The Blog

Visit our decorated model homes at Berry Farms in Franklin and Burkitt Place in Nolensville during the first annual Holiday Open House Showcase. This event is hosted by the Homebuilder’s Association of Middle Tennesse and Regent Homes is one of the many builders participating in the event.

The event takes place for two weekends: December 6th-8th and December 13th-the 15th. Model Hours are Friday & Saturday 10 a.m – 8 p.m and Sunday 12-5 p.m. For more information on the Holiday Showcase please visit the Homebuilder’s Association of Middle Tennessee.

Regent Homes of Tennessee announces the Grand Opening of our new furnished model at Primm Springs Estates in Murfreesboro. Priced from $259,900 to the $330′s, Primm Springs Estates offers homebuyers spacious single-family designs that include the added value of level homesites with large backyards. Primm Springs Estates offers one- and two-story floor plans with approximately 2,364 to 3,000 square feet, 3 to 4 bedrooms, up to 3.5 baths and 3-car garages on selected plans.

An easily accessible setting near both I-24 and I-840 poses a significant benefit for Primm Springs Estates homeowners. Residents are also near an array of shopping, dining and entertainment destination including the Avenue, Stone River Mall and more! Middle Tennessee Medical Center and Hospital are just minutes away. Recreation and leisure opportunities range from parks to golfing at three local golf courses.

Primm Springs Estates is located approximately 3 miles from Siegel Middle and Siegel High schools. Primm Springs Estates elementary school will change to Siegel Elementary at the start of the 2014 school year in August.

The Carolina furnished Model Home is an exquisite 4 bedroom, 3 bath home with bonus room and 2-car side entry garage. Both the owner’s suite and bedroom 2 are located on the first level. This new home is highlighted by an open concept with the great room, hearth room and kitchen flowing together. It’s perfect for today’s modern families. The Carolina exhibits many of the options and finishes offered in a Regent Homes

To schedule a tour of this community, please call Lesia Jakubs at 615-975-4404 or visit us online at www.RegentHomesTN.com to view the our models and floor plans.

The Carolina Model Home at Primm Springs Estates.

We are very excited to announce that our new website is now available for you to visit. Take a look around and browse through our photo gallery, search floor plans, view community information that includes schools, site plans, HOA, utilities, nearby shopping, and more!  Let us know what you think.  www.regenthomestn.com

In one of Middle Tennessee’s most popular communities, the size and shape of new residences are changing to meet the needs of a work force and families that also are undergoing fundamental changes. First, laptop computers, smartphones and tablets unchained workers from their desks and freed them to work from home. And “sandwich” families, parents sharing a home with their children and their own parents are becoming more common.

Anticipating that these workers and families will want something other than a traditional single-family house or condominium, Westhaven, the master-planned community in Franklin, is preparing to build its first-ever Live-Work Townhomes. The three story residences will be designed to accommodate commercial or living space on the first floor. The main residence will be on the two floors above.

“It’s back to the future,” said David McGowan, president of Regent Homes, the company building the Live-Work Townhomes. He recalled the days when merchants and providers of professional services lived above their shops and offices and walked downstairs to work. Thanks to smartphones and mobile devices, those days are here again. “A lot of companies allow their employees to work out of their homes,” said McGowan. “Combining office space and the home above makes it really convenient.”

When Sabrina and Fred Leichtman learned about the Live-Work Townhomes, they immediately began making plans to move with their family from Chicago where they live in a 35th floor condo with their 12-year-old daughter, Victoria, and Sabrina’s father, Robert Trowbridge.

“Not only are we a sandwich family, we are also a reversed-roles family,” said Fred, who is a stay-at-home caregiver. Sabrina’s career as a medical coder frees her to work from any location. They plan to use the first floor of their townhome as living space for Robert. Sabrina, Fred and Victoria will live on the top two floors. The arrangement will allow the family to be near one another while offering privacy. “It gives us the best of both worlds,” said Fred.

The family didn’t want another condo and wasn’t interested in maintaining a single-family house. The Live-Work Townhomes meet the needs of what Sabrina describes as their “unique family dynamic.” The family discovered Williamson County while researching communities with good public schools. Regent’s Live-Work Townhomes, coupled with amenities that include pools, trails, green spaces and community activities, drew them to Westhaven. “We wanted more peace,” said Sabrina. “And for my daughter to see grass,” added Fred.

