SummerHill Homes

For SummerHill Homes, Unique Neighborhoods Result from a Collaborative Effort

For Palo Alto-based home builder SummerHill Homes, every new community design starts with a simple question - what is unique about this site, and how will it be reflected in the community's land plan as well as the homes? The answer may not be so simple, with a blend of input from many different stakeholders contributing to an overall design process that may take months, even years, to complete. If done properly, however, the resulting homes will reflect their unique setting, and ultimately succeed in a number of ways.

FINDING THE BEST SITE SOLUTIONS

SummerHill Homes starts its design process by carefully reviewing the unique features of the site, determining which elements should be present in the final community. The attributes of the land and elements, such as trees, hills and views are carefully considered. For example, the site plan for BelleTerre in Novato, which opened for sales in 2004, was developed to minimize the loss of mature oak trees and to maintain the topographic integrity of the surrounding site. At Marisol in San Bruno, mature Monterey Cypress trees, which BelleTerre in Novato, The Maple. Sycamore Heights in Pleasanton, The Saint Moritz. needed to be removed for construction, were carefully returned to the community after the homes were built.

These measures accomplish several important goals for SummerHill. First, by preserving elements of the original site, they bring continuity to the new community and its neighborhoods. Second, by making the best use of distinctive features, they give a sense of authentic uniqueness to the community that is nearly impossible to create otherwise. Ultimately, the best features of the site are maximized, the least appealing ones minimized and the various elements are displayed to best advantage.

COMMUNITY INPUT

The voices of three important community partners - the local government, the neighbors and the home buyers - are next added to SummerHill's planning process.

The local governments are an important and involved collaborator in any new Bay Area development. Each with its own programs and priorities, city governments must be listened and responded to appropriately. At Sycamore Heights in Pleasanton, SummerHill was asked to conform to the city's Green Building Program. At first, the list of program requirements seemed daunting, but, in the end, many of the requirements were already in use, or easy to add to the procedures at SummerHill.

In addition, SummerHill Homes will often ask for the input of the neighbors, especially in infill neighborhoods, where it does much of its building. Design input from the community ultimately means that the final homes themselves will be good neighbors, by reflecting the values, architecture and other attributes of their setting. A perfect example is University Park in downtown Palo Alto, where new homes blend seamlessly into the surrounding historic neighborhood with homes dating from the mid- 1800s to the 1940s. At Marisol, a two-story home was redesigned as a one-story plan so that the neighbors nearby would not lose the views that they had enjoyed for nearly 40 years.

The other valuable community participant is one who enters the process later - the home buyer. Because they are not present at the beginning, it's critical for the builder to anticipate the home buyer's response to the community, as their enjoyment of it makes all the difference to the builder's ongoing reputation. SummerHill offers a broad spectrum of product types attracting a variety of buyer profiles. Because these different buyer profiles have different needs, SummerHill conducts extensive home buyer surveys, and has a highly trained and sensitive sales team in place to make sure home buyers are heard and responded to appropriately.

AN INTERNAL STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE

Lastly, SummerHill Homes has internal systems in place to maintain consistently high standards, and to use internal knowledge to shape new communities in the best ways possible. Every employee has been empowered to keep standards high, and to do whatever it takes to get the job done right. In addition, SummerHill's expansive team of consultants are engaged early in the due diligence process to ensure that their experience and knowledge are involved from the beginning.

The SummerHill team is responsible for coordinating and implementing the input of all groups into the community design. This process is an iterative one, where designs build off one another, until the plan that is most successful with respect to the site, the neighbors, local governments, internal company standards and any other important collaborators, is created and ultimately approved. Sometimes, the interests of different groups will play against each other, and the internal team must come up with creative solutions to move forward. Numerous versions of a site plan can be developed until one is created that works best, given the concerns of all parties.

This same iterative process is applied to the architecture of the homes. SummerHill takes great pride in designing homes that complement their surrounding neighborhoods and incorporate architectural elements found in the surrounding area. The interior of the homes are also created to incorporate contemporary appeal.

EXCELLENCE RECOGNIZED

When all is done right, and the final plan is successful, it's reflected in many ways. It provides a visceral thrill, where home buyers respond enthusiastically, and the new community looks and feels part of the existing neighborhood. Equally important, cities and neighborhood groups welcome the company back, as they know the addition of a SummerHill Homes community will benefit their neighborhood.

So far, this collaborative approach has been serving SummerHill Homes exceptionally well. During 2004, SummerHill Homes experienced brisk sales at numerous communities circling the Bay Area, and received several Gold Nugget and Best of American Living awards. For the future, the company will continue to follow these key principles as it continues to bring Bay Area home buyers homes that are great places to live - as the result of a disciplined, creative and collaborative approach to home building.

SummerHill Homes is a Bay Area-based home builder with a national reputation for superior design, quality construction and a high level of customer satisfaction. Information is available at summerhillhomes.com, or by calling the information line at 1-800-585-0085.

May 2005 Builder Architect Edition Issue

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