In Laurel, Md., seven houses developed on builder’s former home

When Richard Cole was a child growing up in his grandparents’ house in Laurel, Maryland, decades ago, gardens of tomatoes, corn, raspberries and pole beans stretched across fields behind houses owned by his extended family. Horses and cows grazed on the land. Rows of strawberries grew in the area where children now splash at the West Laurel Swim Club, the largest members-only pool in Prince George’s County.

While some of Cole’s extended family still live along Brooklyn Bridge Road in the western part of Laurel, the family sold off parcels of land over the years. Cole is now the project manager for Williamsburg Homes, which is developing new homes in the area where his aunt and uncle lived.

The development, Cole’s Manor, will have seven single-family houses with at least 2,700 square feet and priced from $939,900. Each will be on a lot that is at least a half-acre, with many backing to trees. Buyers can choose from six models that can be customized.

The model home, the Stratton, has a front portico with pillars and a balcony above, and can be customized to include four to six bedrooms and three to five full bathrooms and a powder room. It starts at 3,630 square feet and $999,900. The first floor can include a rear study or guest suite, as well as a sunroom and mud room. Four bedrooms are upstairs, including an owner’s suite that spans the entire back of the house. The lower level can be customized by adding a fifth and sixth bedroom, recreation or media room.

“We like to say yes to customers and work closely with buyers to accommodate their wants and needs,” said Tim Morris, vice president of Williamsburg Homes. “Most of the plans offer an in-law suite on the first floor as an option. Multigeneration homes are becoming more popular.”

The largest model that can be built is a 4,054-square-foot brick house called the Dorchester IV, which has options for a hexagonal conservatory on the first floor and an elevator. This house, which starts at $1.105 million, can be customized with four or five bedrooms and three or four full bathrooms and a powder room. As with other models, the house has an open floor plan in which the kitchen flows into the dining and living areas. This house, as well as some other models, has a two-car garage that can be upgraded to accommodate three cars.

The smallest model, the Tidewater, has an optional front porch, an open two-story foyer and kitchen with a walk-in pantry. This model has an option to be extended four feet at the back of the house on all three levels to expand space.

For Cole, who moved from the property when he was 14, returning to build houses is “a bittersweet thing. I hate seeing a change, but the upside is I get to spend more time there, which brings back a bunch of memories.”

Community: The West Laurel Swim Club is next door. Across the street is Supplee Lane Recreation Area, which follows the twists of the Patuxent River to the Duckett reservoir owned by WSSC Water. Laurel Lakes Centre, with Aldi, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Best Buy and several restaurants, is four miles away. Burtonsville Crossing is also about four miles away and has Sprouts Farmers Market, Petco and T.J. Maxx.

Public schools: Bond Mill Elementary, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle and Laurel High

Transit: Interstate 95 is about a mile and a half from Cole’s Manor