Residents have options for nearby recreation

By Suzanne Monson
Special to New Homes

MILL CREEK -- For kids -- and adults who are kids at heart -- there's never a shortage of year-round recreation in and around Stonewater Creek, a collection of four- and five-bedroom homes in the Silver Lake area.

Stonewater Creek is located near several free outdoor movie and concert series and one of Snohomish County's favorite parks, says Kay Capanyola, the community's site sales associate.

"We've got such a great spot here," Capanyola says. "The way they've set it up is just fabulous. Kids can play safely in their own yard, or they can romp in the park on the tot lot, where there's a picnic area in the middle. What we're seeing is a lot of people who really want a sense of community."

The community is located a few minutes from 78-acre McCollum Park, which has an outdoor heated swimming pool, open space, ballfields, trails and a BMX bicycle track. Mill Creek Town Center is also nearby.

"A lot of people don't know about our Silver Lake area of Mill Creek," Capanyola says. "I get to show them how convenient the Costco is, how great the nearby elementary school is, and how wonderful our homes are."

About two homes per week have been sold at Stonewater Creek since it opened in late spring, she says.

The Carmelle Q2 is one of three home designs open for tours at Stonewater Creek. The hub of the home is its signature outdoor room, an all-season space for leisure and entertainment that is included in every MainVue Homes design.

"Some of our Carmelle Q2 homes are right next to the central neighborhood park, so parents can enjoy their outdoor room while watching the kids play in the safety of this community space," Capanyola says.

Other homesites with the design "back up to woodsy settings with majestic old-growth trees, open space or nature preserves, so our outdoor rooms give homeowners an even greater sense of the natural surroundings and of their own privacy. It feels like part of your living area is open to the outdoors through our custom sliding doors," she says.

Popular features of the Carmelle Q2 design include entertainment-ready kitchens with islands and walk-in butler's pantries, and great rooms that open to dining spaces.

Capanyola says she regularly hears from parents who like the Carmelle Q2's main-level media room because it's a place "where kids can be close to the kitchen and great room when adults are entertaining -- but with a glass door separating them, so you can still see them and feel together, without worrying about any noise."

Upstairs, an enclosed leisure room is suited for everything from children's slumber parties to an adult hobby space.

"When families with children come to look at these homes, the kids are so excited that they're usually picking out which bedroom they want and where they're going to put their Xbox or Wii games," Capanyola says.

Double doors open to a master suite that includes a bathroom with dual-sink vanity and walk-in closet.

The Carmelle Q2 design offers the flexibility to create an additional bedroom upstairs, put a guest room on the main floor, and enlarge the powder room to a three-quarter bathroom, Capanyola says.

All Stonewater Creek homes include kitchens with 8-foot-long stain-resistant countertops in slab granite or Caesarstone; full-height tile backsplashes; European frameless full-overlay cabinets with white oak; and an appliance collection that includes a Frigidaire stainless steel range, energy-efficient dishwasher and built-in microwave.

Main-level flooring with a 5-inch-wide maple, pear or walnut look ties the kitchen to the great and dining rooms. Other standard features include 9-foot ceilings, fully fenced rear yards and CAT 5 wiring.

"Guests at Stonewater Creek are so pleased with the workmanship, and what really impresses them is the $65,000 in upgrades that are already included in each of our homes -- features that other builders either don't include or charge more for," Capanyola says.

Stonewater Creek's home designs are featured among the 11 walk-through models at MainVue's World of Model Homes in Auburn. For driving directions and other details, visit mainvuehomes.com/worldofhomes.

"With our waterways, wetlands and walking path blending so perfectly with the Silver Lake lifestyle," Capanyola says, "we couldn't imagine a better place in Snohomish County for families than Stonewater Creek."