’s elves hit the beach at Shipyard on Hilton Head Island every summer.
Enjoy Golf, Tennis, Rest, Realaxation on Hilton Head at Christmas
Retire to Wexford and enjoy Christmas on Hilton Head Island every year.
Have a Happy New Year! Come on down, ‘ya hear?
Indigo Run is one of many fine Hilton Head gated communties in the Christmas spirit.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Hilton Head Gated Community Specialist ®
Richard Kadesch, Owner and Broker-in-Charge Go Gated Realty ® The Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Cell 843-684-2933, Email Rich@gogated.com, www.GoGated.com
Hilton Head Real Estate Foreclosure Update
Sea Pines has two lots and two villas in foreclosure today.
Today most every gated community on Hilton Head Island and Bluffton has at least one home, villa or lot in foreclosure for sale. The communities include the best: Sea Pines (2 homes, 2 villas), Wexford (2 lots), Long Cove (2 homes, 2 lots), Shipyard (2 villas), Forest Beach (12 villas), Hilton Head Plantation (3 homes, 3 lots) , Indigo Run 2 homes, 3 lots), Palmetto Dunes (1 home, 1 villa), Folly Field (1 villa, 2 lots) and Palmetto Hall (2 lots). Off-Island, they include Colleton River, Belfair, Berkeley Hall, Moss Creek, Rose Hill, Hampton Hall, Hampton Lake, Buckwalter communities and more.
The latest statistics about foreclosures from the Hilton Head Multiple Listing Service* are:
- Homes- today 3.3% of all homes in the Hilton Head area for sale are foreclosures, 81 homes of 2,445 total. In June, there were 2.9% foreclosures for sale, 80 of 2,779. On Hilton Head Island alone, foreclosures for sale are only 2.2% of the total, just 22 of 1,000 homes.
- Villas – today 3.2% of all villas for sale are foreclosures, 37 of the 1,146 total for sale. In June, 4.3% of all villas for sale were foreclosures, 55 of 1,279. On Hilton Head Island only, excluding Bluffton, Hardeeville and other areas across the bridge from the Island, 3.0% of villas for sale are foreclosures, 31 of 1,030 total.
- Lots – today3.8% of all lots for sale are foreclosures, 65 of 1,722 for sale. On Hilton Head Island, 6.3% of all lots for sale are foreclosures, 26 of 412. I did not report the statistics for lot foreclosures in June.
Remember that a great deal is not always a foreclosure! Look at all properties that meet your needs and have good prices. To find these properties, search them on gogated.com and gather the information that you want, then connect with a good and experience agent who can help you with your search, answer your questions and advise you about your concerns and set you up with the Buyer’s Advantage™ system, the best way to monitor the market and find a bargain.
To get a super-bargain, you must know about it right away and that is what a good agent and Buyer’s Advantage™ does. There is no better way to monitor the market. To receive the Buyer’s Advantage™ system without cost or obligation and for more information about foreclosures and good deals of all kinds, please contact me, the Hilton Head Gated Communities Specialist® today!
*The MLS of Hilton Head Island requires this disclaimer: “The statistical data contained herein has not been verified by the Multiple Listing Service of Hilton Head Island, Inc. and the publication of information hereof is not a representation or warranty of any fact whatsoever.”
Richard Kadesch, Owner and Broker-in-Charge
The Gated Community Specialist ®
Go Gated Realty ®
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Rich@gogated.com
www.GoGated.com
1-800-333-5025
Read Some of My Clients’ Success Stories
Hilton Head Island Bargain Condo Foreclosure – Sold!
Go Gated Realty sold this unfurnished two-bedroom, two-bath villa near the beach for $72,500!
Bargains seem to be everywhere today and at all prices. Of course, we all want a luxury bargain on Hilton Head Island and to get one, why not buy an inexpensive property and fix it up to be as luxurious as you want? You can buy a one-bedroom ocean view condo on Hilton Head Island today from about $100,000 and a two-bedroom ocean view condo from about $140,000. Others near the beach and without ocean views cost less than $100,000.
