Cottages at Northwoods at Avery Ranch

A client is in the process of building a garden home in Northwest Austin in the Cottages at Northwoods. Garden home communities in Austin are a very popular alternative to traditional condominium and suburban living. Whether referred to as a village, enclave or garden home in Austin, the look and expectation are the same. The community consists of +/- 40 single family detached homes that ooze with the charm of traditional architectural styles including bungalows, cottages, and even French quarter. These are master planned communities all the way down to the landscaping and fencing choices.

Single family houses in a condominium regime

Garden home communities typically have one main entrance and are often designed with a circular drive with lot sizes typically much smaller than average (about an 1/8 of an acre). These communities are typically developed as a condominium regime and therefore have a mandatory Home Owners Association (HOA). A condominium regime is not platted out with individual lots that have metes and bounds with individual surveys. Like with a traditional condo, you have a percentage of ownership interest in the land and may even have shared utility lines like water.

Austin Garden Home Communities

Not all garden homes are in a condominium regime, but managed by an HOA like the Village at Kinney Court in South Central Austin. Depending on how the community is designed will determine what elements are ‘common’ and therefore managed by the HOA, who will ultimately set the fees.

At the end of the day, the structure and operation of these communities does not detract from their  appeal. The attraction lies in the location, which is often not far from an urban setting, little or no lawn maintenance, a cozy community feeling and the grace of yesteryear.