Joanna Hills: What I Learned from Yesterday's Open House
Joanna Hills is Stonebridge Homes' new mixed community in Avon, with condos from $499,000 to $665,000 and duplexes and single-family homes on the way.
If you live in Avon, you've probably watched the trees come down and the buildings go up and wondered what exactly is happening back there. I have too. I've lived in Avon since 2010, and new construction of this size doesn't come to our town often.
I walked the site tonight, toured the sales model at 100 Joanna Court, and brought home the pricing sheet, the floor plans and the builder's spec list. Here's everything I learned, laid out plainly, so you can decide for yourself whether it's worth a closer look.
Consider this a work in progress. It's everything I could gather so far, straight from the builder's own materials, and the builder notes plans and specs are subject to change. I'm working on getting answers to the questions it doesn't cover, and I'll share more as soon as I have it.
How the neighborhood is laid out
The site sits in the woods just past the Lothrop Drive neighborhood, organized around two streets: Joanna Court and Joanna Road. The builder notes the site plan is an artistic rendering, so final placement may shift.
Joanna Court (the condos): four buildings numbered 100, 200, 300 and 500, with about 45 condo homes between them. Buildings 100 and 300 hold roughly 14 homes each, mixing all seven floor plans below. Building 200 is a row of 10 two-story townhomes. Building 500 has 7 homes along the curve of the road.
Joanna Road (duplexes): pairs of attached homes on lots 11 through 21, set along the loop and the cul-de-sac.
Brady Circle and the Joanna Road entrance (single-family): detached homes on their own lots near the front of the community.
The same builder is also bringing Windsor Heights to Avon, a separate, smaller community of single-family homes. More on that below.
The community plan includes green space and sidewalks throughout, which matters if you're picturing evening walks with a stroller or a dog.
Condo and townhome pricing
Every condo plan is two bedrooms, and prices run from $499,000 for the Malibu to $665,000 for the Pavillion. Most plans are named for Massachusetts towns, and the unit letter at the end of each address tells you which plan it is (113E is a Malibu, 307C is a Scituate).
Plan | Price | Living area | Baths | Garage | Basement | Price per sq ft |
E – The Malibu | $499,000 | 1,500 sq ft | 2 | — | — | $333 |
B – The Wollaston | $535,000 | 1,400 sq ft | 2 | — | Yes | $382 |
A – The Revere | $575,000 | 1,400 sq ft | 2 | 1 car | Yes | $411 |
F – The Hamilton | $595,000 | 1,625 sq ft | 2 | 1 car | Yes | $366 |
D – The Winthrop | $625,000 | 2,000 sq ft | 2 | 1 car | — | $313 |
C – The Scituate | $635,000 | 1,920 sq ft | 2.5 | 1 car | Yes | $331 |
G – The Pavillion | $665,000 | 2,200 sq ft | 2 | 1 car | Yes | $302 |
A dash means the floor plan sheet doesn't list that feature. Price per square foot is my own math from the builder's numbers.
What stood out to me on each plan:
The Malibu (E) is the entry price and adds a loft by the entry, a corner fireplace and a deck.
The Wollaston (B) gives each bedroom its own walk-in closet and has a 14' x 17' living area with a fireplace.
The Revere (A) is single-level living with a garage, a 16' x 14' primary bedroom and a deck off the dining area.
The Hamilton (F) has the biggest kitchen of the bunch at 19' x 12', with a garage entry right beside it.
The Winthrop (D) adds a 16' x 20' den, a true second living space, with a first-floor garage and stairs up to the home.
The Scituate (C) is the two-story townhome, with a 30-foot-long living area, a 22-foot primary suite and two-zone heating and cooling.
The Pavillion (G) is the largest at 2,200 sq ft, with a den, a 16' 8" living room and the lowest price per square foot.
