The Villas at Biltmore Jewel
Luxury Biltmore Phoenix Homes, Townhouses, Condo's

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To receive more information on the Villas at Biltmore Jewel Town homes and condos in Phoenix, or to set up an appoint for viewing, please  call 602-791-1766 or email bettezerba@cox.net

The Villas at Biltmore Jewel is a collection of 84 three-story townhouses by Classic Communities at 25th Street and Turney Avenue. The units are grouped together in buildings with as few as six homes and as many as 17.

The homes are loaded with upscale features: wood floors, tile detailing, under-cabinet lighting and crown molding. They even come with wallpaper or faux-painting in the bathrooms. There are no options or upgrades to choose.

"Everything included" is an unusual concept when it comes to subdivisions, which generally offer buyers pages of choices.

"We wanted to give a totally completed product to the buyer," salesman Mike Hennessy said.

Each home has a decorating theme. There are 22 themes ranging from Manhattan Loft, with its red, gray, black, wood and stainless steel contemporary styling, to French Rimini, which features stone detailing, textural contrasts and aurora borealis granite. Other styles include Chardonnay, with a romantic vineyard theme, and Espresso, urban chic with bold materials.

Floor plans: Four two-bedroom, two-bath floor plans ranging from 1,323 to 2,046 square feet.

Model highlights:

• Padova, 1,323 square feet.

In the other two models, the laundry room is on the first floor, inconvenient to the third-floor bedrooms and bathrooms. Here, it's better placed: It's on the second floor, next to the kitchen. Note the large storage closet off the first-floor entryway.

• Treviso, 1787 square feet.

Consider using the den, which is on the second floor, as a formal dining room, thus creating a more spacious, comfortable living room. Because there is a built-in desk area on the third floor, you may not need a separate home office or study. The den also is available as a third bedroom.

• Venzia, 2,046 square feet.

This plan is similar to the Treviso with one major exception: a bonus room on the first floor. This additional room, which has a wet bar and media niche for a TV, is handy to have. It gives you one more space for entertaining or privacy. You can turn it into a game room, a personal exercise facility, a family room, study, guest quarters or home office.

Subdivision features:

• Each home has a two-car garage. Some garages are tandem.

• A community area, with a pool and ramadas, is in the center of the development.

• Air-conditioning units are on the front porches. This detracts from the quaint Italianesque architecture of the buildings. Most homeowners will enter their units through their garages and so won't see the air-conditioners. But if they want to relax on the porch, the sound from the air-conditioners will be annoying.

Design tip: Detailing enhances interiors, giving them a custom look. In these models, check out how the details repeat. For example, patterns in wallpaper are repeated in tile designs. Also, some details are unexpected. The carved crown molding has an antiqued finish; it's a classy alternative to the more commonly found dental molding. Also, the scrolled wood cutouts on the sides of the stair risers turn add emphasis to this typically overlooked feature.

Base price: $469,950.

Standard features: Wood floors, ceiling fans, wood shutters or wood blinds, garage-door openers, epoxied garage floors, pullout drawers, organizers in master closets, wood crown molding, tile detailing and granite countertops. Pre-wired for security systems and surround sound. R-19 composite exterior wall insulation, R-38 ceiling insulation, low-E windows.

Sue Doerfler
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 18, 2006 12:00 AM

To receive more information on the Villas at Biltmore Jewel Town homes and condos in Phoenix, or to set up an appoint for viewing, please  call 602-791-1766 or email bettezerba@cox.net