If you haven't seen our House Hunters episode on HGTV, you have another oppportunity. The show is re-airing this Friday, Dec. 19th at 7:30PM E/P. Check your local listings to confirm time slot.
Show information from HGTV's website
We plan to feature a subdivision, home or development every week, so we can ZOOM in on neighborhoods worthy of a little attention.
Our first neighborhood feature
NAME: Village Grove
BACKGROUND: Village Grove features 20 tracts and 1002 homes in total. Most homes in Village Grove were built in the 1950s and 1960s. Allied Construction was the builder of the homes and one architect has been identified as the designer of the modern-elevation homes in Village Grove; Charles Schreiber. The homes are block-built, post-war ranch homes. Many of the tracts were developed from Orchards and farm land. New homes were priced between $14,000-$18,000.
Here is an old ad from a 1959 Scottsdale Progress newspaper for Village Grove and a page from an original sales brochure for Village Grove:
Allied built the same series of homes, with some minor modifications in Phoenix, as well. The other community names are Hidden Village and Village Meadows.
LOCATION:
Village Grove tracts 1-6 are located between Oak and Almeria, from 68th Sreet to 67th Street. These homes in in 1 of only 2 historic districts in all of Scottsdale. News of the historic designation made it's way into an article about post-war ranches in the New York Times because of its unusual "weeping mortar". weeping mortar is something people either love or hate. Several owners have chiseled away at the mortar for a cleaner look, but new historic guidelines will likely prohibit this practice.
Village Grove tracts 7-20 are located between 80th Place and Granite Reef, from Thomas to Oak and Thomas to Osborn between 82nd Street to 86th Street.
WHAT VILLAGE GROVE LOOKS LIKE TODAY:
Village Grove is a neighborhood still sprinkled with original owners, but another breed of owners are moving into the community. Village Grove is attracting buyers because of its proximity to downtown Scottsdale, shopping, restaurants and arts/culture, along with large lots and reasonable prices. The current average sales price so far this year in all tracts of Village Grove is $291,625. Lot sizes range from 7500 sq ft to over 16000 sq ft. The location is walking distance to the Scottsdale greenbelt, Eldorado Park and a zip away from old town Scottsdale. Out of 1002 homes in all of Village Grove only 18 of them are of the modern elevation. Charles Schreiber, the architect, explained that these modern elevation homes were inspired by homes he was building in Hawaii, and referred to this style of home as Hawaiian-style. Many lovers of mid-century modern design flock to this neighborhood in the hopes of purchasing one of the new modern elevation homes. The last modern elevation home sold for $475,000, which is a lot higher than the neighborhood average. One owner who purchased in the spring of 2007 has just completed a green renovation, including all new energy-efficient systems, complete solar package, recycled glass tile throughout, bamboo cabinetry and landscape design by nationally-acclaimed landscape architect Steve Martino. Other owners of the modern elevation Allied homes in Village Grove have completed high-end remodels, including custom kitchens, guest quarters/houses, bathroom renovation, landscape overhauls, etc.
Here is a photo of the green renovation under construction:
Here are some additional photos of the modern elevation Allied homes in Village Grove:
The neighborhood has also been the subject of interest in local newspapers and design publications:
As a proud owner in the Village Grove neighborhood, I have found myself acting as a neighborhood ambassador, opening up the eyes of buyers, sellers, Realtors and neighbors to the beauty of the mid-century, post-war housing around Village Grove and South Scottsdale in general.
For more information about Scottsdale modern and historic homes, please contact Jennifer Hibbard at Jennifer@TheRealEstateTwins.com or check out www.ScottsdaleModern.com .
My husband has been a cabinet designer/builder/consultant for 13 years and he just schooled me on the latest and greatest kitchen trends he's noticed in the high-end homes he's been working in this summer.
Trend #1: Inset cabinet doors
An inset cabinet door is a door that is flush with the face-frame. The overall effect is very clean and modern, although he has been noticing this cabinet style making its way into traditional kitchens, as well.
Trend #2: Electrolux appliances
Electrolux appliances are becoming a staple in custom high-end homes. Move over Wolf, Subzero, Bosch and GE. Stainless steel is still the finish of choice for kitchen designers.
Trend #3: U-shaped kitchens
Many kitchen designers are re-thinking space layouts and opting for U-shaped kitchens, with an island in the middle. Open kitchens remain popular and kitchens are opening to living rooms, so the U-shape doesn't feel disconnected from the rest of the house.
Trend #4: Dark cabinet finishes
Kitchens are popping up in many higher-end homes with very dark finishes such as wenge and walnut.
Trend #5: Asian fusion
This trend is being seen in hardware selections, as well as overall design. Asian fusion is almost an extension of contemporary/modern. Patina brass hardware, bamboo doors, and ornate detailing are a few of the key elements of this design.
For more information on Arizona custom kitchens, contact Matthew Hibbard, owner Hibbard Custom Cabinets 602-315-0525.
If you are getting ready to replace your old AC unit, you now have a new consideration to make; the type of refrigerant. Most AC systems in Arizona run off of Freon, also known as R22. Systems are now being offered that run on R 410 or Puron. Here is more information on why this change could be important to you.
From Wikipedia:
"Freon is DuPont's trade name for its odorless, colorless, nonflammable, and noncorrosive chlorofluorocarbon and hydrochlorofluorocarbon refrigerants, which are used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems."
In 2004, the Clean Air Act called for a 25 percent reduction in the supply of HCFCs. Like any other item, as supply is reduced, the costs for that item increases. In the year 2010, no new equipment may be manufactured that use R-22 refrigerant, which suggests that HCFC refrigerant is obsolete. Additionally, as HCFCs are further reduced, R-22 refrigerant may increase in cost. Additionally, as HCFCs are further reduced, R-22 refigerant may increase in cost as did R-12.
Future Cost Of Service Savings - Because of U.S. government restrictions on future production, refrigerants with ozone-harming CFCs, the refrigerant used in most of today's heat pumps and air conditioners, will become harder to find and, eventually, more expensive. Upgrading to Puron Refrigerant now can help you avoid the potential rising cost of servicing most of today's air conditioners and heat pumps.
R-22 is being phased out globally, and the manufacturing plants that make R-22 in Europe, North America and other regions will eventually be shut down or converted to make other chemicals. Just this past year, the 3rd largest R-22 manufacturer in the U.S. closed its facility.
In 2003 the U.S. EPA implemented an allocation program which limits both the companies who can make and import R-22, and the amounts that they each can make or import. This essentially"capped" the supply of R-22 in the U.S.
In order to meet the reduction in use of ozone-depleting chemicals that Congress laid out in the Clean Air Act of 1990, the U.S. EPA expects to pass further laws before 2010 to reduce allocations of R-22 and other ozone-depleting chemicals.
By 2015, the cap on R-22 and other ozone-depleting HCFC refrigerants will be reduced to allow a maximum of about 60 million pounds of virgin (new) R-22 to be produced in or imported into the U.S. Currently, the U.S. uses over 160 million pounds each year!
Forecasting the effects of these regulations isn't easy, but it sure doesn't look good for R-22!
I got home and told my husband all about the refrigerant topic, and he recalls when the refrigerant for cars changed and the cost of the "old" refrigerant skyrocketed. The R410 (or Puron) is the environmentally-friendly refrigerant of the future. Come 2010, there will be a supply shortage of R22, based simply on the theory of supply and demand.
We specialize in mid-century modern, historic, custom, green and other unique homes in the Phoenix metro area. We are 4th generation real estate agents in Arizona. We also help save homeowners from fo
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