Follow along with us for a minute...
...as we begin to think about the neighborhood a little differently.
For instance, what if we decide that the big idea here is not uniformity but variety and individuality? Not just neighborhood to neighborhood but street to street and home to home? What if charm is just as important as efficiency? What if we think of neighborhood streets as an actual part of the community space? How do we make them friendlier and more beautiful? What if cul-de-sacs aren't dead ends but windows into another part of the landscape?
We call this neighborhood crafting. By rethinking the details, and designing it as if it were brand new, we're dispensing with the subdivision "plan-as-you-go" model. We're also making it different from the other neighborhoods that surround it. The goal is for each Banning Lewis Ranch neighborhood to be unique in character, attractive, neighborly, and enduring. That is, we want it to keep getting better with age.
Look at any open field and it's a case study in biodiversity. We want some of this same diversity in our residential neighborhoods at Banning Lewis Ranch. Because difference is interesting. Sameness isn't.
As a result, we're thinking in terms of varied architectural styles. Varied roof forms. Varied setbacks from the street. Articulated exteriors. And strong applications of color. So that neighborhoods have their own character. So that when your mother-in-law comes for a visit, she'll never have to wonder which beige home belongs to you.
Authenticity
Remember that field we were just looking at? Look at it closely. It's full of life. And it's authentic because all of the elements work together naturally. The same is true of the best neighborhoods. The architecture feels authentic because the materials, the details, the proportions of the house, the slant of the roof, the shape of the porch columns … all of the parts look and feel appropriate to that particular style. If the architectural style calls for a front porch, then it has to be a functional front porch. One you can put some chairs and potted plants on. Not some little design afterthought that will barely hold a welcome mat. Authenticity is essential to long-term value — so it's an essential ingredient of Banning Lewis Ranch.
Four-sided architecture
This is a sort of corollary to authenticity. It's not enough for a home to look great from the street. (You've seen neighborhoods like this. They have a certain Hollywood movie set feel about them.) No, a well-designed home should be beautiful all the way around, even in back. To learn more about this, see "The Homes" page.
The garage thing
You know what we're talking about. That feeling you get in some neighborhoods where the dominant architectural feature is a big, white, flat, monotonous rectangle. The garage door. One after another. As if the homes were designed for cars first, people second. At Banning Lewis Ranch, you'll find the garages set in all various configurations from front to back and at various depths, giving each street an eye-pleasing variety. A nice, character rich neighborhood we know you'll be proud of.
