Just Listed: Eclectic Normandy-Style House in Haverford
Combining elements of French, Colonial, contemporary and Arts and Crafts style, this one-of-a-kind house resides in a subdivision of similar one-of-a-kind houses.
272 Valley Ridge Rd., Haverford, Pa. 19041 | Bright MLS images via Coldwell Banker Preferred
You know how mass customization works, right?
A builder comes up with a handful of standard designs and floor plans. The buyers get to trick them out with fancier kitchen appliances, darker or lighter wood floors, different styles of cabinetry and bathroom hardware, maybe a media room in the basement, things like that.
Foyer
But mass customization encompasses a spectrum of practices. The big builders, the Toll Brothers and K. Hovnanians of the world, put the accent on the mass below a certain price point. Guidi Homes, which built the Haverford Reserve subdivision in which this house for sale resides, puts the accent on the custom.
This solidly built house is less than two years old and in great shape. It mixes elements of Colonial, Arts and Crafts and contemporary style within its French-inspired shell. It also has one of the most intelligently designed main-floor layouts I’ve run across recently.
The main-floor rooms pinwheel around the two-story, Arts and Crafts-inspired foyer. On the left as you enter is a bay-windowed study or den.
Behind this room, the first-floor powder room lies off a short hall. Past that hall and the door of a future elevator is the doorway that leads to the open main living space.
Main living area
This space combines a living room, a breakfast room and a nicely outfitted kitchen.
Living room
The living room has a gas fireplace and built-in bookshelves. Large windows fill the entire space with light, and French doors lead from the breakfast room to the rear patio.
Breakfast room and kitchen
The kitchen boasts Bosch and Sub-Zero appliances, a farmhouse sink and a work desk.
Dining room
Off the other end of the kitchen, next to the microwave and ovens, a butler’s pantry with wet bar and wine fridge leads to the formal dining room. Like the other main-floor rooms, large windows make it bright and sunny.
Master bedroom
Master bathroom
The upstairs bedrooms all feature contemporary-styled ceiling fans that help the climate control system work more efficiently. The master bedroom has a vaulted ceiling and a stylish bathroom with separate shower and soaking tub.
Rear patio
There’s a rec room/media room in the walkout basement, from which stairs lead up to the ample backyard and paved rear patio.
And if you want to see how mass customization works up close and personal, today may be your best opportunity to do this. This house for sale is one of three Haverford Reserve houses being marketed by the same real estate agent. All three have Normandy-style exteriors but are otherwise quite different on the inside. We featured one of these other two last fall, before its sale price was reduced by $70,000. All three sit close to one another on this loop street, and the agent has them all open for tours this afternoon (Thursday, May 23rd) from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 3
BATHS: 3 full, 1 half
SQUARE FEET: 3,068
SALE PRICE: $1,100,000
OTHER STUFF: The other two houses with open houses this afternoon are 240 Valley Ridge Rd. (3 beds, 4 full, 1 half baths, 6,250 square feet, $950,000) and 245 Valley Ridge Rd. (3 beds, 3 full, 1 half baths, 5,600 square feet, $1,425,000)
272 Valley Ridge Rd., Haverford, Pa. 19041 [Leigh Anne Ambrose | Coldwell Banker Preferred]
