The Perfect Summer Party Home

• Written on June 10, 2018 By Stanley Martin Homes

Welcome sunshine, easy breeze, longer days, and warm, electric evenings. Spring and summer make the world come alive. It's time for graduation celebrations, outdoor holiday parties and family barbecues.

Invite your favorite folks over to watch the Fourth of July fireworks or light some pretty sparklers of your own on your huge backyard deck. Gorgeous weather inspires memorable get-togethers and The Travis at Westlake is the perfect floorplan to host all of your events, in the balmy months and throughout the year.

The kitchen is the heart of the main level, thoughtfully designed for homeowners who like to entertain. Keep your guests' hunger at bay with platters of your signature appetizers while you prepare the main courses. There's room to do both on your spacious center island.

Just steps away, there's an abundant amount of room for the chef of the day to fire up their specialty burgers and saucy ribs on the grill, and plenty of adjacent space for visitors to hang out, eat and enjoy. The screened-in porch just off the kitchen is a great place for ladies to settle in with a cocktail or a bowl of ice cream. Chat with your girlfriends, comfortably away from annoying bugs and the searing sun.

Below on the lower level, there's a cool patio space shaded by the deck above, another perfect spot to soak up the summer air. On Father's Day, the guys can claim the space to chill in some patio chairs with a beer and a cigar and, with a wet bar conveniently included in the finished basement, they won't have to walk far or disrupt their lounging to grab a refill. When the adults have cleared out, the kids can take over the space to play corn hole or ping-pong.

Maybe you'll be brave and welcome their besties and classmates over for an end-of-the-school-year sleepover. When they go outside to run around, you can rest easy, knowing the plentiful windows allow a clear view to keep an eye on what they're doing-or what they're not supposed to be doing-from any of the main rooms.

Four cozy outdoor seating areas make the Travis a warm weather lover's retreat. Gorgeous mountain views and a charming nearby pond create picturesque scenery, and lush forestry shrouds your home in privacy. If you're more of an indoors, air conditioning kind of person, there's just as much to love-the open floorplan ensures no one is left out of the fun inside the house.

The family room is built for intense relaxation and occasional nap-taking, and a formal dining room sits just off the kitchen to host your sophisticated affairs. Then, when everyone goes home, all of the features that impress your guests are yours for the using. Every magnificent host needs to get their rest and you have plenty of options to choose where you'll do your own relaxing in the fresh peace and quiet.

• in Charlottesville