Their neighbors will include a music industry professional who plans to use the townhome’s first level as a songwriting workshop and an aesthetician who will have a retail space on the first floor, said McGowan. Regent plans to build 16 of the townhomes adjacent to Westhaven’s Town Center commercial area. Regent Homes has already had success with the live-work concept in Lenox Village, the master-planned community in southeast Nashville, just outside the town of Nolensville. Residents there are using their first-level spaces in a variety of ways, including a recording studio, a bookstore, a specialty costume retailer and a photography studio, said McGowan. “It’s a throwback to the old days. We’re the first doing it in a new community,” he said.

The Live-Work Townhomes will have up to 400 square feet of commercial or living space and a two-car garage on the first level. The kitchen and family room are on the second level. Bedrooms are on the top floor. The townhomes will have more than 1,800 square feet of living space, said PJ Littleton, affiliate broker for Westhaven Realty. The Live-Work Townhomes are priced from $269,900, which he described as a “lower cost option” for Westhaven.

In the past 10 years, more than 1,000 homes have been constructed at Westhaven. Until now they have been traditional single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums. For the Live-Work townhomes, “we’ve re-imagined” what the home of the future might be, said Littleton.

PHOTO: MTSU’S 2013 competition team members include, from left- Jared Newell, Kyle Wix, Kelvin Owens, Andraus Hill, Jason Harrison and Brad Johnson.

MURFREESBORO — MTSU’s Land Development/Residential Building Construction Management team finished eighth out of thirty-one teams in the construction management competition held January 22-24 at the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. MTSU’s team placements over the last ten years include finishing in the top ten nine times with seven of the nine being in the top five, with first place finishes in 2007 and 2012.

In this year’s competition, students were given 118-acres to develop, including an existing rock quarry to develop on the banks of Utah Lake in Saratoga Springs, Utah. The competition was judged by a panel of four people with varied backgrounds in the construction industry who were acting as potential project investors. Each team made a fifteen minute presentation of their proposal followed by a fifteen minute question and answer session. The panel determined which team had the most complete and financially viable plan. On the average each MTSU team member spent 300- plus hours completing their project booklet. The project booklet included financial figures, market analysis, sales strategy, scheduling, estimating, infrastructure/house plans, sustainability, cash flow and a management approach for the project.

Jason Harrison, MTSU Team Leader, was quoted saying “As far as I am concerned, being a part of the Residential Construction Management Competition (RCMC) this year has been one of the most influential aspects of my entire college career. Over the past few months, I have expanded my knowledge in many areas that are covered in the MTSU Construction Management program, both technical and interpersonal. While the CM curriculum is designed to prepare us for construction operations post-graduation, the competition gives those who are willing and fortunate enough to be involved, real‘world application of the topics learned in class. The last, but critical element of the local RCMC process is composed of willing students that are enthusiastic about construction.”

Our Land Development/Residential Building Professors were extremely influential as the team progressed through the competition project. This was exceptionally true for this year’s team, as we were all new to the competition. Team coaches and professors sacrifice personal time to prepare and guide competition team members, and were directly responsible for ensuring collaboration with the next essential component of this process – industry. Individual industry leaders and professors took time to go over ideas and questions MTSU‘S Competition Team had. Based on the questions asked appropriate feedback was provided by both industrial leaders and professors.”

“The competition is designed to give students the opportunity to apply skills learned in the classroom to a real construction project by completing a management project proposal,” said Dr. David Hatfield, professor and head of the Land Development/Residential Building Construction Management and the Electrical Construction Management concentrations. “It is truly a tribute to our program and our students to perform so well at the national level,” said Dr. Walter Boles, chairman of Engineering Technology Dept. at MTSU.

“Our students did a great job at demonstrating their knowledge and skills in estimating, scheduling, safety, construction management, and building construction,” said Dr. Bud Fischer, Dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. “This competition is a valuable “hands-on” learning experience that allows our students to see how all of these components come together as part of a construction management project.”

Leaders in the local construction industry recognize the importance of this competition and the Construction Management program at MTSU as evidenced in their comments after the competition. David L. Hughes, chairman of the board of advisors for the Land Development/Residential Building Construction Management concentration, says MTSU ranks “among the elite programs in the nation. The competition . . . is a real-life situation that we do every day in our industry . . . If this was a nationally recognized sport, MTSU would be in the hall of fame.” After learning of the team’s accomplishment, Mark Lee, a member of the board of advisors for the program and president of Murfreesboro-based SEC Inc., said via email, “The MTSU Land Development/Residential Building program continues to successfully train its students to compete on a national level. These young men and the university should be proud of their impressive accomplishment. They have shown they are well equipped to enter the construction management workforce and we are proud of them as well.”

