UNLIKE MANY EMPTY nesters, Linda and Jim Ridenhour didn't want to downsize when their house cleared out. Instead, the couple sought a larger home with a traditional layout.
"We have a lot of family who come to visit from out of town for the holidays," said Linda Ridenhour, who wanted to comfortably accommodate them.
The couple found the house of their desire in Ashby West, a new development Isle of Wight County's Carrollton community.
The neighborhood of 28 homesites is built by Orleans Homebuilders, a company started in 1918 and known for its homes in Eagle Harbor, The Riverfront and Founders Pointe.
Situated just minutes from the James River Bridge and located in the growth corridor of Route 17, Ashby West was also a better location for the Ridenhours, who moved from Smithfield in July.
"We both work in Newport News and save on mileage, gas and time now," Linda Ridenhour said.
Her sister, Suzanne Gilliam of Keller Williams Realty, is site manager at Ashby West.
"I visited her at the model and knew we wanted to live here," Ridenhour said.
The neighborhood has eight models, including two with master suites downstairs, and ranging from three to five bedrooms and 2-1/2 to four baths.
Each home has 1,913 to 3,250 square feet of living space. Gilliam said the homes sit on slightly more than one-third acres sites.
Ashby West, which has five occupied homes, shares its entrance with the established communities of Ashby and Ashby East. Cedar shake or vinyl siding and brick fronts, plus a variety of elevations from traditional to Georgian, brick Colonial to Craftsman, and classical to farmhouse, keep Ashby West from looking like a cookie-cutter community.
That's one feature that led Megan and Jeremy Lazzari to move from a condominium in Newport News to a home in Ashby West.
"We were looking for a new development, and we loved the vast choice of models we found here," said Megan Lazzari, 25.
Just starting out, the Lazzaris are at the other end of the life spectrum from the Ridenhours. The couple plans to grow into their four-bedroom, 2-1/2-bath Hampton model home over time.
"This is a friendly, family oriented neighborhood where everybody waves and says hi," said Megan Lazzari. "It's just perfect for us."
Sandra J. Pennecke, pennecke@cox.net
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