Cascades

Located in Sarasota on the idyllic Gulf Coast of Florida, the Cascades at Sarasota will be comprised of 460 luxury single-family homes. The Cascades is an Active Adult Gated Community and is one of ten such developments by Levitt and Sons in Florida.

The community features a beautifully landscaped entry way leading to the manned guardhouse. Amenities will include a clubhouse with grand ballroom, card, billiards and arts and crafts rooms. Additionally, the clubhouse will have a state-of-the-art fitness center and an indoor pool, which flows into a resort-style outdoor pool area. This recreational complex will have six lighted Har-Tru tennis courts and bocce courts. The facilities will be staffed with an on-site activities director and a tennis professional.

Pre-construction sales, which began July 19th, 2003, have been brisk. Three levels of homes will be built. The first phase, known as the Majestic is Levitt's mid-priced home at $200,000 to $225,000 with 1672 - 2078 square feet of living space. The dynasty series, a slightly smaller villa will begin pre-construction sales soon. Prices will start in the $170k's

Levitt and Sons offers its home buyers full customization of their home, providing design consultants in Levitt's on-site design center that will help guide them through the customization process.
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Community Amenities:

Cascades will have an abundance of amenities, with the top attraction being the Grand Clubhouse, offering residents a diverse schedule of social, educational and physical activities within 18,874 square feet of air-conditioned area. The clubhouse will have numerous activity rooms, including those for card playing, billiards, arts and crafts, and surfing the Internet. An expansive ballroom will offer residents and guests a place for special occasions, social gatherings and other celebrations, and a full-time activities director will plan it all.

The Grand Clubhouse will also have a unique indoor/outdoor swimming pool and spacious sun deck. A cascading waterfall separates the indoor pool from the outdoor pool, and a swim-out from the indoor pool to an outdoor waterfall area is also featured.

Also available will be a state-of-the-art fitness center with:

• Aerobics room
  
• Tennis pro shop
  
• Bocce courts
  
• Six lighted Har-Tru tennis courts
  
• Men's and women's spas with saunas and shower
  

This Month (Sarasota)

KITCHEN CENTRAL

Kitchens have always been considered a necessity in a home. In early days, kitchens were separated from the main house to prevent frequent fires from burning down the entire home. Kitchens eventually made their way into the house itself, but were assigned to a rear corner, often separated by a swinging door. Today, the kitchen is the heart of the home, and is often at the center of new home design.

Formal living and dining rooms are not as popular as they once were. Space is now given over to 'family space' that includes an open kitchen/dining/family room arrangement. Amenities, features and extras expand the versatility of these open plans.

The need to incorporate the kitchen into a larger, functional family space has resulted in efforts to make the kitchen area more attractive. Layout, design, finishes, surfaces, placement of storage, appliances, and eating areas are just a few considerations in new homes, as well as in kitchen remodels.

Trends today include de-emphasizing appliance fronts by using panels that match cabinetry. Refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens, and the like blend in and create a more spacious look. The presence of oversized counter top appliances like food processors, mixers, blenders, juicers, and bread machines have created storage solutions that include 'appliance garages,' an open, vertical space within cabinets to house large baking dishes and pans, mixing bowls, platters, and other serving pieces. Bookshelves and display niches are included in today's kitchen to show off cookbooks and other collections.

Kitchen islands have become common. Once an extra in custom homes, islands are almost considered necessary today. Some islands contain cooktops, overhangs to create a snack barn, sinks, storage, and electrical outlets. Granite and faux-stone for counters tops and island work surfaces allow easy care and easy cleaning.

Cabinetry is available in a seemingly endless array of looks, from natural to gleaming white, laminates, distressed wood, antiqued wood, and weathered wood, with raised panel doors, a host of hardware, and a multitude of options for pull-out shelves, wire baskets, and other features to make the most of the space. Butler's pantries are once again popular and offer more storage, and preparation and serving areas.

Planning desks and 'communication centers' are popular in today's new kitchens. A lower counter allows a chair to be pulled up to this mini-office/command center. Most families have a corner where papers, bills, and messages collect. A planning desk makes it official, and keeps things more organized. In addition to the phone, some planning desks are designed to accommodate the family computer. As the Internet becomes more popular for everyday communication, shopping, research, banking, and bill-paying, a computer will become standard equipment in the kitchen.

The way we live today dictates how our homes are designed. As our busy lives take us away further and more often, our homes serve to center us and bring us together. Builders and architects strive to accommodate these needs and wants, while creating, easy-to-maintain simple designs to appeal to the budget of the average home buyer.