Forty minutes east of Atlanta and ten minutes off of I-20, a unique group effort has brought together five builders who would normally be competitors at Lionsgate East in Rockdale County. Their cooperative venture combines a wealth of building expertise and has created extensive economies of scale, resulting in exquisitely designed and crafted executive style homes at surprisingly affordable prices.
Crown Custom Builders, Inc., Lionsgate East’s exclusive builder, is actually made up of Five Star Custom Homes, Barin Communities, Inc., C&N Construction Company, Inc., E. Frank Miller Construction Co., Inc. and R & R Custom Homes, Inc. By pooling their energies and resources, they are able to offer seven different floor plans for the community’s 62 lots from the mid-$400,000 to the low-$600,000 range for three-, five- and six-bedroom homes.
Linda Lindsey, Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker American Land Mart and one of the community’s two listing agents, said, “The builders worked collectively with all the suppliers so they could set up the most beneficial pricing possible. That’s really worked out to the buyers’ advantage,” she said, adding, “It’s been such a united effort that the different builders even go into each others’ homes while they’re under construction and consult with each other. Normally that would never, ever happen in any other subdivision.”
Lindsey’s co-listing agent, Betty Denio, adds that the builders also put a tremendous amount of emphasis on offering designs that are different from what buyers will find anywhere else in Rockdale County. “It was definitely a team effort to come up with something very, very stylish with all the earmarks of custom-designed homes. When people see them, they’re going to say, ‘Wow! We haven’t seen this before,’” she said.
Their hard work has already begun to pay off. Five contracts were signed before the grand opening, which was held the week before Thanksgiving.
In addition to their elegant designs, all the homes include an impressive list of standard features such as nine-foot, smooth ceilings on all first and second floors (10- and 14- foot ceilings are available), custom hardwood flooring in foyers, kitchens, living, dining, family, breakfast and powder rooms, six-inch base molding, master bedrooms and dining rooms with trey ceilings, two gas log fireplaces with custom-built mantles, two-story family rooms and jetted master bathroom tubs with tile surrounds and Moen decorative fixtures. Kitchens include granite countertops with stainless steel under-mount double-bowl sinks and five-inch crown molding is in all kitchens and breakfast rooms. Exteriors are four-sided brick or hard coat stucco with brick or tile stoops.
While homes like these with so many standard features would be substantially more expensive in other parts of metro-Atlanta (or even Rockdale County), the developers are also providing every homebuyer with a $5,000 gift certificate from Carpets of Dalton. If buyers use Lionsgate East’s approved lender, National City Mortgage in McDonough, the builder will also contribute $4,000 toward closing costs.
Coldwell Banker American Land Mart’s Denio believes that the combination of the Rockdale location and the county’s quality public schools, easy access to I-20 and nearby shopping at the new Stonecrest Mall all make Lionsgate East a unique opportunity for homebuyers. “It goes beyond pricing and all the great standard features, even though those are obviously important considerations; it’s about the extra thought and foresight and craftsmanship that Crown Custom Builders has put into these homes. They have a real flow and artistry to them that make them something special,” she said.
For more information, contact Betty Denio at 770-560-3572 or Linda Lindsey at 770-294-8587 with Coldwell Banker American Land Mart, or on-site sales agents Cynthia Eagan at 770-845-5496 or Victoria Willis at 404-425-8949.