For your next chapter, a real page-turner
THE VILLAGE AT SHEPLEY HILL, GROTON
Some of the condo and apartment buildings being built around Greater Boston are a dullard’s collection of squares and rectangles with little or no architectural flare. Designed for the over-55 crowd, this Groton condo development determinedly runs counter to that trend.
Exteriors visually pop with white window frames, blue shingle siding, varied roof lines, and beige boardand-batten siding. The development, The Village at Shepley Hill, calls for 26 units on 45 acres in this northern Middlesex County town.
This is one of those duplexes designed with privacy at the forefront. A shared driveway leads to the property then splits — separated by a strip of grass — so each unit has individual access to its own attached two-car garage.
A walkway starts at the driveway and curves to the right and around the corner to the side of the unit. There, three steps ascend to a small covered porch embellished with white columns and picket fence-like white railings.
Inside, one can turn left into the library, a 119square-foot space with four windows, recessed lighting, crown molding, and extensive built-in cabinetry painted an earthy green. The flooring is red oak, and the ceiling is 10 feet high, setting expectations for much of the house.
Back out in the foyer, one can wash up for dinner at the porcelain pedestal sink in the half bath or throw a load in the dryer in the laundry area. The coat closet and the door to the garage sit directly across from the bath.
Formal meals are served in the 199-square-foot dining room, found to the right off the foyer. The space features crown molding, recessed lighting, a cascading double drum shade light, a windowed bump-out, tall baseboards, and board-and-batten wainscoting.
A wide entrance opens into the kitchen and living area. They may share the space, but they stand out in design. Attention in the 205square-foot living area focuses on the stunning stone-clad gas fireplace, but the coffered ceiling and tall windows compete for the oohs and ahs.
The kitchen (115 square feet) features a peninsula with seating for three, granite counters, and stainless steel appliances, including a sixburner gas stove. The cabinets are white and Shaker style in most of the kitchen, but they are natural wood with lighting in the beverage bar — complete with its own refrigerator and wine rack. Grab your morning smoothie and enjoy it at a small table set under a black-shaded light that hangs in front of a pair of windows.
From here, a handsome transom window marks the entrance to a sunroom with a glass door to the composite deck. The development’s walking trail accesses the Nashua River Rail Trail.
A hallway in the center of the home leads to the primary suite.
The bedroom space (171 square feet) boasts a green board-and-batten accent wall and offers a walk-in closet, as well as a pair of windows overlooking the green space that is as much a part of this neighborhood as the homes.
The en-suite bath comes with a linen closet, a water closet, and a double vanity with a quartz counter that sits deep into the room next to the glassed-in standalone shower. The flooring and shower surround are ceramic tile.
A loft (181 square feet), the second bedroom (143 square feet), storage space, and the final full bath take up the top floor. The bath comes with a shower/tub combination with a herringbone ceramic tile surround. The flooring is also ceramic tile.
The monthly fee includes water, sewer, insurance, road and grounds maintenance, snow removal, trash, and reserve funds. The duplex comes prewired for electric vehicles. The walkout basement is finished in the model unit, adding 804 square feet of living space with a fireplace and a full bath with a shower, a ceramic tile floor, and a linen closet.
The following items in the model home were upgrades: (library) builtins; (living room) fireplace stone and the coffered ceiling; (sunroom) an add-on; (kitchen) painted cabinets, beverage center, refrigerator, and layout; (primary suite) hardwood flooring, accent wall, the goldtoned fixtures in the bathroom, and the custom cabinetry in the walk-in closet; (loft) built-in entertainment center; (second bedroom) hardwood flooring and coffered ceiling; and the finished basement.
The development has a fountain, a place for visitors to charge their electric vehicles, and homes constructed for the easy installment of solar panels.
Doreen Hennigan of Coldwell Banker New Homes in Chestnut Hill is the sales director. The builder is Restoration Capital in Sudbury.
Follow John R. Ellement on Twitter @JREbosglobe. Send listings to homeoftheweek@globe.com. Please note: We do not feature unfurnished homes unless they are new-builds or gut renovations, and will not respond to submissions we won’t pursue. Subscribe to our newsletter at Boston.com/address-newsletter.