Upward Motion: Builder framing elevated homes in Beresford village once slowed by contractor changes | Real Estate

Read article : Upward Motion: Builder framing elevated homes in Beresford village once slowed by contractor changes | Real Estate

By JIM PARKER

The Post and Courier

Meandering through Berkeley County’s lower reaches, Beresford Creek follows a route that today passes by some of the area’s growth regions.

At the Wando River, it carves a watery path around the northern extremities of Daniel Island’s chic “Park” neighborhood. The creek tracks under Interstate 526 past Blackbaud Stadium to the Cooper River, where communities on St. Thomas Island border the tributary.

Maybe the largest concentration of neighborhoods is in one four-mile stretch off Clements Ferry Road and west of Daniel Island. The communities typically borrow the nearby creek’s name: Beresford Hall, Beresford Commons, Beresford Creek Landing.

While each neighborhood has its own characteristics, one of the more active in terms of new construction lately is The Retreat at Beresford.

Started up in the mid 2000s off Sanders Farm Lane, the moderate-sized village has counted five builders, which have met with varying degrees of sales success. They include The Peninsula Co., which is the developer; Meridian Builders; Catalyst Builders; and Ryland Homes.

The newest arrival is Eastwood Homes, which this spring began framing 55 “Charleston style drive-under homes,” according to Charleston division sales manager Jason Esposito.

The Charlotte-based company sold 14 homes in the first four months on the market.

A big attraction is the price, in the $250,000 to $350,000 range for houses sized from 1,767 to 2,785 square feet while sporting three-to-five bedrooms and two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half baths.

Eastwood Homes is attracting its share of first-time home purchasers, but more specifically, the residences are “for buyers who can spend $300,000,” Esposito says. Traditionally, upscale buyers wouldn’t be able to find homes east of the Cooper for such a price, he says.

Custom in appearance, the homes offer shoppers plenty of choices. Lots range from 1/5 to 4/5 of an acre.

Models are the Ashton, Drake, Logan, two-andthree-story versions of the Radcliffe and the Murray.

Features distinct to a particular floor plan are oversized kitchens, the master bedroom downstairs, lofts, double front porches, sunrooms and media or playroom “walk-ups.”

Along with its mix of home designs, the community provides a convenient location for commuters. The Retreat is a couple of miles from I-526, making the trip to and from Blackbaud and Benefit Focus high-tech companies on Daniel Island and the Boeing aircraft plant at Charleston International Airport relatively easy.

The neighborhood is within the Daniel Island school zone, whose Berkeley County public schools run from kindergarten to eighth grade. “That’s a big draw,” he says.

While amenity-less, The Retreat at Beresford is five minutes from Daniel Island, home to parks and,for a charge, golf and a country club. For boaters, Daniel Island Marina is about a mile away.

“There isn’t anything east of the Cooper — Hardiplank (siding), elevated, good schools — close to this price point,” Esposito says.

To reach The Retreat at Beresford and environs from downtown Charleston, travel west on I-26 to the Mount Pleasant exit for I-526. Follow I-526 across the Cooper River to the Clements Ferry Road north exit. The Beresford-named communities and others are on the right. To get to The Retreat at Beresford, turn right on Sanders Farm Lane. The neighborhood is ahead on the right. The Eastwood-built homes are toward the middle and back of Sanders Farm Lane.

Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com.

BERESFORD AREA AT A GLANCE:

Location: Clements Ferry, north ofI-526

Number of homes: 300

Square footage: 1,008-8,100

Look and feel: A variety of neighborhoods have opened primarily between Clements Ferry Road and Beresford Creek. Most subdivision homes have been constructed within the past decade. Wooded lots with oaks and pine are fairly common. Some neighborhoods have sprawling homes and acreage, others such as in The Retreat at Beresford are on smaller tracts with value-priced houses. Some houses border the creek, while many overlook or are built near marsh. Most houses are two stories or higher. Families and young professionals occupy many homes, while executives and empty nesters live in some high-end residences.

Homes on market: 44

List prices: $89,900-$1,749,000

Schools: Daniel Island Elementary, Daniel Island Middle, Hanahan High

Fun facts: The Beresford name stems from Richard Beresford of Barbados, who received a 950-acre land grant in 1706 and would become a member of the First Royal Assembly in the Carolina colony; Beresford Creek was the name of a 1970s folk-bluegrass trio from Charleston, according to YouTube.