When it comes to high-end homebuying, Jason Kessler and the Kadco team are proving that bigger isn’t always better.
Kadco is completing the 2019 Ideal Home, which will be featured on the Greater Birmingham Association of Home Builders’ Spring Parade of Homes, April 26-28 and May 3-5.
The 5-bedroom, 4-bath Vestavia Hills home is 3,571 square feet and located at 3183 Overton Cove in The Cove at Overton, a gated community in Cahaba Heights off of Poe Drive.
“This home was smartly designed to eliminate wasted space and is high on amenities and high-tech features while low on maintenance,” Kessler said. “We feel it is the ‘ideal’ home for what high-end home buyers are looking for in 2019.”
Kessler isn’t new to the process of building homes that showcase the latest in style and features.
His father, Charles Kessler, founded CRE Realty more than 35 years ago and subsequently formed Kadco Homes, building subdivisions throughout the greater Birmingham area.
Kessler joined in 2005 as a builder and Realtor and has, over the years, led multiple builds for homes that represent the “ideals” that buyers are looking for.
“We’ve worked with Birmingham Home & Garden a few times on the Inspiration Home,” Kessler said. They also consistently showcase new homes on the Fall and Spring Parade of Homes.
“We’re members of the GBAHB, and many of our vendors are also. So, opportunities like this are a great way to showcase our vendors and a great way to get our homes out there.”
Featured projects such as the Ideal Home and the Inspiration Home are more involved than the regular home showcase. They require Kessler and his crew to pull out all the stops in terms of added features and high-end finishings.
“It’s a nice way to get more creative with the build and also start trying new things,” he said.
According to Kessler, 2019 is all about meeting and exceeding efficiency standards, whether that be smart floorplans or smart technology.
“High-end buyers aren’t so much looking for that 4,500- to 5,000-square-footage,” Kessler said.
Instead of creating a sprawling mansion, the job has been in producing a home that lives big enough for a family without incurring the high energy bills of a larger home.
The home will also incorporate an encapsulated crawl space, which Kessler noted does wonders in terms of keeping the crawl space protected and dry.
“It will also include a ‘smart home’ system that will give the homeowners the ability to control their security system, thermostats and select lights with their phones,” he said.
In previous years, smart home technology was something new and exciting. Now it is something that Kessler has found a buyer expects when they are purchasing a new, high-end home.
Bringing the Outdoors In
The exterior of the home offers an Old World, European look with a modern twist.
On the inside, it’s all about creating a modern, open feel that embraces the outdoors.
“It was important for us to design the home in such a way that we married the indoor with the outdoor living spaces,” Kessler said.
The main living space covers a large portion of the first floor and includes kitchen, dining and living.
To avoid a cavernous feel, Kessler said, the design sought to embrace the views of the outdoor living area and backyard, bringing life into the space even when it is empty.
Sleek, modern finishings and features have been used to keep the interior from competing with the exterior.
The simplicity gave Kessler and his team the opportunity to bring in cutting-edge designs that are growing in popularity. For example, they chose a waterfall-style island to separate the kitchen and living space.
“We’ve used them in a few homes and people love them,” he said. “The counter top runs down the sides of the island and creates really clean lines.”
Kadco’s Ideal Home design also comes fully stocked with amenities inside and out.
In the backyard, a pool is built in a vanishing edge design surrounded by travertine decking for a sleeker look. Multi-functional, it incorporates a tanning ledge for in-pool lounging and an attached hot tub.
“There is also an outdoor kitchen by the pool that will feature a gas grill, under-counter refrigerator, room for seating and high-tech features like built-in speakers and USB ports,” Kessler said.
Throughout the home, custom trims, accent walls and reclaimed wood ceilings keep the build from feeling plain or stagnant.
In the kitchen, a Cobalt blue Viking range, courtesy of Southern Bath and Kitchen, makes a statement and brings a pop of color.
The home also comes equipped with a home theater on the second floor, outfitted with a 4K projector and system installed by Champion Technologies.
“The home theater will also offer separate wine and beverage fridges,” Kessler said.
Beyond the amenities the home offers, the community includes a neighborhood lawn that features a gazebo with an outdoor fireplace, charcoal grills, a gas fire pit, a TV, audio system and a fish pond.
“The Cove is unique,” Kessler said. “There are some buyers who wanted to down-size but still have those high-end amenities, but there are also a decent amount of younger families moving into the neighborhood.”
The Ideal Home seems to be one that would work for a larger family, Kessler noted, as the backyard is spacious enough for kids and pets to run around and play.
‘Ideal’ Location
“Cahaba Heights is a great neighborhood,” Kessler said. “It has improved immensely over the past few years and it’s walkable.”
Walkability from the home only stands to improve. Kadco and the city of Vestavia Hills recently began a partnership to create sidewalks along Poe Drive, which is one of the connections between Overton Road and The Cove at Overton.
The neighborhood is also growing in terms of businesses and restaurants available, Kessler said, specifically noting the new Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint on Pump House Road.
Construction is entering the final phases as the Parade of Homes tour nears, according to Kessler, at which point it will be outfitted with furnishings by the Vestavia Hills-based staging and interior design company Set to Sell.
Once it is open for touring, the home also will be put on the market.
For more information, contact Jason Kessler at 369-5187 or jason@kadcohomes.com.
