Post Oak Community March 28 2001

A taste of tradition and modernism present in sister subdivisions

If you’re looking to spend less than $200,000 on a home but want a stable, pleasant neighborhood, good schools and a convenient location, here’s a surprise: Such a place still exists in the metro Atlanta area.

Post Oak Community, built in the ’70s in East Cobb County, is composed of two subdivisions, one with traditional homes and the other with contemporary homes. A buyer can purchase a contemporary home in Post Oak Springs for about $175,000. Across Post Oak Tritt, the dividing street between the two neighborhoods, Post Oak Square offers a variety of tradi-tional homes for a higher average price of $220,000.

Homes in Post Oak Springs are built mainly of cedar, with some stone and stucco. A few have been given a Swiss-chalet type look, while others have features such as dining areas surrounded by windows. Some homes have details such as gazebos or entry-way bridges that give each home its own unique look. Most of the homes have multiple decks and vaulted ceilings, typical of the contemporary design.

One Oak Springs homeowner has given his contemporary home a completely new look by painting the exterior a soft yellow and adding white wooden shutters that open from the bottom, blocking the sun but not the air or light, much like the way windows in tropical areas are covered.

In Post Oak Square, the homes are mostly tradi-tional, but there are a wide range of styles. Tudor and Vict-orian architectural flairs and a Frank Lloyd Wright-type revival add character to the neighborhood, instead of a monolithic suburbia feeling. Some of the larger lots are three-quarters of an acre.

Another positive characteristic of an older subdivision is the mature ornamental trees, such as dogwoods, red buds, Bradford pears and crabapples, many of which are in full bloom right now. Sidewalks throughout the community encourage walking.

The two subdivisions use the same recreational association, and its activities also draw members from outside the two neighborhoods, according to homeowner Paul LaVieole. Membership in the recreational association is not mandatory.

The Post Oak Community offers an active competitive swim club which uses the six-lane pool and diving well. (New subdivisions must forego diving areas because of liability.) ALTA is active in this community, and there are four tennis courts available for residents’ use. A youth tennis league currently is in the planning stages.

As an added pastime, LaVieole says his boys catch 6-inch fish in the creek that runs through Post Oak Community. The 15 acres of woodland with trails around the creek in the subdivision property also add extra privacy. Nancy McCarthy, who has lived in Post Oak Springs for 15 years, says her home offers wooded seclusion. Her deck overlooks a wooded 100-year-old flood plain where she can watch woodpeckers and beavers.

-- Harriett Hiland

homefront@creativeloafing.com

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