Ross Bradley, vice president of development at TDK Construction and a member of the board of advisors for the Land Development/Residential Building Construction Management concentration, spoke about the importance of the concentration to leaders in the industry throughout the area with the population continuing to grow in Rutherford County. “Every 10 years, the Murfreesboro population almost doubles,” he went on to explain that the competition provides students with real-world experience and shows them the big picture. The recent boom in the industry has caused more demand for workers, leaving companies with a high demand for employment. “At the end of the day, there’s going to be a shortage of good folk,” said Bradley. “We need good guys to fill those shoes.”

MTSU’s program is affiliated with the Rutherford County Home Builders Association, Home Builders Association of Middle Tennessee, Home Builders Association of Tennessee and the National Association of Home Builders.

Regent Homes is planning a 16 unit, four–story luxury condo building in Hillsboro Village at the corner Acklen and 24th avenues.

David McGowan, president of Regent Homes, expects to close on 2151 Acklen and an adjacent parcel in the coming days. An apartment building, built in 1965, now sits on the site. McGowan hopes to have it cleared within the next 30 days for construction to start in March.

The $4.5 million project will consist of 1,500–square-–foot units consisting of two bedrooms, a flex space and balconies, priced between $360,000 and $375,000. The secure access–controlled building will feature high-end traditional finishes, elevators and a brick with stone accents exterior the McGowan described as “Jacksonian.”

Units should be ready by the end of the year.

The site’s close proximity to Vanderbilt University and its medical center attracted MGowan to the property, which he thinks will be ideal for professors and medical professionals.

“For people that work at the university, the No.1 thing they’d like to be able to do is find a home they can live in and do away with at least one if not both cars,” McGowan said.

602-acre development expected to transform Goose Creek area

FRANKLIN
Construction is under way on the first houses in Berry Farms, a sprawling mixed-use community off Lewisburg Pike on the southern edge of Franklin.

Four builders are participating in the first residential section of the 602-acre development, and they will be building a range of products.

Ford Custom Classic Homes was the first one out of the gate; the company has two homes sold and under construction in Berry Farms with ground breaking soon for three market homes and a model home.

Ford has signed on to build two categories of housing in the community: cottage homes that will be in the 1,500- to 2,600-square-foot range, and larger village homes that will be in a range of 2,000-3,600 square feet.

Cottage homes are expected to be priced from $250,000 to $380,000, and village homes are expected to be in the $380,000 to $450,000 price range.

First of three major sections
This first section of Berry Farms is a 53-home neighborhood called Hughes Mill at Berry Farms. It is part of a larger section on the northwest corner of Goose Creek Bypass and I-65 called Rural Plains. Other sections of Berry Farms are on the southeast and southwest corners.

In addition to cottages and village homes, Hughes Mill will have townhouses and manor homes that are on bigger residential lots on corners.

Regent Homes is building 2- and 3-level town homes. Classical detailing and balance proportions defines the timeless, traditional architecture of a Regent townhome. Metal roofs, columns, shutters, railing, balconies and front porches add a sense of southern elegance. All townhomes are EnergySmart with energy-efficient products and features that will save money, energy, and the environment. The town homes range from 1,380-2063 square feet. The company’s prices start at $187,900 for a two-story, two-bedroom home with 2.5 baths and go up to $299,900 for the four-bedroom, 3.5-bath floor plan.

Regent hasn’t broken ground but has already sold a block of five, said Phil Fawcett, managing partner of Boyle Investment Co., the developer of Berry Farms.

Pent-up demand
Celebration Homes is pre-selling its village homes and cottage homes and expects to break ground on its first two houses in a matter of days, said president Randall Smith.

“We anticipate brisk sales based on the initial interest reservation list,” he said.

“The real estate market in new construction, especially in Williamson County, has returned to a very high demand status,” he added.

Celebration’s first two homes will be priced in the higher $300s and are being built on the company’s Bridgemore and Berry Farms floor plans, each with more than 3,000 square feet of living space.

Celebration expects its homes in Hughes Mill to be in a price range that starts in the low $300s and tops out around $500,000, Smith said.

From a style standpoint, Celebration’s houses will adhere to traditional Federal architecture with brick and masonry clapboard exteriors, authentic working shutters at the windows, 10-foot ceilings and eight-inch baseboards inside.

Some of the company’s designs will offer carriage house apartments over the garages that can be used as teen, guest or grandparent suites.

The Gregg and Raines Building Group is building custom manor homes in Hughes Mill, which is planned as a walkable, sidewalk community.

Pool is nod to Willow Plunge
Amenities will include a neighborhood swimming pool with a 1,320-square foot pool house and a neighborhood park.

The pool complex will be called The Plunge, in a nod to Franklin’s Willow Plunge, a community swimming pool of unusually large size that once existed off Lewisburg Pike from 1924 to 1967.
The Hughes Mill pool will be built by summer, Fawcett said.

