Join us for a premier one-day home tour featuring 13 beautiful homes, thoughtfully designed and surrounded by stunning landscapes in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties. The Traverse City Area Northern Home & Cottage Home Tour is Saturday, September 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Below is a sneak peek inside home #9, a family home with sophisticated style.
Proceeds raised during the Traverse City Area Home Tour will benefit Northern Michigan non-profit, Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan. Save money by purchasing tickets online at MyNorthTickets.com or by calling 800.836.0717. Online ticket sales end Friday, September 15 at noon. Tickets are also available at the door.
Address:Â 1415 Alexander Dr, Traverse City (Ashland Park)
Directions:Â Beginning in Traverse City at the intersection of S Garfield and E Front Street, travel south on Garfield about 4 miles. Turn right onto Birmley Road at the traffic light. Turn left on Douglas Drive, then take the first right on Alexander.
Builder:Â Socks Construction, 866.997.1717
Dave Socks comes from a family of builders—he is a partner in Socks Construction with his brother and cousin. And he knows family life—he has three children, and he and his wife are expecting a fourth. So when it comes to family homes, he knows what’s needed, from boot benches and mudrooms to upstairs laundry rooms and downstairs dens. This home in the Ashland Park development, just 3.9 miles south of downtown Traverse City, has all of that and more, including sophisticated style that is romantic when the kids are all out and there’s time for a candlelight dinner …
But we digress! Dave chose to build in this development because of its proximity to just about everything—as he noted, FedEx, UPS and the US Post Office—are all here, so you have to believe it is centrally located. Live here and you can be at Traverse City’s TBAYS soccer fields in 2 minutes, the beach in 10 and grocery shopping in 15 minutes or less. Plus, as Dave points out, just outside the Traverse City limits, as Ashland Park is, you get more house and land for your money.
That doesn’t mean that Dave and his team have sacrificed any thought or quality in this home. As he’s done with many of his homes, Dave worked on this one with designer Caleb Norris. Caleb, who has designed several of the homes on our tours in past years, specializes in, among other things, energy efficiency and the use of sustainable building materials—both of which you’ll find in this home.
The exterior design is contemporary craftsman—a style that Dave chose for its classic, enduring look. Inside, there are five bedrooms—including a master suite and lower level guest suite—four bathrooms, an open kitchen/living area and a fabulous downstairs den. This is not a home you are going to lose your kids in, but a really efficient use of space means there is plenty of elbow room. The kitchen countertops are granite, the backsplash is made from glass tiles, the floor is engineered oak stained a perfectly hip smoky-gray shade, and the pendant and ceiling lights are downright cool. And yes, it has a mudroom, boot bench and upstairs laundry too.
The contemporary look—including the furnishings—of this home are courtesy of Kim Voss who owns Homeworks Interiors in Traverse City, where she carries, among other lines, the Magnolia brand created by HGTV’s Chip and Joanna Gaines. Two hours of free interior design consultation with Kim comes with a Socks-built home in Ashland Park. No doubt, the term “family style” takes on entirely new meaning in this home.
Preview all 13 homes on the Traverse Area Home Tour in the August 2017 issue of Northern Home & Cottage.
Thank you to our sponsors!