Duplexes and single-family homes
The duplex and single-family plans all come with two-car garages, but pricing for them wasn't on tonight's sheet. These are the plans the builder shared, labeled "Joanna Hills Estates":
Plan | Type | Living area | Bedrooms | Baths | Garage |
The Blackstone | Duplex, single floor | 1,566–1,578 sq ft | 2 | 2 | 2 car |
The Broadway | Duplex, single floor | 1,659 sq ft | 2 or 3 | 2 | 2 car |
The Alcott | Single-family, two story | 2,270 sq ft | 3 | 2.5 | 2 car |
The Fairfield | Single-family, two story | 2,391 sq ft | 3 | 2.5 | 2 car |
The Harrison | Single-family, two story | 2,510 sq ft | 3 | 2.5 | 2 car |
The two duplex plans put everything on one floor, including the primary suite and laundry. That's a big deal for anyone who wants to stop climbing stairs without giving up a real garage.
The single-family plans each add something different. The Alcott has a second-floor loft and a walk-in closet off the owner's suite. The Fairfield has a covered front porch, a mudroom with a pantry and a 20-foot great room. The Harrison has a first-floor flex room, a mudroom and a study nook upstairs.
Windsor Heights: the other Stonebridge community
Windsor Heights is a separate development from the same builder, and early word is that its homes could sell for close to $1 million. That figure came from someone representing the property, not a published price sheet, so treat it as a ballpark until final pricing is released.
The builder's brochure describes seven single-family homes in a private, wooded setting, with open layouts, modern kitchens, high-end finishes, attached two-car garages and a yard for each owner's exclusive use.
I know a number like that will raise some eyebrows in town. Whatever you think of it, it tells you something about where buyers and builders see Avon heading. If you already own here, it's worth knowing what that could mean for your own home's value.
What's inside the walls
Every home comes with a ten-year builder's warranty, which is one of the biggest advantages of buying new. Here's what the builder's spec sheet lists as standard:
Category | Standard spec |
Heating and cooling | Forced hot air, 95% efficiency, central air at 13 SEER on the same registers. One zone; the Scituate townhomes get two. |
Exterior | 7/16" ZIP System sheathing, Georgia-Pacific vinyl siding, Andersen windows, seamless aluminum gutters |
Roof | CertainTeed Landmark Lifetime shingles |
Walls and trim | Blueboard with a skim coat of plaster, 3½" Stafford casings, 7¼" baseboards |
Kitchen and baths | USCD cabinets and vanities, granite countertops |
Flooring | 3¼" hardwood in the living, dining and hallways; tile in baths and laundry; carpet in bedrooms and dens; tile or hardwood in the kitchen and entry |
Appliances | LG electric range, LG dishwasher, built-in microwave |
Paint | Benjamin Moore, one builder color throughout |
Two details worth knowing before you fall in love with a floor plan. The range is electric, so ask about options if you prefer cooking on gas. And the builder notes that no changes can be made after the purchase and sale agreement without a written change order, so decide on finishes early.
Is Joanna Hills a fit for you?
The right plan depends less on the price sheet and more on how you want to live for the next ten years. A few questions I'd ask myself:
Are you trying to stay in Avon but leave the yard work behind? Plenty of longtime residents I talk to love this town but are tired of mowing and shoveling. Single-level plans like the Revere, Hamilton, Blackstone and Broadway were made for that.
Do you need stairs out of your daily life? Check where the entry is. Some plans, like the Winthrop and Pavillion, have a ground-floor garage with the living space upstairs.
Is this your first home? At $499,000, the Malibu is a new-construction alternative to an older single-family that may need a roof or a furnace in the first five years.
How much space do you really use? The Pavillion and Winthrop dens can be an office, a guest room or a place for the grandkids to sleep over.
What would you do with the equity in your current home? If you own now, the answer to that question often decides the whole move.
There's no wrong answer to any of these. They just point you toward the right plan, or toward deciding that staying put is the better move.
What I'm still finding out
A few of your questions need answers the handouts don't cover, and I'm getting them from the builder before I guess:
Monthly condo fees and what they include
Pricing for the duplexes and single-family homes, and final pricing for Windsor Heights
Which homes are available now and when the later phases deliver
Pet rules and any age restrictions
I'll share those as soon as I have them. You can also see the plans yourself at joannahillsavon.com or by calling the sales office at 617-302-8200.
If you're even loosely curious, I'm glad to walk the site with you, talk through what your current home might be worth, or just compare a few plans over coffee. No pressure, no pitch.
Now I'm curious: if you could pick any plan here, which one would you choose, and why?
Comments