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More Bang for Fewer Bucks
Johnson Communities hits it big by lowering its price points in a new community.
By Rob Fanjoy, Associate Editor
August 1, 1999
Professional Builder
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| The Willowspring II model is part of a series of homes designed to complement an already successful, higher-priced series. Johnson Communities added special aesthetic touches such as vine porches, three-tiered 16" fascia and special trellis work. |
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In Boulder County, Colo., that is exactly what Johnson Communities faced when they planned its Meadows Series of affordable homes. Already successful with the Country Series, priced well below the county average in their Country Meadows community in Erie, Colo., brothers/builders Craig, Court and Tyler Johnson planned this complementary series at an even lower price point.
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| Community: Country MeadowsLocation: Erie, Colo Builder: Johnson Communities Land Planner: Johnson Development Architect: Arlo Braun & Assoc. Interior Designer: Captivating Designs, Denver Model: Willowspring II Square Footage: 1480 Price: $161,900 (with full basement) Opening: April 19, 1999 Sales: 66 total, 9 this plan Total Homes: 375 Density: 4.5
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The Meadows Series includes five floor plans ranging in size from 960 to 1480 sq. ft., including ranch, two-story and multilevel designs. The plans come with luxuries like lofts, dens/studies, large master suites and multiple baths. Two-car garages are standard with all plans, while basements are optional on some plans. They are priced from $135,900 to $162,900.
One of Johnson’s first considerations was the effect a lower-priced product moving next door would have on the community and how current homeowners would react. Indeed, there were several outspoken critics of the Meadows series when it was first proposed, but when those people saw what Johnson Communities had planned, they quickly showed unanimous support. In fact, most current landowners signed a petition in support of the new project.
"What really pushed the community and the associations to our side was the fact that our new product is consistent aesthetically with the existing product, even though it is smaller and more affordable," says Court.
The brothers also pointed out to the community that this project would "seed the area" with buyers who typically like to stay put and thus become future move-up buyers. While the existing series of homes was aimed at dual-income families, the Meadows Series was aimed at young professionals within the county’s high-tech economic base who are living the single-income lifestyle.
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| Targeted at young professional families with as many as four children, who choose to have one income and a parent staying at home, the Willowspring II offers functional living areas that can comfortably accommodate five or more people. |
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Those compromises are far from apparent in the Meadows Series. While smaller than the more luxurious and expensive Country Series, this new line of homes has higher bedroom counts and functional living spaces aimed at accommodating growing families. To achieve this combination of functionality and affordability, Johnson Communities came up with a list of 23 construction parameters aimed at keeping construction costs way down while delivering an aesthetically pleasing product.Some of these parameters, set by mutual agreement between construction management and the trades, are:
- Keeping floor and wall surface areas consistent with material dimensions to minimize waste;
- Setting maximum countertop runs of 7’8" (laminates come in 88 runs);
- Centralizing the furnaces to minimize ductwork;
- Creating back-to-back and stacked plumbing wherever possible;
- Aligning the second stories with garage beams;
- Creating consistent window sizes, and
- Locating appliances as close together as possible to minimize electrical runs.
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| The luxurious yet livable eating areas in the Meadows Series can seat six to eight people. The nooks are open to the great room area, creating a "living triangle." |
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Tracy Perret, community sales manager at Country Meadows, says the company is enjoying great success with this new series. "We’re reaching our target market in both series, and we’ve got waiting lists for both of them." She says the customers are really drawn to the price point and open floor plans, and Johnson Communities has had to hold back on sales until the construction side catches up.
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| The rear elevations were not ignored in the name of savings, with the same attention paid to such details as trim, shutters and large decks. |
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Johnson Communities knew its success with its first line of homes boded well for a lower-priced product, if done correctly. "The trick is getting into that price bandwidth with a product that works," says Court.
The Johnson brothers have been in this industry for many years, beginning with Pulte Homes (their father, Howard, was CEO of Pulte Homes in the ’70s and serves as the brothers’ "chief advisor" today), and Johnson Communities builds affordable and custom homes in Colorado, Nevada, Texas and California.
"We’ve been in this business a long time, but we’re still learning about refinement of basic value engineering," says Court. He credits his construction vice president, Terry Higgins, and Lonnie Frank, the project manager, for devising the parameters and driving the project.
"Our construction people had some great ideas," says Court, pointing out that they were very sensitive to the aesthetics and feel of the entire project. "They produced a project that has been extremely successful and profitable for us."
© 2008, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.