Post Written by:

Dawn Grasty, A "New Day" in Triangle Real Estate

Broker, Prudential Carolinas Realty

Phone: 919.210.5418

email: dgrasty@nc.rr.com

Web: www.dgrasty.com 

The construction of Parkwood began in the 1960s, and continued into the 1990s, including detached homes, townhomes, and condos. Parkwood is located in SW Durham, just one traffic signal west of the intersection of highways 54 and 55. It's proximity to RTP, I-40, the Durham Freeway, and easy access to Raleigh, Chapel Hill and downtown Durham have helped make it a top selling Durham neighborhood since it's inception. Sales Data for 2007 show that Parkwood has maintained steady appreciation and yet remains an affordable housing option in Southwest Durham.

You'll see that the entrance to Parkwood isn't flashy. There are no high-tech gateways, no gurgling fountains. Instead you're welcomed by an old-school carved wooden placard with the neighborhood's well-known name, surrounded by beautiful seasonal plantings, and both sides of the entry are lined with huge magnolias. What an introduction to the established neighborhood with it's many traditional homes, on large lots with mature trees and shrubs, all surrounded by lush parks and lakes. You'll also find neighborhood pools, a public library, a fire station, a convenience store, houses of worship, an elementary school, and athletic parks. A far cry from many new cookie cutter homes on postage-stamp sized lots! There is so much to love about Parkwood!(Here are the Parkwood Restrictive Covenants and updated bylaws, for your reference.)

One of the best things to love is it's variety of architectural styles, which include the Ranch, the Two-Story, the Contemporary, and the Split-level. 

The Ranch
Ranch-style houses are an American original home style that was popular during the 1960s and 1970s. The ranch house is noted for its long, low to the ground profile and create a very informal and casual living style. The ranch has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in recent years. Lucky for Parkwood, as the neighborhood is chock full of them! And, if you're looking for casual living, Parkwood is hard to beat.

The Two Story
Parkwood contains two-story homes with a variety of exterior styles. Some are more colonial in style with tall columns, shutters, and often period ornamentation. Some are more farm-house style with a large covered front porch, perfect for rocking chairs. These homes offer lots of space, usually with most bedrooms upstairs, although occasionally a bedroom on the main floor.

A variation of the traditional two-story, is the split-foyer. The entry is midway between the two levels, and once inside, you can choose stairs up or down stairs. This style is also enjoying a resurgence of popularity. Since their are many of these homes throughout Parkwood, too, that's great news!

The Contemporary
You know them by their odd-sized and often tall windows, their lack of ornamentation, and their unusual mixtures of wall materials--stone, brick, and wood, for instance. Architects designed Contemporary-style homes (in the Modern family) between 1950 and 1970, and created two versions: the flat-roof and gabled types. The latter is often characterized by exposed beams. Both breeds tend to be one-story tall and were designed to incorporate the surrounding landscape into their overall look.

Parkwood contemporaries are usually compact, and often the exterior belies the wonderfully open interiors in the period style.

The Split Level
A Modern style that architects created to sequester certain living activities--such as sleeping or socializing--split levels offers a multilevel alternative to the Ranch. The nether parts of a typical design were devoted to a garage and TV room; the midlevel, which usually jutted out from the two-story section, offered "quieter" quarters, such as the living and dining rooms; and the area above the garage was designed for bedrooms.  This has become a very popular choice in recent years, and offers a nice change of floor plan from the more traditional homes. Again, lucky for Parkwood, there are a large number of split level homes to choose from.

Regardless of your architectural style preference, you'll find that Parkwood offers a lot of home for the money. You can search for homes currently available in Parkwood on my website. I'd love to hear from you!

Dawn

Broker 

Prudential Carolinas Realty 

919-210-5418