Newly furnished
Tile floor, new cabinets, stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops
I have fixed up an inexpensive condo myself and this is one reason that I can recommend it to you. Years ago, I bought a bargain ocean view condo at the Hilton Head Resort, fixed it up, rented it out and even moved into it for awhile. When I built the house where I live now, I sold the villa and made a good profit. I made and saved money on that inexpensive villa and when I lived there beneath my means and invested the money that I saved elsewhere. You may not want to rule out this option because it is there if you want it: small but good, inexpensive, practical, comfortable - and fun!
Use The Go Gated Buyer’s Advantage™One of my buyer-clients went this economy route recently and bought a super-bargain at the Hilton Head Resort with the help of The Go Gated Buyer’s Advantage™ system. I highly recommend this system to any serious buyer and to get it, please contact me. There’s no cost or obligation and it can be worth thousands of dollars to you.
The master bedroom comfortable
The master bathroom and second bathroom have tile floors and showers, new cabinets, lights and plumbing fixtures.
After my client visited Hilton Head Island and saw the villas that he wanted to see, he went home and monitored the market – for months. He wanted an economy villa near the beach with two bedrooms. While he was here, he saw one at the Hilton Head Resort for $99,000 that he liked a lot, a short sale that had been purchased for about $155,000 by the seller at the top of the market in 2006.
Then one day my buyer called to say that the villa that he saw when he was here had been re-listed as a foreclosure @ $65,000. We agreed that it was priced very low and we immediately made an offer. My client out-bid five other buyers and he got the villa for $72,500, cash. The buyer used funds from his retirement account to make this purchase and the villa is now in his retirement account. Very cool!
The second bedroom
Living room chair
Three Reasons Why This Villa Was Under-Priced- The location within the Hilton Head Resort is close to the beach.
- The floor plan has a private balcony that some other villas at the Hilton Head Resort do not have.
- The villa had many expensive upgrades like a tiled floors, tiled showers, new bathroom cabinets and fixtures, new kitchen cabinets, stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops and a clothes washer and dryer.
My buyer did his homework and took the time to get a focus on what he wanted. His determination and my help combined for our success. This is an example of another super-bargain that will be hard to beat anytime soon and maybe never, despite the fact that the market continues sideways to down and even as other foreclosures come available – and others are still available. Some deals are just this good.
The ‘A’ floor plan at Hilton Head Resort has a private balcony.
The view over a lagoon toward the Village of Singleton Beach
Have Fun and Save Money: Fix Up An Inexpensive Condo Near The BeachAt closing, the buyer came to Hilton Head Island, bought great rental furniture locally and made this economy villa into a comfortable second home. I don’t know what they paid for the furniture but it was surely less than $5,000 total and so their total cost including furniture must be less than $80,000!
I took pictures of the newly furnished villa just a few days ago. This is clearly a super-bargain. It’s not in Sea Pines but it is next to Palmetto Dunes and with direct walking access to the beach. The recreational amenities at the Hilton Head Resort where this villa is located include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, racketball courts, spa, exercise center and indoor track. There is under-building parking, a wi-fi zone in indoor building three and a 24-hour manned security gate.
For A Super-Bargain, Call Go Gated Realty®You don’t have to break the bank to have a second home or vacation villa on Hilton Head Island. Good ones are for sale for less than $100,000 right now and am happy to show them to you by email or in person at any time. For more information about the Hilton Head lifestyle on a economy budget and to discuss your real estate plans for Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, please call me, the Hilton Head Gated Communities Specialist® today! My cell number is 843-684-2933.
Richard Kadesch, Owner and Broker-in-Charge
The Gated Community Specialist ®
Go Gated Realty ®
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Rich@gogated.com
www.GoGated.com
1-800-333-5025
Read Some of My Clients’ Success Stories