Builders show off homes
Attention home buyers: This year's Showcase of Homes will kickoff in Columbia County at the new River Island community off Blackstone Camp Road on Thursday.
The Builders Association of Metro Augusta holds its annual Showcase of Homes on Thursday through Sunday, and Sept. 29-Oct. 2 at the new River Island planned community off Camp Blackstone Road.
Photo by J. Scott Trubey
The Builders Association of Metro Augusta event will run through Sunday and then pick up again Sept. 29, lasting through Oct. 2. Adult tickets are $10, and tickets for children 12 and under are free.
Five showcase homes will feature the work of five area builders. The homes will be fully decorated and furnished by local interior designers. The homes, furnishings, other homes under construction and wooded lots also will be available for purchase, said Billye Hansford, the builders association's executive officer.
"This is an opportunity for (the builders) to showcase what they can do and what their suppliers can do," she said.
Homes range in price from $459,000-$650,000, Hansford said. Home sites start at $99,000 for a two-thirds acre interior lot, according to the River Island Web site, www. riverislandaugusta.com.
"River Island is a planned community on the (Savannah) River with amenities on the river," said Jake Ivey, president of the builders association and one of the featured builders in the showcase. "It has docks and a clubhouse on the river, and several miles of walking trails."
River Island is designated as a conservation community by the Central Savannah River Land Trust. The community is designed to minimize the impact of construction on the natural landscape.
As previously reported in The Augusta Chronicle, River Island developer Vic Mills placed nearly 40 percent of the community's 880 acres into permanent conservation easements with the land trust.
The easements include wetland areas and islands in the river. Development on these parcels is limited to boat ramps, nature trails and other low-impact recreational amenities, Ivey said, adding that the easements will also increase property values.
If You Go
What: The Builders Association of Metro Augusta's 2005 Showcase of Homes
When: Thursday-Sunday and again, Thursday, Sept. 29-Sunday, Oct. 2
Thursdays and Fridays noon-5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sundays 1-6 p.m.
Where: River Island off Blackstone Camp Road, near Furys Ferry Road in Evans
Cost: Adult tickets are $10. Children under 12 admitted free. Tickets available at the visitor's center at 1570 River Island Parkway.