The phrase “multi-generational living” is commonly tossed around among builders, architects and marketing folks, yet for the most part, it’s parents and children who move into single-family houses.
Laura Benn and her younger sister recently purchased a property there together, and the sister’s daughter and her 7-year-old son have moved in, too. “It’s truly multi-generational for us,” Benn said. “We looked for a home with a configuration that would make it suitable for each person to have their own private space, plus have space we can share together. The kitchen and family room are one big open area, and that’s perfect for us.”
The sister uses the main-floor master bedroom suite. Benn is on the second level, which has its own living room with a couch outside the bedroom, and her niece and little boy are in the spacious lower level. “Besides bedrooms, there’s a wet bar with a refrigerator, sink and many cupboards in an area larger than the kitchen I had in my previous home,” Benn said.
Barry and Dina Barlow and their youngest daughter, Sarah, 16, were the first people to move into Raymond Farm right after Thanksgiving.
Now four houses are occupied. Three were delivered this month, and one more will be ready in May. When complete, the community will comprise 66 single-family houses on lot sizes of one-eighth, one-quarter and one-third of an acre. Two collections with 10 floor plans are offered: The Manor Collection is 40 feet wide, and the Executive Collection is 50 feet wide. There’s no difference in standard features between the two. The property was once a horse farm, and there are still people who stop by and say, “Oh I remember riding a pony here as a child,” said Claire Chinn, sales consultant.
Buying New | Raymond Farm in Warrenton, Va.
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Spacious floor plans are designed for multiple-generation families.
'Junior suite': The Barlows were living in Culpeper County, a 15-minute drive from Warrenton and a half-hour to their church. "This location is much better. Everything is closer. Ten minutes to church, 10 minutes for Sarah to get to school and this high school is a better one, five minutes to the grocery store and a shorter commute to my work in Chantilly," said Barry Barlow.
They enlarged Sarah’s bathroom and gave her an area on one side of the house that’s “like a junior suite,” he said. They finished the basement, set up an exercise room down there and another bedroom and bathroom. “When we had a Super Bowl party here, all the kids went downstairs and had a great time.”
The multigenerational aspect of the community touches the Barlows, too, albeit outside the house. A playground with swings, slides and monkey bars — fun for children up to around 10 to 12 — is behind the white gazebo. “We have three grandkids who’ll get good use out of it for the next several years,” Barlow said.
Space for grandmother: David and Joeann White haven't moved in yet, but they will be a multi-generational family, too. They intend to bring along Joeann's mother, for whom they're both caregivers. Their adult sons and two granddaughters live in Maryland and Virginia. They, too, help care for their grandmother and plan to come to the house often.
“I enjoyed the layout with a master suite on the first floor,” said David White. “It’ll provide excellent care for my mother-in-law, and we’ll be able to move her easily back and forth from the car.”
The family room is next to the grandmother’s suite. “So we can be nearby and she can relax, listen to the radio and watch television with the door closed if she likes,” he said. “She can look out the window, see the community trail and watch people go by.”
The 3,000-square-foot house is just the right size for the Whites. The basement, an uncommon feature in Georgia, where they’re from, is an attractive addition. “My wife sent me in search of an area we could move to. One of my sons told me about Warrenton, and so I drove to see the town. I liked the rolling hills and the walking we could do on the property,” he said. “We’re going to stay active and keep our bodies in good shape.”
Shopping: In Warrenton, grocery stores include Food Lion at 613 Frost Ave., Safeway at 189 W. Lee Hwy., Giant at 41 W. Lee Hwy. and Harris Teeter at 530 Fletcher Dr. In Gainesville, Wegmans is at 8297 Shops Sq. Sears is at 141 W. Lee Hwy., Marshalls is at 251 W. Lee Hwy., Walmart is at 700 James Madison Hwy. and Home Depot is at 267 Alwington Blvd.
Schools: P.B. Smith Elementary, Warrenton Middle, Kettle Run High.
Transit: The community is a five- to seven-minute drive from Warrenton. It's about an hour from downtown Washington along Interstate 66 and Virginia Route 29. Dulles International Airport is 25 miles away, Tysons Corner is 38 miles, Arlington is 42 miles, Reagan National Airport is 45 miles and Alexandria is 51 miles away.
Raymond Farm
6323 Margaret Way, Warrenton, Va.
The single-family houses are priced from $397,990 to $462,990.
Builder: K Hovnanian Homes
Features: Ceilings are nine feet on all levels. Windows are single hung and come with screens. Hardwood floors run through the entry hall, kitchen, breakfast area and powder room. Wall-to-wall carpet is installed in the living, dining and family rooms. An oak railing and painted spindles line the staircase going up to the second level. There are GE appliances, 42-inch birch cabinets and granite counters in the kitchen and tile floors, Moen faucets, birch vanities and marble tops in the bathrooms.
Bedrooms/bathrooms: 3 to 6/2 to 5.
Square footage: 2,356 to 3,109.
Homeowners association fee: $64.50 per month for 2016 and 2017.
View model: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Sales: Claire Chinn, 703-855-4550, or Mary Dixon, 703-867-7811, or www.khov.com/find-new-homes/virginia/warrenton/20186/k-hovnanian-homes/raymond-farm.
