The beauty of Chestnut Hill in the Fall is simply striking. Leaves change color amongst a peerless array of landed single family estates—there is really nothing quite like it in Boston. Striking homes, land and a feeling of freedom, beauty and space without feeling one is too far out of the city.

We recently completed several lovely whole home remodels for clients in Chestnut Hill and it is one of my very favorite parts of Boston.

I wanted to share my perspective on the current Chestnut Hill Real Estate Market as well as trending Design & Remodeling approaches in the high-end and luxury market as we move into Winter 2021, the New Year and begin 2022.

For those that don’t know, Chestnut Hill is a village located 6 miles west of Boston’s downtown region— Chestnut Hill as a region in reality consists of parts of Brookline, Newton and Boston’s Suffolk County. The name “Chestnut Hill” refers to this finite area graced by a number of hills in the vicinity of Chestnut Hill’s beautiful and picturesque 135-acre reservoir. The Chestnut Hill zip code is 02467.

Boston College calls Chestnut Hill home and the BC football stadium is a vibrant and iconic aspect of this beautiful neighborhood.

Current Real Estate Trends in Chestnut Hill, Boston:

There are 10 homes listed for sale in Chestnut Hill for an average list price of 1.4 million usd. The number of homes on the market ranges between 10-36 depending on what realtors/listing website you are dealing with—but the point is inventory is extremely limited in this coveted and distinct piece of Boston.

Homes sell for approximately $511 per square feet and last on the market for 23 or so days on average prior to sale.

https://www.redfin.com/neighborhood/186297/MA/Newton/Chestnut-Hill

Chestnut Hill Realtor Recommendation:

Our recommendation for Chestnut Hill area is The Wilson Group from Keller Williams. We’ve worked with both Ryan and Mian for years and they are caring, dependable and utterly service oriented—and genuinely funny. Absolutely great people with a strong team.

https://www.wilsongroupre.com/meet_our_team

Address

1340 Centre St.

Suite 202

Newton, MA 02459

E. mian@wilsongroupre.com

m. (703) 626 9046

My Favorite Chestnut Hill Coffee Shop:

Absolutely would recommend Petal and Press. Vibrant, design-oriented, and strikingly unique…they also serve amazing coffee.

https://www.elizabethhomedecor.com/petal-and-press-coffee-shop/

Homebuilding & Home Remodeling Trends in Chestnut Hill, Boston:

Many luxury homeowners in Chestnut Hill are turning to Architectural Design Build as the natural and time-honored approach to building.

Here is a simple explanation of what Architectural Design Build means:

Design-Bid-Build is the process which has been introduced over the past 150 years or so whereby you hire an architect to draft plans and design your project–to then have it bid out to contractors seeking to perform the project. This approach has many liabilities for the client due in no small part to the fragmented spheres of responsibilities which exist. There is no single person or entity fully accountable to the client for the entire project’s success. Thus you can have impractical and expensive design work, impractical planning, numerous change orders, shoddy craftsmanship and projects which are off timeline and over budget–as they often are. In the end the client can be left damaged. You or someone you know may have experienced this in the past.

Architectural DesignBuild is the preferred option if you want to save time and money, reduce stress and eliminate a fragmented sense of project responsibility in the professionals working for and with you. Design Build is a model which stresses single-source accountability with the creative design, planning, and remodeling executed start to finish by one firm. It’s actually a simple concept to understand and embrace. This natural course of planning and building embraces the age-old role of Architect as Master Builder, which has been the case for thousands of years throughout history.

The word “Architect” in fact comes from Greek Arkhi – Master and Tekton – Builder. Architect = Master Builder and throughout history has traditionally been so up until the mid-19th century.

Design Build is turned to by professionals, families, and individuals as the cutting edge of efficiency, aesthetics, practicality, and accountability when it comes to designing and remodeling a home. This approach packages architectural design and interior design services with highly-skilled and artisan level building and remodeling services. This natural synthesis makes for a simple, efficient, and accountable creative process followed by a streamlined and responsible execution process– reducing cost, time of execution, and client stress throughout. In the Design Build modality, the client is dealing solely with one fully accountable firm.

Per Architect Outsourcing,

“Owners using the traditional project delivery method will first have an architect complete the building design and then request bids from contractors for construction. This method can be quite risky to the owner since the designer and contractor are not working together or communicating to complete their portion of the project. This lack of collaboration often leads to increased costs and lengthy delays in completing the project.” www.architectoutsourcing.com/blogs/has-design-bidbuild-become-obsolete/

Tara Callinan of Fieldwire.com adds as follows:

“Construction project cost overrun has become so common that they’re basically expected in the industry—largely due to over-budget and over-schedule construction projects. In fact, worldwide management consulting firm McKinsey & Company estimated in 2016 that large construction projects are typically completed 80 percent over budget and take 20 percent longer than originally scheduled.”

Examples of Design Build in Chestnut Hill

Here is an example of a beautiful Architectural Design Build project in Chestnut Hill where the full Architectural planning, design, and remodel were done in one full-service package from start to completion–saving the client time, reducing cost, and eliminating stress.

Chestnut Hill Sinclair Home

The clients wished for a serene space in their Chestnut Hill home that they could begin and end their hectic days in. Tapping into the outdoor showers of The Cape, where they also own a home, we decided to bring some teak into the wet area, accompanied by a skylight to catch the morning light for an “outdoor feel” inside of the suburbs. The shower deck is supported by a product that is marketed for roof deck systems. It allows the deck to be removed to clean beneath it periodically, and to eventually be replaced after the marine grade varnish that protects the teak begins to wear.

www.nedesignbuild.com/portfolio/master-bathroom-chestnut-hill/

Chestnut Hill Client Testimonial:

Client Testimonial: Lifting Spirits with Spaces

Love,

David Muniz Supple

Refs:

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Chestnut-Hill_MA

https://www.redfin.com/neighborhood/186297/MA/Newton/Chestnut-Hill

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut_Hill,_Massachusetts