Family Room

Models openRussett1. Hallmark Builders, NV Homes, Patriot Homes, Richmond American Homes and Ryan Homes have opened furnished single-family homes in the new model-home park at Russett in northwestern Anne Arundel County. The community is being developed by Russett Center Limited Partnership.The Russett information center and model homes are open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The 613-acre planned community is at Route 198 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.HallmarkHallmark is building eight homes at Russett, ranging in price from $259,900 to $333,900.

The Kirchhoff family home at the end of a quiet cul de sac in Sykesville in southern Carroll County looks pretty much like any other 30-year-old rancher built of concrete and aluminum siding. But pass through the front door under a three-column portico, and that changes. "It's your typical rancher," Diane Kerchhoff said matter-of-factly. "We just opened it up and doubled the size." No interior walls define any specific area in two-thirds of the home's living space. An open banister for the stairs to the lower level is the only break in an open floor plan that sweeps 50 feet in depth and 35 feet in width.

Stroll through almost any urban or suburban neighborhood in the country after sundown these days and you'd be hard-pressed to tell that anybody's home. If not for the street lights, there often are no lights at all. At house after house, darkened picture windows face the street. Have you wandered into a ghost town? Has there been a blackout? Where has everybody gone?To the family room, that's where. Or the "TV room" or the "spare" bedroom cum den. It is in these back-of-the-house spaces and not in front-of-the house living rooms that Americans now live by day and by night.

Whether through skylights or multi-paned windows, sunlight streams into this Monkton home. Nearly every window has a view of Baltimore County's hunt country, and the Elkridge Harford Hunt Club events run through or behind the property every fall. The house and its setting offer a respite from the city. Yet, "it's definitely a home, it's not an estate," said owner Susan Boone. "We use every single room," she said. That includes a two-bathroom master suite, an office with a semicircle of window seats, an expansive dining room with deep molding and a kitchen-family room area where all parties seem to hover.

H. R. Jenkins is building six styles of Colonial homes at Challedon, a 600-acre golf course community where 145 homes will be built on 2- and 3-acre lots in the Mount Airy area of Carroll County. Kettler Brothers, developer of the Mount Airy neighborhood, plans to preserve more than 75 acres.The smallest and least expensive home offered is the Colony, which starts at $268,900 for 2,454 square feet. On the first floor are a 14-by-15-foot living room, foyer, powder room, two-car garage, 14-by-10-foot dining room, 9-by-14-foot kitchen, 8-by-14-foot breakfast room and 19-by-14-foot family room.

Terra MariaPulte Home Corp. is offering two floor plans at Terra Maria, Ellicott City's neo-traditional community featuring Federalist-style homes that back to alleys and several village greens.Pulte and Arundel Woods Construction Co. Inc. are building 102 homes in the Howard County development, which held its grand opening last week. The Orion Group is the developer.Pulte's homes include 9-foot first-floor ceilings, copper water pipes, and gas fireplaces in the family room at Terra Maria.

Bob Ward Homes has opened a model and is offering 23 home sites in Fallston Valley Farms, a community of single-family homes in Harford County. The Fallston community offers traditional-style homes on three-fourths- to 2-acre lots. The homes are on well-and-septic systems and come with electric heat; propane is optional. Standard features include a hardwood foyer, brick or stone fireplace, Corian island kitchen countertop and two-car garage. There are five home models available at the community.

Q: I'm ready to redo a kitchen that has recently been integrated with our family room. Can you suggest a simple and casual design that isn't too slick or contemporary-looking? The room has high ceilings, but it doesn't get a lot of daylight.A: Even though so-called Southwest styling is not my favorite -- mainly because so often it is poorly interpreted -- this look does include some elements that might be just right for your situation. The photograph illustrates them and highlights their charm and practicality.

MODELS OPENFont Hill Manor1. GYC Builders and Williamsburg Builders have opened the second section of Font Hill Manor Estates in Ellicott City, where 20 traditional homes will be built on half-acre lots.Located in Howard County's Centennial school district, the community is being developed by the Welsh Co.GYC BuildersOne of the houses GYC will build at Font Hill is the Hunting House, a 2,650-square-foot home with a base price of $299,900.An 11-by-9-foot library and a 14-by-12-foot living room flank the foyer.

Canter Farms Richmond American Homes has a model home open and 18 homes available at Canter Farms, a community of single-family homes in Anne Arundel County. Located in Gambrills, Canter Farms offers several home plans, ranging from 2,355 to 3,164 square feet for $284,990 to $314,990. The homes are on one-third-acre lots and come with public water and sewer systems and gas heat. Standard features include hardwood floors in the foyer and powder room, two-car garage and 9-foot first-floor ceilings.