Eventually, the residents of Hughes Mill will also enjoy the amenity of living within walking distance of shops, doctors’ offices, restaurants and a grocery store. Commercial tenants have not been announced yet.

Architectural integrity is another feature being offered here.

Fawcett said Boyle has established an architectural review program for all of Berry Farms that will cover both residential and commercial building, and the standards will include the kinds of the features cited by Celebration, such as working shutters on homes that are authentically sized to their windows.

The community’s visual style is being described as traditional and influenced by the styles of Franklin’s historic downtown.

Sell the mower
There’s also an ambitious landscaping program being planned that includes not only landscape guidelines for the builders, but a tree-planting plan for the streets and a comprehensive lawn care program for homeowners that will be covered in their homeowners association dues.

“You can sell the riding lawnmower when you move in Berry Farms,” Fawcett said.

The lawn maintenance program for homes will cover the four biggest yard-related headaches of home ownership: mowing, weed control, irrigation and leaf removal.

HOA dues in Hughes Mill will vary depending on the size of the home, from $165 a month for townhouses to $235 a month for manor homes. The dues also cover the maintenance of the park, the pool, pool house and other common areas.

Fawcett estimated that as many as half of the 53 houses in Hughes Mills will be finished and occupied by spring.

Hughes Mill will be adjacent to the Berry Farms Town Center, a 10.3-acre section of specialty retail and restaurants with living units over them, mixed with townhouses and condos.

Work is in progress to widen Lewisburg Pike in front of the Rural Plains section between Goose Creek Bypass and Old Peytonsville Road.

Ultimately, Berry Farms will include several additional neighborhoods, including office neighborhoods, and two sections of the community will be south of the Goose Creek bypass.

Fawcett said his company believes that the location of Berry Farms, which is near I-65, will be key to its ability to compete with similarly styled communities such as Westhaven and Tollgate Village.

Real estate sales in Berry Farms are being handled by sales representatives of the builders.

Williamson Herald, by Wherald Berry Farms, a new mixed-use development in Franklin, is beginning Phase I of construction. Homes will be available beginning in Fall 2012.

“Regent Homes is very proud to be selected as one of the builders for Berry Farms,’s said David McGowan, president of Regent Homes. Boyle Investment Company, an award-winning organization known for creating mixed-use communities, is developing the property.

Berry Farms is being touted as one of Franklin’s most unique communities. It is both progressive and historical. The 602-acre farm that the property is located on has been passed down from generation to generation since the early 1800s. The Berry Farms community will also continue to preserve the property’s original homestead, named “Rural Plains,’s that was built approximately 200 years ago. In order to honor the history of the land and the city of Franklin, Boyle has hired Atlanta’s Historical Concepts to ensure that each and every plan in the community is aligned and fits with the architecture and style of the area.

Berry Farms also sets itself apart by combining residential, retail, business and civic spaces in a walkable, pedestrian-friendly environment in order to enhance the lives of its residents. This is a return to pre-World War II communities, where getting groceries, going to the bank or seeing the doctor did not always require spending a lot of time driving from place to place.

In the first phase of development, Berry Farms will welcome small restaurants and local shops to cater to the community’s initial residents. A grocery has been proposed for Phase II. Amenities in the community will include a community pool house called the Plunge, a park and walking trails.

Additionally, Berry Farms is in a prime location near Interstate 65 and State Route 840. It is a short drive from downtown Franklin, Cool Springs and Nashville.

This community is also unique because its home prices are attainable for the sought-after Williamson County address. The area boasts some of Tennessee’s best public schools, a burgeoning job market and a vibrant culture. Berry Farms has plenty to offer for homebuyers who are looking for a more affordable price point without having to compromise on the amenities they want.

“Most buyers usually have to settle for something that is not designed for their lifestyle,’s McGowan said. “They are looking for affordability, low maintenance and a community that works with their active lifestyles.’s

In Phase I, Regent Homes will offer two- and three-story townhomes that are designed to fit a variety of homebuyers from the young single professional to small families and empty-nesters. The price range for the townhomes is $187,900 to $280,000.

The townhomes will be heavily influenced by historical Franklin architecture. The homes will have porches, professionally designed landscaping that is maintained by the association, hardwood and ceramic tile flooring in multiple rooms, tall ceilings, crown molding and gourmet kitchens with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

For information, call Jeffrey Caruth at 615-414-1807.

Lenox Village was voted 1st place winner of Nashville PAW Magazine 2012 Readers Choice Award for the Best Pet-Friendly Neighborhood.