The Hewitts and their New Home
While Elsie Hewitt and her husband, Bill, may have intended to downsize their home’s size and maintenance needs, they most assuredly have upgraded their lifestyle after moving into the Summerfields West 55+ community in Williamstown, NJ in December. From their impeccably customized home design and its highly adaptable floor plan, to its secluded cul-de-sac setting, to a convenient location accessible to friends and family, the Hewitts quickly realized that they got much more than they bargained for by purchasing at this friendly, flourishing active adult community of thoughtful, considerate and caring neighbors.
The Floor Plan
“I love my floor plan,” said Elsie. “It flows so beautifully. The living and dining rooms give an open feeling and the morning room is one of our favorite places in the house. The laundry room is near the bedrooms and I love that, too, because I don’t have to walk all the way to the other end of the house like in most other homes. I adore my cherry cabinetry and my kitchen pantry plus I’m so happy we decided to add the fireplace. We have enjoyed it so much! The developer was incredibly accommodating in customizing our house and was very helpful in guiding us along the way to making this our true dream home,” she said. The site of the home is another plus, located at the back of the cul-de-sac, so that other homes on the street are not visible through the couple’s windows. Elsie noted that she is enjoying her yard and plantings, and she is grateful that the community’s developer, the Temple Companies, has added wells on the property to hook up to the sprinkler system, thereby saving significant costs on water bills.
Great Pricing
Due in large part to the remarkably affordable base price of their “Wildflower” home design the Hewitts were able to add several features and appointments to the home to precisely fit their lifestyle needs. Like all of the home designs at Summerfields West, the 3-bedroom, 2-bath “Wildflower” is a manufactured home built under strict, climate-controlled conditions and designed to accept a myriad of floor plan modifications without disrupting the integrity of the home’s original core design.
Customization Galore
For example, the homeowners were able to reconfigure their master bathroom by removing one of the standard vanities and adding a closet, affording them additional counter space and a closet large enough to accommodate their seasonal clothes. In the master bedroom, a large walk-in closet was converted to a storage compartment with shelves for many of the things that they simply could not part with when they moved from their previous home. For even more enhanced storage space, the Hewitts chose the largest of the standard shed designs offered at Summerfields West, providing space for Bill’s workbench, the couple’s holiday decorations and a small freezer. A window was also incorporated into the shed, for clear views of the nearby pond, its birds and other wildlife. The home’s kitchen was upgraded with the addition of a center island and low-maintenance quartz countertops.
“We also converted one of the extra bedrooms into a guest room and the other bedroom into my sewing room,” said Elsie, who noted that over the past several months, along with her daughter, Diana, she has made a significant number of personal face coverings to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus. “Several months ago, our goal was to make as many protective masks as needed,” she said. “In less than 3 weeks, thanks to my mother’s seamstress sewing experience that she handed down to me back when I was 12 years old, Diana and I completed 230 masks that covered not only an entire assisted living facility, but also the school bus drivers and food service workers who were delivering lunches to local children who needed them.”
Elsie has resumed making the masks and is lining them with a polypropylene filter. She is donating them to family and friends around the area and the country. She even hangs some of the masks on her home’s front doorknob for anyone who has to enter her home who doesn’t have their own mask.
No Property Taxes Required
For all the built-in value homeowners enjoy at Summerfields West, the elimination of property taxes cannot be understated. Summerfields West is a land-lease community, with no property taxes required from residents. Its serene New Jersey Pinelands setting belies the community’s convenient access to friends and family, encouraging frequent visits from loved ones and grandchildren all year long.
Summerfields West is a Temple Companies Lifestyle Community. For more information, visit www.summerfieldswest.com or call 856-629-2011. Model homes can be toured by appointment. Please be sure to call ahead.