Lakeside living, a hit with homebuyers

COURTESY PHOTO The Giacosa has 3,417 square feet under air. It, and the Petaluma, have been the popular. If house hunting, young successful professionals with growing families might want to consider D.R. Horton's Sorrento Series at Catalina Isles in south Fort Myers.

The Sorrento Series is the newest of the company's adjacent communities east of Summerlin Road along a stretch of upscale developments on Winkler Road.

Sorrento has sites for 65 homes around a lake at the rear of Catalina Isles, a quiet gated neighborhood situated between Crown Colony and Belle Meade. As of Nov. 7, seven had closed with four more sold and waiting to close, said Elizabeth Galloway, D.R. Horton marketing director. One home remained in inventory.

The development offers two frontal designs for each of its six models. Twenty-eight lots have a lakefront view, and 15 have a wetland preserve view. The more luxurious of the company's neighboring developments, it has 70-foot lots.

But the lot size isn't its only grand perk, said company officials. The lowest end floor plan, the single-story Allegrini, has 2,412 square feet under air, while the high-end Petaluma has 4,340 square feet of air-conditioned space.

COURTESY PHOTO Petaluma Family Room "I think you are getting the best value for a home in Southwest Florida," Galloway said. "Per square footage, we're the lowest price."

So far the Petaluma and Giacosa, 3,417 square feet under air, have been the popular draws. They are among the homes already closed next to the north row of residences in the Palermo Series.

The $531,990 Petaluma is a twostory giant with five bedrooms, 4½ baths and a three-car garage. Buyers may choose to retain a bonus room in the design, or opt for a sixth bedroom or a retreat. One of the bedrooms is on the ground floor. "You're getting large secondary bedrooms," Galloway said, noting the walk-in closets for all but one.

The kitchen/breakfast area is the largest room on the first floor. Options are a double oven and French doors opening to the side rear of the home. A butler's pantry is off the kitchen.

COURTESY PHOTO Petaluma Foyer The Petaluma has 43 windows, Galloway said. Ground-floor ceilings are 10 feet, 4 inches, the top floor 9 foot. The window/ceiling combination accentuates the space and size of the interior. "We've got a lot of help in the ceiling because they're so high," said Brenda Clark, D.R. Horton's design center manager. "And the windows let in so much light."

Other distinctive touches are exterior arches by the entryway and interior doorway and low wall arches on both floors.

The $491,990 Giacosa also has five bedrooms and a three-car garage, but it has four bathrooms and a loft. Both frontal designs have a railed balcony over the entry and a balcony over the single garage. It has a split three-car garage, as does the one-story Belmonte model, with the garage facing the road a tandem one.

Floor plans allow for plenty of storage, too, and not just in closets. Models have wide stairways with storage space underneath.

Clark said the residences are not the "box" variety, especially in the rear, where window and extended paver options are available. Pools are options as well. Paver driveways and roof tiles are other noticeable design elements on models.

Interior features include granite countertops with backsplash, custom designed wood cabinetry in the kitchen, ceramic tile flooring, base moldings and door trims.

The exterior and interior colors are earthy and natural, such as light and dark shades in the brown family on the exterior and light neutral colors in the interior, she said. The exterior colors were chosen to "blend in with the community, so it (the home) just doesn't stand out," Clark said. "There's so much color in our landscape, you don't want the houses to just stare at you."

The neutral colors inside are transitional, she said. "If you stay neutral, people can see themselves living there," she said.

Visitors can view model homes to the right of the Winkler Road entrance. One of the models features two floor plans in one: the first floor is the Allegrini, both floors the Carlet. The fitness center, resort-style pool and other amenities are straight through the entrance.

Although the lake - one of three in the Catalina Isles tract - is in place, the landscape around it isn't complete. ¦