Active-adult living: Four Seasons at Silver Maple

Washingtonians nearing retirement age often discuss the “perfect” place to leave behind home-maintenance chores, stay physically fit and enjoy new friends while living close to longtime friends and family. If you add to the dream list proximity to the beach, shopping areas and several cities, K. Hovnanian Homes’ Four Seasons at Silver Maple may just fit the bill.

Four Seasons at Silver Maple in Middletown, Del., is an active-adult community restricted to residents age 55 and older. Residents can shop in downtown Middletown or at nearby Christiana Mall, drive to Rehoboth Beach, Bethany Beach or Lewes, where they can take the ferry to Cape May, N.J. If the residents want a touch of urban life or cultural amenities, they can drive to Wilmington, where Amtrak can whisk them to New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore or the District within a couple of hours.

Homeowners at Four Seasons at Silver Maple may find it hard to make the time to leave their community, given the myriad activities to enjoy there. An elegant driveway lined with silver maple trees provides a hint of this community’s dedication to natural beauty, which includes preserving 100 acres of the 200-acre development as open space. Residents can stroll along walking trails and enjoy pocket parks, and they can plant their own flowers or vegetables in the community Victory Garden.

The community’s focal point is the clubhouse, which has a gathering room for community events, a fitness center, a billiard room, a card room, an aerobics room and a movie theater. Outside, the clubhouse has a swimming pool with a tiki hut, a fire pit, tennis courts, horseshoe courts and bocce courts.

All single-family homes at Four Seasons at Silver Maple have a first-floor master suite. The homes are pre-construction priced from $219,990 to $309,990, with a homeowners association fee of $200 per month. The homes’ prices will rise after the offer ends. The fee includes lawn care and snow removal for residents as well as the common areas.

The homes have two to four bedrooms, two to four baths and 1,251 to 5,400 finished square feet. Buyers can add a finished basement and a finished loft to expand their living space, along with a sunroom, a morning room and room extensions.

Standard features on the single-family homes include a low-maintenance exterior with vinyl siding, professional landscaping, a sodded lawn and carriage-style doors on the two-car garage. Inside, the homes have hardwood flooring in the foyer, nickel door hardware, 9-foot ceilings on the main level, crown and chair-rail molding, and Energy Star certification with central air conditioning and gas heat.

Each kitchen includes a self-cleaning range, a dishwasher, a refrigerator with an ice maker, and 42-inch oak cabinets. Each master bath has an oversized shower with a seat and a ceramic tile surround.

The Magnolia model, with three or four bedrooms, two to four baths and 2,083 to 4,046 finished square feet, is base-priced from $279,990; later, the base price will be $299,990. This home includes a front porch.

Inside, just off the foyer is a formal dining room with an optional tray ceiling. To the left of the foyer is an opening to a wing with two secondary bedrooms and a full bath. The third bedroom can be converted to a library.

The kitchen is in the center of the home and includes a pantry and a breakfast bar. The family room and the breakfast area are open to the kitchen, and buyers can add a sunroom with a cathedral ceiling and a morning room to this space. Near the kitchen are a door to the garage, a walk-in closet and a laundry room.

The main level also has a master suite with a walk-in closet and an optional tray ceiling in the bedroom. Buyers can expand the bedroom and the closet with a room extension. The attached master bath has a linen closet, an oversized shower and a double-sink vanity. Buyers can add a luxury bath with a soaking tub and separate shower.

A loft level can be added with a loft overlooking the family room or with a loft, a bedroom and a full bath. The lower level can be finished with a den, two recreation rooms, an exercise room and storage rooms.

For more information or directions to Four Seasons at Silver Maple, call community sales consultant Eban Pinto at 302/376-1360 or visit www.khov.com/silvermaple.