Shea Homes Unveils SPACES Today in Arizona

"It's not your grandmother's house."

Shea Spaces - modern, energy-efficient homes that are inspired by everything from the Apple iPod to California's Midcentury Modern homebuilder Joseph Eichler - will be put to the test.
The new development is quite a departure from the norm in tract homes. The overall feel is more urban, but with slightly more backyard space for a young family. The smaller houses feature sleek, modern fixtures and flexible, informal living areas. They reference the Valley's midcentury roots more than the Tuscan architecture common in new suburban homes.

Spaces will nestle into Shea's existing Seville, near Riggs and Power roads in Gilbert, which has a private golf course and sports club, parks, walkways and 14,000 citrus trees salvaged from the former citrus grove once rooted there.

New Shea Spaces homes are clearly modern, with sleek, spare kitchen cabinets with modern stainless-steel handles and rolling, metal-framed, frosted-glass doors throughout.

A big part of the concept is "flex space" - areas that can easily accommodate a bedroom, family room or office, plus a great room that can be configured several ways. There's space for a dining table, living room and reading or game nook, but without dangling light fixtures or other features that limit one area to a particular use.

The master bathrooms feature large walk-in showers with ceiling-mounted rain showerheads, but no bathtub - a request from young customers. The homes also lack a fireplace but come with a 42-inch LCD television.

New Homes Builder

The homes are also smaller, ranging from 1,460 to 2,288 square feet. That fits a trend toward smaller new construction. The median floor area of new home starts dropped from 2,216 square feet in the second quarter of 2008 to 2,094 square feet by the third quarter of 2009, according to the National Association of Homebuilders. Concerns about affordability and rising energy costs contribute to the smaller-home trend. But Baby Boomers downsizing to smaller homes and more single-person households are also driving it.

So far, two Spaces communities have opened in California, and two more will open this spring in Colorado. In Gilbert, Shea will build 56 Spaces homes.

The new homes are expected to sell in the mid-$200,000s.

For the full article by Kara G. Morrison of The Arizona Republic visit http://www.azcentral.com/style/hfe/decor/articles/2010/01/14/20100114sheaspaces.html