We wanted to say a huge “Thank you!” to Duneland Today Magazine & the Duneland/Chesterton Chamber of Commerce for interviewing and doing this write-up on our homes in Stone Meadows & Easton Park. Here is the excerpt from the article:
Duneland is sprouting new activity this spring and residential developers continue to plant roots so that more families can call Duneland home. For those who have driven east of State Road 49 on Porter Avenue, they may have wondered what the road cuts, lots, and ponds will transition to in the near future, and Kathy Harris, vice president of development for ATG Real Estate Development, promises that the homes at Easton Park will change the landscape of Chesterton.
“In total there are 346 lots in the subdivision, 74 of which are for villa homes. These are houses on slabs and they are a bit smaller, geared toward empty nesters, millennials, and people who are right sizing. They are all single family,” says Harris.
She continues, “There are six phases in the development and we are currently in phase one. We anticipate home building to start in February and individuals can come in and purchase a lot, or builders can purchase one or multiple lots. Right now we have VP Homes as one of our preferred builders, as is Ennis Builders. There will be a total of three ponds on the property, all on the north side. It will be heavily landscaped and the earth and berm run the entire length of the north of the property with a six-foot property fence all along 250 East. There are a lot of natural areas within the development, and we are looking at landscaping plans that promote indigenous plants. The walking path will run the entirety of the north side of the property for about one third of a mile, so residents will be able to take walks along the berm, and it will be just beautiful.” Easton Park offers the location of Chesterton, which Harris says is a real draw.
“What is particularly attractive is that this location gives you an out-of-town feel but you’re close to all of the town’s amenities such as grocery stores, shopping, and schools. This development provides options for many different types of homebuyers. It will be great for families but also will provide something for everyone with the villa homes. We haven’t had a development like this in many years and nothing that really has the nature and quiet setting. People are really excited about this project,” she says.
Valerie Piotrowski, co-owner of VP Homes, says that building in Easton Park will further highlight the strengths of their product. “We will be building single family homes in Easton Park, and currently we are building in Stone Meadows in Chesterton. We have been in the construction industry for over 40 years. We started in Illinois and we have been building in Indiana since 2005. Our homes start at $242,000, not including land, and go up to $1 million. Square footage ranges from 2,250 to 3,100. We have one-story floor plans, two-story floor plans, and custom homes.
We build homes that are energy efficient. We don’t do bait and switch. When people come in with a price to stick to, we don’t try to upsell. We put a lot of luxuries in people’s homes because we want people to have them. We do really beautiful kitchens and baths, and we are also a little smaller than other builders in the area. My entire staff knows all of our clients, and we focus on Porter County. We have built in over ten subdivisions including some of the lakefront properties. We are picky about the subdivisions we build in, “she says.
To help home buyers make a complicated process simple, Piotrowski says they have a one-stop shop. She says, “We just moved our design center in Chesterton to 108 N. Calumet Road. From this storefront we sell cabinets wholesale, and this is also a showroom for homeowners to make their customization selections. We try to take the stress out of going to many different places to choose items for their homes. People can make over 50 different selections to customize their homes and over 90 upgrades, so they can come here to look at the material and colors and make the selection in one place. Because we build cabinets, we can put beautiful cabinets in people’s homes.”
