The Lakes at Maple Grove:
a representative from Toll Brothers builders came into our office the other day to tell us about their new luxury home development going up in Maple Grove. This is the first Toll Brothers development in the area. Toll Brothers is a nationally known huge builder. I was excited to hear about the new development because I drive down Weaver Lake road all the time and I see the construction going on.
The area where these are going up are right across the street from the Lifetime fitness center. At first I thought the prices were going to be in the $500Ks and when they told us the "starting" range they said the homes start at $450Ks. To me it seemed like a good price bracket for that area. It is so close to all the shops on Main Street as well as all the Shoppes of Arbor Lakes. One thing I did not like is how close together the homes were. Also, the garages are in the back of the home so when you look at the front there it appears to have no garage. To me this style of home looks great. I don't think it looks good when you pull up to a house and it is "all garage." Toll Brothers have some promotions going on right now too such as $15,000 in upgrades "for free." I guess most of their standard packages include hardwood floors, granite, and stainless steel appliances so I'm not sure what else you would want..... I guess a lot of move up buyers are moving into there after they have sold their townhome or starter house.
To me it might be a better investment to purchase an existing home in a more established neighborhood. You will get much larger sq. footage, a deck, a bigger lot, and probably some developed trees or landscaping.
Toll Brothers only builds homes that are ordered. For example, they won't put up 20 homes then keep discounting the price until a buyer makes an offer. Lennar does this. In the Bonaire development in Maple Grove they have had some $100,000 price reductions. Unless you are planning on living in the same house for 5+ years I would be careful about purchasing a home in the new Lakes development in Maple Grove. You might be paying more than market value in the market's current situation due to ordering it to your specifications.

Below are the prices and details for the 4 different models they have. If you want more info on any of them send me an email to: holli@homesbyholli.com and I can email you pics of them all.

Van Buren - $444,975
Bedrooms : 4 Bathrooms : 21/2 Baths : 1
Sq. Ft : 2850Master Bedroom : 2nd Floor

Phalen - $464,975
Bedrooms : 4 Bathrooms : 21/2 Baths : 1
Sq. Ft : 3135Master Bedroom : 2nd Floor

Nokomis - $474,975
Bedrooms : 4 Bathrooms : 31/2 Baths : 1
Sq. Ft : 3215Master Bedroom : 2nd Floor

Youngstowne - $484,975
Bedrooms : 4 Bathrooms : 31/2 Baths : 1
Sq. Ft : 3300Master Bedroom : 2nd Floor

WOOD FLOORS


Wood floors add warmth and a touch of distinction and class to your home. However, with so many choices - type of wood, type of floor, finish, ... how do you choose?
Let's start with some basics.
Flooring is available in a variety of Types, Styles, Lengths, Thicknesses and more.

First-Material Style
Home wood flooring can be solid wood, engineered (i.e., laminate or Pergo®) or parquet.
In solid wood flooring you have the basic choice of unfinished or pre-finished.
Unfinished flooring is often finished on-site with an oil-based or a water-based finish.

Solid 3/4" thickness solid wood floors have a long history and continue to be very common so I'll continue on with details on these.
Hardness ratings are given which can be used as an indicator of relative durability and wear-resistance
$ are shown to give a relative cost comparison between the different wood types

Type of Wood

Red Oak
hardness rating: 1290
This floor features Red Oak with Wenge feature strips and Granite inlays. The installation is by Legendary Hardwood Floors in Terre Haute, IN.
$
http://www.woodfloors.org/consumer/whyTypesSpeciesDetail.aspx?id=15




White Oak
hardness rating: 1820
This office floor features solid White Oak planks, with American Walnut feature strips. The floor is job-site finished, using an oil-based surface finish. Installation by Universal Floors, Washington, DC.
$
http://www.woodfloors.org/consumer/whyTypesSpeciesDetail.aspx?id=16


Maple
hardness rating: 1450
This kitchen floor features 1,210 square feet of solid Maple and Steamed Walnut. The floor is job-site finished, using a water-based surface finish. Installation by Hammer Hardwood Floors, Inc., Perry, Iowa.
$$
http://www.woodfloors.org/consumer/whyTypesSpeciesDetail.aspx?id=13




Hickory
hardness rating: 1820
This floor features hand-scraped hickory with hickory plugs, and leather inserts with a faux alligator finish. The installation is by Birger Juell in Chicago, IL.
$$
http://www.woodfloors.org/consumer/whyTypesSpeciesDetail.aspx?id=12



Select Brazilian Cherry
hardness rating: 2820
This bedroom floor features 200 square feet of solid Brazilian Cherry, in a custom basket weave pattern, with custom accent blocks featuring Wenge, Maple and Red Oak. The floor is job-site finished, using an oil-based surface finish. Installation by Majestic Wood Floors, Frederick, Maryland
$$$
http://www.woodfloors.org/consumer/whyTypesSpeciesDetail.aspx?id=2

Parting Thoughts
Wood offers a home a solid, yet forgiving warmth with great environmental advantages:
- Wood is a natural and renewable resource
- Wood has a very easy care and ease of cleaning
- Wood may decrease the potential for alergen-sensitivity in the home
- Wood floors will give your home years of beauty and enjoyment

Ackowledgement
Thanks to the following for their invaluable contributions to this article:

• Direct Carpets of Minnesota - Bruce (763)425-8936 and Greg (763)425-6075 for their expertise as hardwood floor suppliers
• Photos courtesy of the National Wood Flooring Association (http://www.woodfloors.org/)

Picking House Colors:

Color is very important to me when you walk into a house, especially my own. To the left is a pic of my living room. It was recently made over on HGTV's show FreeStyle, which will air in the next month or so.

When the designer for the show first came over to see our living room, I had it painted this "Miami Vice" orange. It was supposed to turn out like an "Orange Orange" but it was slightly lighter and brighter than that. Instead of taking the time to repaint it, we just left it that hideous color. The designer emailed us the color that they suggested and it is called "Robin's Egg Nest Blue." The names are enough to make your head spin. At first I didn't know if I would like it but then after it was all finished I loved my new look to my living room. Here are some things to consider when you are choosing a color for your house!

Existing Colors

Your house is your canvas, but it is not blank. Some colors are already established. What color is your roof? Is there mortar or other siding that will not be painted? Will doors and railings remain their existing colors? New paint does not need to match existing colors, but it should harmonize.

Interior Colors

It may seem comical to paint entire house based on the pattern of a pillow case, but this approach does make sense. The color of your furnishings will guide you in the selection of your interior paint colors, and your interior paint colors will influence the colors you use outside. Once again, your goal is to harmonize.

Accents

Depending on the size and complexity of your home, you may be choosing two, three or as many as six colors. In addition to the color you select for siding, you'll want to select accent colors for trim and details such as shutters, moldings and columns. This can be tricky, because too many colors will overwhelm your house and too few will make it seem two dimensional.

Darks and Lights

Light colors will make your house seem larger. Dark siding or dark bands of trim will make your house seem smaller, but will draw more attention to details. Darker shades are best for accenting recesses, while lighter tones will highlight details which project from the wall surface.

Hopefully these will help a little bit when you go to decide what colors your house should be!

If you would like to be emailed when my living room show will air on HGTV please email me at Holli@HomesByHolli.com and I will email you once I know the exact date/time.