Classic Homes’ first custom build to Design for Life specifications was recently featured in a Montgomery County PSA for a DFL Showcase event. This home was a Belmont model, customized to meet the DFL specs.
DLF features can be added as an option to the main level of any of our homes. Please contact a Sales Manager for details.
April 1, 2016 – Montgomery County, MD held an event this week to launch a new Design for Life (DFL) website. The Design for Life program provides property tax incentives to encourage residents to build homes with features that enhance accessibility for people with mobility limitations.
Classic Homes customer Kathy Hansen, and Amita Jain, Classic Homes Vice President, were featured speakers at the event. Earlier this year, Classic Homes completed construction of Hansen’s home, a Belmont model, re-designed to meet DFL Livability specifications.
Other speakers at the event included County Executive Ike Leggett, Director of Permitting Services Diane Schwartz-Jones, and Councilmember Nancy Floreen.
Hansen spoke on the ways in which the DFL features have made access to her new home “dramatically easier” and improved her “mobility and quality of life immensely.” She thanked Classic Homes for working with her to customize a home to meet her specific needs.
Amita Jain spoke on the increased demand for multi-generational homes the company has seen in recent years. From first floor In-Law Suites, to features to accommodate seniors, these elements fall right in line with the DFL program’s goal to promote the “age in place at home” concept.
Are you taking the future into consideration as you plan your dream home? Contrary to popular belief, including accessibility or even livability features in a new custom home can be cost effective and attractive. And with the DFL tax credits, these features are more affordable than ever.
Learn more about our Accessible Design.
Bethesda is a beautiful city full of attractive neighborhoods, countless restaurants, interesting shops, various entertainment options and top schools. Bethesda has it all. But with very little available land, and a median home value of close to $900,000, it can be tough to find a place to build in Bethesda.
This month, Livability.com released their annual “Top 100 Best Places to Live” ranking, and Rockville, MD came in high on the list, at #17. Bethesda just made the list this year, coming in at #100. The ranking takes not only area amenities and schools into account, but considers affordability as well.
Rockville has its own growing selection of amenities. Rockville Town Square is well established and thriving with over 25 shops, 25 restaurants, and a brand new Cambria Hotel and Suites.
Livability.com was impressed with the area festivals, such as the popular Hometown Holidays, held in Rockville Town Square every Memorial Day Weekend. The huge modern Rockville Library was also a point of interest.
What about the schools? According to US News and World Report, three of the top ten public high schools in the state of Maryland are located in Rockville. Thomas S. Wooton High School came in at #2, with Richard Montgomery High School ranking #6, and Rockville High School at #8.
Want to learn more about the possibility of building your dream home in Rockville? Give the Classic Homes Sales Team a call at 301-256-4110.
Driving into the town of Brookeville, MD, visitors are greeted by a Welcome sign proudly proclaiming “United States Capital for a Day, August 26, 1814.” The line refers to the day President James Madison sought refuge in Brookeville, following the British invasion and burning of Washington.
Almost 200 years later, this small town steeped in American history, covers only 60 acres with 55 individual properties and approximately 135 residents. When Classic Homes was approached to build a custom home in this exclusive community, they jumped at the opportunity. Little did they know, this would be no ordinary build.
After meeting with Montgomery County’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) the scope of the job became clearer. To gain HPC approval and obtain a Historic Work Area Permit (HAWP), the custom home would have to meet a variety of requirements that would be no small feat for the builder.
Classic Homes’ architect and production team took the project as a challenge, and worked tirelessly to make it happen for their client. To meet the HPC specifications, Classic’s architect completely re-designed the Lilystone model to a unique 1 1/2 story custom home.
Classic’s architect studied massing (the interplay between height, length and width that determines overall shape and third dimension of a home) and came up with a floor plan and elevation to suit the requirements. Special exterior finishes were added to further the desired appearance, such as modern garage doors made to look like 19th century barn doors.
After a total of four appearances before the HPC Board, Classic Homes and their client obtained the necessary permits, and construction began. The homeowners were pleased that their Production Coordinator “went above and beyond” and were “grateful to have worked with him through the historic issues.” They also noted that the Site Superintendent “was always on top of the project and responded quickly to questions” throughout the construction of their home.
Completed in July, this beautiful unique custom build is something the builder, the home owner, their friends and neighbors will be talking about for years to come.
