In 1997, Ed and Sun Crosby were just coming out of military housing, where they’d known only one or two of their frequently-changing neighbors. They were excited about getting into a more static community, one where they could form long-term friendships with other residents. Their new community also needed to have an “optimum location” that would allow easy access to Hampton, where Ed worked as a network consultant.
The Crosbys found everything they were looking for at Williamsburg Bluffs, then a new development in York County, offering high-quality schools and good accessibility to both Richmond (45-minute drive) and Hampton (30 minutes away). “It’s great that the neighborhood is so close to I-64,” Ed notes. “But it’s not so close that we have road noise.”
More importantly, Williamsburg Bluffs turned out to be the friendly, close-knit type of neighborhood that Ed and Sun had yearned for. “We know all of the neighbors on our block, even their kids’ names,” says Ed. “That’s a great plus for us. You just don’t see this type of closeness in a lot of neighborhoods today.”
“There’s a big variety here, with many retired military families, but also a lot that aren’t,” Ed adds. “People on our cul-de-sac routinely have block parties with another, close-by cul-de-sac. About every two months we get our grills together and everyone brings a covered dish. There are usually about 3 to 12 kids, although maybe half the people don’t have any children. It’s a really nice mix.”
In addition to neighborhood events ranging from wine-and-cheese parties to crab fests, residents can mingle at the tennis courts, playground, picnic pavilion, or community pool, all maintained by the community’s HOA for a modest fee of $33/month. “The pool is rarely crowded,” Ed says. “Sometimes it’s like your own private pool.” Ed also uses the community’s sports field to practice his golf swing.
Ed, who has a 7-year-old daughter, describes Williamsburg Bluffs as “absolutely a great place for kids. All the streets in the neighborhood end in cul-de-sacs. There is single access, and no through-traffic, keeping it very child-friendly.”
The house the couple built, a two-story, traditional-style home, is similarly family-friendly. It has four bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a relaxing family room adjacent to an eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and ceramic tile floors. “The family room is our main area,” Ed says. “There’s a wood-burning fireplace there, and it’s so close to the kitchen. We like that it’s on the back of the house and overlooks the back yard. The family room also opens to the deck through French doors.”
The house has a good flow between rooms. “There are no doors to any of the rooms on the first floor,” Ed points out. “And, there’s a nice flow from the living room to the family room, with the dining room in-between. That works great for our Super Bowl parties, when one group can be in the family room and another in the living room, with the dining room central to both.” The living and dining rooms, along with the two-story foyer, all have oak hardwood floors.
But it’s a private space, the master bedroom suite, that is Ed’s favorite spot in the house. The generously sized bedroom features a tray ceiling, crown and chair rail molding, and plush carpeting. (The couple upgraded all of the home’s carpeting two years ago.) It connects to a large master bathroom with a jetted tub nestled beneath a bay window, and a step-down sitting room that Sun uses for her work room. That work space is where Sun creates one of the home’s more unique features: sophisticated custom window treatments. “Sun was an interior design professional before she became a full-time mom,” Ed notes. “Her window treatments are all custom and very elaborate. Some of them even include cornices.” The custom window treatments convey with the house.
Sun’s personal touch is also evident outside the home, in the landscaping that she has done in the quarter-acre yard. “We left the very back of the yard as natural woods to create a nice buffer from our neighbors,” Ed says. “Then we planted flowering trees such as dogwood and weeping cherry, and maples along the sides. The weeping cherry, which attracts butterflies, is at window level in the kitchen, and it’s beautiful to see.”
Sun also planted flowers such as calla lilies and cannas for back yard color, and added a moveable, cast iron fire pit (it conveys) that can be used in the yard or on the deck. The result is a yard that exudes serenity beneath a treed canopy. “The deck sits up high and it’s shaded from the summer sun,” Ed says. “In the evening, you can see the sun setting over the trees. Relaxing on the deck is very nice, very comfortable. We use it a lot and we love it.”
The Crosby family is relocating and has put the home on the market through John “Mr. Williamsburg” Womeldorf. “John came recommended by a neighbor,” Ed says. “She had used him to buy into this neighborhood.”
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Why the stories? Because these aren’t just houses, they’re homes.
Mr. Williamsburg knows that when you’re looking for a new place, you’re searching for more than just four walls plus amenities, you’re looking for that welcoming refuge we call home. That’s why we go beyond the standard “4 bedrooms, 3 baths on large lot” statistics, to share how others have lived in this house, to reveal the home’s unique personality, to help you decide whether this is a place where your family could thrive.
Likewise, we realize that you’re seeking not simply a development within a particular zip code, but also an opportunity to become part of a community. That’s why we share our sellers’ experiences as members of that neighborhood.
We trust these stories will assist you in finding your way home.
Want to tell your home’s story? Contact John “Mr. Williamsburg” Womeldorf at (757) 254-8136 or John@MrWilliamsburg.com and we’ll get you started.
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