In Carmel, gawking isn’t reserved for mansions. Inglenook, located in a relatively modest zip code near 99th Street and Westfield Boulevard, incites its share of double takes without the power of five-digit square footage. Colorful dollhouse cottages cozy together along communal greens, sidewalks lead to front stoops, and built-in flower boxes overflow on tidy porches, resembling the Florida Panhandle villages Hoosiers frequent on family vacations. Owners in this year-old “pocket neighborhood” are starting to name their dwellings: Raspberry Rose, The Dancing Dragonfly, Sunshine Cottage.
Seattle architect Ross Chapin has designed such communities in Washington, Oregon, Phoenix, and Boston. Carmel’s was the first in Indiana. The 27 homes are full, so the local developer, Casey Land, is expanding the concept in Zionsville, where he has platted 48 lots just south of the village, next to a wooded area with a creek and close to a bike trail to town.
Build time for the first phase is six to eight months, and homes start around $350,000 before customizations (average new-home price in Boone County is $395,000). There’s room for one two-bedroom home, and the rest is intended for three- and four-bedrooms. At $125, the HOA dues are low. The tiny, low-maintenance lots put the houses close together, but Chapin designed a solution for the resulting privacy issue. Each house has one “closed” side, featuring high-set windows, and an “open” side, with larger windows at eye level. Each home’s closed side faces the neighbor’s open side. Residents can’t see into the house next door.
The Zionsville development debuts two new floor plans, one with a wraparound porch. Land has also convinced Chapin to tweak designs to fit local preferences. The architect, for instance, doesn’t care much for basements and attached garages, but Land knows Hoosiers want both—basements for storm protection, if nothing else. A finished lower level with a full-height ceiling is an option, and a garage, like the charm, comes standard.
WANT TO BUY?
ADDRESS
106th Street and Zionsville Road
PRICE
From $350,000
AGENT
Amanda Spicer, 767-9760, inglenookzionsville.com