When the DIY Network decided to contact home builders in search of new model homes in the DC metro area to film in, they turned to Classic Homes. After a day of shooting at our Windsor Model in Potomac, MD, the producers were so impressed, they requested a second day of filming. With its granite circular staircase, gourmet kitchen, numerous sitting areas, and two-story foyer, living and family rooms, this custom home provided an almost endless selection of impressive backgrounds. The DIY Network even sent two film crews to make the most out of their second day of filming at our Montgomery County home.
The DIY Network is a national cable channel owned by Scripps Networks Interactive, parent company of HGTV, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and Great American Country. The network describes “I Want That” as “a fast-paced tour through the latest and greatest building products. Every half-hour episode is packed with in-depth profiles and highlights of a dozen of the hottest “must haves” for every home.”
Product demonstrations filmed at our Windsor model home range from interesting kitchen items, like the Grill Comb and Sphere Ice Mold, to fun items like DIY Headphones and a Cocktail Layer Tool.So keep an eye out for Classic Homes’ Windsor model throughout the upcoming third season of the “I Want That” show. Stay tuned for specific episodes to watch for, and video clips from the filming at our model home in the coming months.
The “I Want That” show airs on the DIY Network Wednesday nights at 10 pm, locally on Comcast Xfinity – channel 121, Verizion FiOS – channel 267, Dish Network – channel 111 and DirectTV – channel 230. Full episodes are also available streaming on the network’s website.
The Rockville Mayor and Council, in coordination with the Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI), gave a proclamation on March 5, 2012 declaring the week of March 12-16 as Rockville Business Appreciation Week. Each year, the City of Rockville and REDI celebrates Rockville’s businesses during a special Business Appreciation Week to highlight the importance of the business community to Rockville’s health and prosperity.
On March 15th, Classic Homes was visited by one of REDI’s “ambassador teams” to discuss home building as well as collecting economic information about potential job gains or losses, talent recruitment needs, business expansions and space requirements. The principals of Classic Homes, Prem Puri, Dinesh Jain and Amita Jain were awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for their contributions to Rockville’s economy. This event was filmed to be aired on the local cable “Rockville channel 11.” REDI visited approximately 50 diverse companies through out the Rockville Business Appreciation week.
More than 5,700 businesses, ranging from small family-owned establishments to major corporations, are located in Rockville. They employ more than 92,000 people. The greater Rockville business area includes nearly 23 million square feet of commercial office space, which is more than 40% of the total office space in Montgomery County. The Rockville business sector contributes $34.4 million, about 40%, of the property taxes collected in Rockville.
The REDI ambassador team that visited Classic Homes were:
- Henry Bernstein, Rockville Economic Development, Inc. Board of Directors
- Sophie Lee, Rockville Economic Development, Inc. Board of Directors
- Mark Pierzchala, Rockville City Council and Rockville Economic Development, Inc. Board of Directors
- Amanda Wilson, Rockville Economic Development, Inc.
- Staff News Team from Rockville Channel 11
January 4th, 2011‐ Classic Homes of Maryland was named one of the D.C. area’s fastest growing companies of 2010 by SmartCEO Magazine. Accolades included the company’s growth in both revenue and employees over a 3 year span. Classic’s start can be traced back just 4 years, to builders Dinesh Jain (President) and Prem Puri who now employ 15 to assist with the company’s growing demands and clientele in the past 3 years.
In Classic’s first year they were producing 5 to 6 homes. Now with the resources of a company behind them and the ability to produce custom homes, 2010 closed with 22 completed single‐ family homes. When asked what the most important growth decision has been, Dinesh Jain responded, “The most important growth decision has been to hire and retain honest, hard‐working, and passionate people. In the last four years, that has been my focus, and today I attribute the success of my company to my staff. They all have the same principles and service‐driven attitude as I do, and it reflects to our customers.”
Classic Homes has specialized in new construction in Maryland, building mostly on privately owned land, with sister companies building in Virginia. While the economy has waned, Classic Homes has grown each year and now has sales offices in Rockville, Columbia and Baltimore. A unique program called ‘Site Services’ recently implemented aims to help prospective buyers find suitable land for their dream home, whether standard or custom.
In 2008, Classic Homes of Maryland completed a home as the featured builder for popular tv show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”; they completed a house in 5 days for a homeless single mother raising 14 children. A year later, Classic Homes and builder Prem Puri were awarded ‘Builder of the Year’ for 2009 by Montgomery County and continue to be a leader in the building community. Classic is committed to innovative and inspiring design, while focusing on the needs of the household and surrounding community. From townhomes to luxury estates, Classic is always striving to deliver the best in new construction, with high quality materials, at affordable prices.