DATE: Sunday, October 5, 1997               TAG: 9710040032

SECTION: HOME                    PAGE: G1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MARCIA MANGUM, HOME & GARDEN EDITOR 

                                            LENGTH:   80 lines

TIMESAVER HOME BUILDS IN HANDY FEATURES TO MAKE HOMEOWNER'S LIFE EASIER

THE TIMESAVER HOME'S time has come. The house is complete, from its low-maintenance exterior and landscape to its load-lightening laundry chute and central vacuum.

The home, in the new Goose Creek Estates subdivision in Chesapeake's Western Branch area, is one of 11 show houses open through Oct. 19 as part of Homearama '97.

The Tidewater Builders Association 16th annual showcase of new homes this year has five theme houses, including the Timesaver Home, sponsored by The Virginian-Pilot and Chesapeake Square Mall and built by 21st Century Builders.

The Timesaver Home shows how a house's design and construction can help the homeowner save time. The split stairway with access from the foyer and the kitchen will no doubt save many steps, and those morning fights for the bathroom will be reduced by the bathroom with two toilets and sinks and a door between them.

Readers of this section were asked to choose their preferred timesaving features and suggest their own ideas in a two-part Infoline survey earlier this year.

Some of those ideas are incorporated in the house and labeled for those who attend Homearama to see.

Among those features are: the combination brick and vinyl ``shake'' exterior; easy-clean windows; central vacuum, intercom and security systems; ``his'' and ``her'' closets in the master bedroom; laundry room with laundry chute from second floor, utility sink, shelving and fold-up ironing board; recirculating pump to provide hot water quickly throughout the house; an office wired for today's technology and with a private bath; ceiling lights on rheostats; and special wiring to turn on Christmas lights at the flip of a switch or to control ceiling fans from wall switches.

The kitchen incorporates many reader favorites including: over-sized storage drawers in base cabinet units; pop-out drawer for sponge under kitchen sink; built-in soap dispenser at sink; no-wax vinyl flooring; work island with storage; large pantry; refrigerator with front water and ice dispenser; gas range; dishwasher with quiet feature; a corner cabinet lazy Susan; and several pull-out shelves and racks.

Many Homearama visitors may be too rushed for time to notice all the timesavers, but the home - to be called the ``Mary Elizabeth'' for buyer Mary Ann Viola's daughter - is no slouch in the looks department, either.

Viola designed the Timesaver with function and flow in mind. The result is a house in which you feel you could live comfortably, with spacious rooms and unified decor.

Built by partners D.J. Walters and Ed Camp, the house's interior was decorated by Ed's sister, Ann Camp. She chose a French decor to suit the house's French country exterior and the neutral colors and dark-stained woodwork that Viola selected for the inside.

Most of the upholstered furniture and accessories came from Chesapeake Square Mall, primarily JC Penney, Montgomery Ward and Barrington's. Antique wood pieces and chandeliers are from Boobala's Importers in Norfolk and brass beds and bedding came from Levin's Brass Beds of Virginia.

The mix creates a pleasantly understated French look - more formal in the downstairs living room, dining room and office, and taking on a French country look in the great room, kitchen and some of the bedrooms.

From the large mirrored armoire in the dining room to the French tapestry over the living room sofa, the pieces are proportional to the high ceilings, which range from 9 to 15 feet.

The great room is large enough to comfortably accommodate two full-size sofas, good for relaxing in front of the gas fireplace.

Whether formal or country, fabrics tie the rooms together with a variety of French plaids, florals and animal prints.

While the Timesaver Home was designed to provide lots of storage, the decorator made life even easier. Throughout the house are a variety of baskets - those great timesaving catch-alls. ILLUSTRATION: GARY C. KNAPP COLOR PHOTOS

Builder D.J. Walters shows...

The downstairs office...

GARY C. KNAPP

A chute from the second floor empties into a basket in the laundry

room.

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