Home organization selling point, expert says

Home organizing can be as extensive and creative as constructing a "dog bath." Yet it can be as simple as switching the storage opening on a window seat from the conventional place, the seat itself, to the more user-friendly front.

What those two innovations have in common is that Monica Ricci employed both in a new Beazer home at Bolton's Landing in Charleston.

Ricci, is a professional organizer with her own company, Atlanta-based Catalyst Organizing Solutions. One of her clients is Beazer, and she visited the Charleston area June 19 to meet with Realtors and the public at the builder's SmartDesign model home at its new neighborhood between Bees Ferry Road and Savannah Highway.

Charleston is the 21st market where Beazer has introduced SmartDesign, which includes home-organizing tips as well as eco-friendly construction methods. The 2,500-square-foot Legare model at Bolton's Landing sells for about $240,000.

Ricci, who has written books on home and office organizing and has appeared on HGTV's "Mission: Organization," says maximizing storage space and providing an uncluttered look is important in the fast-paced lives of today's families. The Beazer model has 9-foot ceilings to give it more room. But home-organization features help, too. "The house feels so spacious," she says.

Among the features in the Beazer design house:

--Slide-out drawers or racks in the kitchen and under the sink to make it easier for people to reach items, especially those stored in back.

--Large closets under the stairs, taking advantage of what otherwise would be empty space.

--An arts and crafts center in the bonus room that includes a large, yet unobtrusive table, rows of wall cabinets and shelves and various nooks for pens, paper, scissors and other stuff.

--A dog bath next to the washer and dryer that has a counter about waist high with a sink, storage space below and a small shower above.

--A breakfast area window seat with cushions on top and a series of cabinets on the front, so things can be stored without lifting the seats.

The window bench is one example of effective home organizing. With lift-top seats, people tend to pile their clothes, book bags and other items on the bench, so it's difficult to open the bins. With the opening in front, there's no such problem, Ricci says.

"We are really building in extra storage where you don't expect to find it," she says.

Evans rolling on

An error in last week's Real Estate section on the builder for Palmetto Row townhome neighborhood near Summerville may have confused people. The contractor is C.F. Evans Construction, an Orangeburg company that's making its mark in the Charleston area. Along with Palmetto Row, the company has two other ongoing local projects: Ingleside Plantation apartments in North Charleston and the multifamily complex at Watermark, a new community in Mount Pleasant.

Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com.