Blog

Stop by our Model Home Saturday & Sunday from 1 - 4 p.m.!  

Stop by our model this weekend.  We will be open Saturday and Sunday from 1 - 4 p.m.  All finished homes in the subdivision will be available to show.  

Once again I wanted to let everyone know that we will continue our summer model home hours in August.  The home at 50870 Summitt Ridge will be open every Saturday and Sunday from 1 - 4.  The agent on site will also be able to show the other homes in the subdivision at that time as well.  Come out and take a look!! 

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July!  Our July Model Hours will be Saturdays and Sundays from 1 - 4 p.m.  Stop by to see how the subdivision is progressing. 

 The Model Homes will be closed this weekend in observance of the holiday.  We will resume our normal Saturday and Sunday hours next week.   You may have wondered why the lake in the front is low.  The well burnt out.  Not too worry, it is under warranty and will be fixed right away.   Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July weekend! 

Our model will be open today & tomorrow from 1 - 4 pm.  

 

Normally I don't use words like "Wow", but wow is the only way to describe what happened at Portage Woods during the Panorama.  Thousands of Michiana area residents came out to Portage Woods and saw the lovely homes and home sites.  From what I can tell, all were favorably impressed.  

Lots 45, 48, 49, & 50 were put on hold with two holds on Lot 49.  Lot 72 was sold!  The buyer of Lot 52 was so excited, he is starting construction immediately - building the 7th home in Portage Woods.  So much for the recession.

Now that the Panorama has passed, we will be adjusting our model hours.  For the remainder of May, you can count on us being open on Sundays from 2 - 4 pm, but in June our hours will most likely be Saturday and Sunday from 1 - 4 pm.  As always, feel free to call me at anytime.

Thanks,

Bill McCarthy, Developer

574-310-2005 

Starting today The Models at Portage Woods will be open every Saturday & Sunday in June from 1 - 4pm.  Stop by today to view the spectacular homes we have to offer.

 Portage Woods Model Home will be open  Sunday May 24th from 2 - 4 pm. 

The Panorama continues at Portage Woods Subdivision this weekend.  Come see how the subdivision has transformed.  There are 4 homes finished!  Sat May 15 & Sun May 16 from 1 - 6 p.m.

Join us tonight at Portage Woods Subdivision for "Fun Night" at the Panorama.  Stop by between 4 - 7:30 pm -  Live band, food, tour 4 homes, meet the builders and developer.  

Portage Woods is  ready for the Panorama.  Stop by today and tomorrow between 1 - 6 pm to see what we have to offer.  If you prefer a private showing, feel free to call me at 574-310-2005.   

We are excited about the upcoming Panorama of Homes.  The subdivision is transforming beautifully.  Four homes will be furnished and open for visitors!  

  Panorama Hours:
  1 - 6 pm  May 8, 9, 15, & 16 
  4 - 7:30 pm May 12 "Fun Night" 

Come see a subdivision come to life!!  Check out the new fountain in the lake and the landscaping at the entrance. 

Lots currently sold in Portage Woods

60, 71, 54, 53, 52, 46, 47

South Bend Tribune
Sunday, September 20, 2009

OUR NEIGHBORHOODS

By GENE STOWE
Tribune Correspondent

Craig Taelman and Bill McCarthy have launched Portage Woods, an 84-lot subdivision on 70 thickly wooded acres off Portage Road north of Adams Road in German Township.

Lots in Phase 1 range from one-half to three acres and from the $40,000s to the $90,000s, and home prices will range from the upper $200,000s to the upper $700,000s. A model under construction will be about $600,000.

The subdivision is featured in the St. Joseph Valley Home Builders Association's Fall Builders Showcase Oct. 3 through 11.
Portage Woods' major draw, despite the economic downturn, is its quiet pastoral environment within reach of jobs, shopping, restaurants and entertainment, developers say.

Now that the road off Portage is in, McCarthy says, "There's a lot of people that come out here to have lunch. It's a very restful setting. They enjoy their lunch.

"We're within two miles of restaurants and shopping, one mile from the Portage Prairie development, six miles from downtown and Notre Dame, less than a mile from the state line. We're 30 minutes from Lake Michigan with one stoplight."

The terrain is unusual for St. Joseph County.

"It's crisscrossed with ravines," McCarthy says. "That's allowed us to build in a very natural setting with a lot of walkout and lookout lots. One thing about the northwest side is you begin to get some rolling and wooded sections."

Portage Woods eventually will connect to nearby Northwood Hills and Whippoorwill.

"All three of these neighborhoods would have a similar feel in the wooded aspect and the rolling, curving roads," McCarthy says.

The thick woods shelter thriving wildlife - one neighbor mentioned that a flock of wild turkeys moved to her yard after the road was installed - and Purdue students study a certain tree on the land because it's the oldest sample of its type.

"There are flocks of wild turkeys that come through here," McCarthy says. "There's herds of deer. It's deep forest."

Developers are working to preserve the trees, partly by offering the option of a modern septic system that works without clearing the land.

"We can leave every tree in the backyard that we want to," says McCarthy, adding that not having to clear the lots offsets some of the cost of the upgraded septic system. "The side and rear yards can be left natural with only the front being landscaped."

The model home, with brick, stone and siding, nestles in the trees with a walkout basement that has 10-foot ceilings and a second-story deck that overlooks the eight-acre pond formed by damming a ravine.

"Different areas of the subdivision have different square footage requirements for houses," Taelman says.

One section, for example, has a minimum of 1,800 square feet for ranch houses, 2,000 square feet for two-stories; another has 2,400 square feet for ranches, 2,600 square feet for two-stories.

"We expect there will be diverse styling and architectural features," McCarthy says.

The project started about three years ago when Taelman was looking for land to build for a client and called McCarthy, who knew about the parcel that had been a farm - aerial photos show a long-ago farmhouse - and was held by the heirs of a developer who bought the tract but never built.

In spite of an economic slowdown, especially in real estate, "we're seeing some demand in the market this subdivision services," Taelman says.

"The activity has been much stronger this year than last year," McCarthy says. "The interest level is high, and that generally translates into sales. We're getting the usual variety I see in the northwest section - professionals, Notre Dame people.

"We're getting people who want a natural wooded environment, a more restful setting."


Portage Woods
St. Joe County's
Newest Subdivision

For information visit www.PortageWoods.com
or call Bill McCarthy @ 574-310-2005