Discover a new world inside Vista North

Build-to-suit homes available in Lewiston subdivision

Over the hills, around the bend and behind the sweeping drives lies a hidden gem recently discovered by a handful of Lewiston residents.

Vista North is a Ridge Road subdivision offering spacious lots for those with big imagination.

Here, one can craft a home with anything from flower gardens to waterfalls, courtyards to creeks. Houses are built at different heights as they ascend and descend varied levels. Each residence has underground utilities and magazine-quality views of Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline.

The land was groomed and developed by Giusiana Architects & Engineers.

As he looked around the picturesque subdivision, John Giusiana explained, “Each of the sites is a certain type. These are walkout basements here that you see. The one in here, the basement is all hidden into the hill. I actually tucked the garage underneath. That one way over there slopes from side to side. They all take advantage of their site in a different way.”

He added, “It’s something different than what you’re so used to. It gives you opportunities. … There’s some character here that you can’t find other places. That’s really what you’re looking for.”

“You can see how unique the lot is. This is not the kind of thing that we have very often or that are common here in Lewiston,” John Giusiana said. “They’re all very different.”

With the development’s unique topography, “You couldn’t build the same house on two lots even if you wanted to,” David Giusiana said.

“It’s all different levels,” marketing agent Jamie Symmonds said.

She expounded, “A lot of times in developments, you have to stick to plan A, B, C or D. In here, you design your own home to be any way you want. You’re not stuck to a cookie-cutter development. You can bring in your own developer. You can design the look of your home. It doesn’t have to look identical to the rest of the homes in the development.”

“We encourage people to build their own, or to have their own builder come to town,” John Giusiana said.

From the Outside In

Vista North homes are built to offer owners and families unique views of the surrounding areas.

In fact, “You get the whole view,” Symmonds said of the sights toward the Wine Trail and Toronto.

“What’s nice about these is the whole subdivision is built on a hill, so everybody overlooks beyond somebody else,” John Giusiana noted. “It’s not like somebody’s right there in your backyard, 50 feet away.”

“And blocking your view,” David Giusiana added.

He noted, “They’re not making any more Mountain View or Escarpment Drive lots.”

“It’s just like waterfront: It’s all built up,” John Giusiana added.

From the Ground Up

At Vista North, “Everything does have its sewer, water, electric right there, ready to go,” John Giusiana said. “The site can be manipulated to work with the house.”

Symmonds said, “A lot of times that’s a concern. Someone sees a price and they get (a lot), but then they realize, ‘I still have to add.’ ”

“ ‘I’ve got to bring my sewer in; I’ve got to bring this in; I’ve got to add that.’ Everything is right here, ready to be buildable,” John Giusiana said.

From the Original Design

Giusiana Architects & Engineers builds about one spec dwelling each year. The idea is to provide homeowners with an idea of what works well inside Vista North.

“Because sometimes people need a visualization,” Symmonds said. “Sometimes people need that creative thought put out in front of them to give them an idea of what’s possible – what’s available to them.”

She added, “It’s nice, because you can see, as you drive through the community, the variations of what the other homeowners have done, or what the lot owners have done in a spec house, originally, that then somebody came in and purchased.”

From the Inside Out

John Giusiana said, “There are certain things that we like,” inside homes his firm builds. That includes a “big kitchen” and a “big master bath/shower,” a master bedroom and laundry room on the first floor, and a room off the front door that could be used for any number of things – from an office to a bedroom to a living room.

Between 1,500 and 2,000 square-feet of basement space (on average) also can be used for a variety of things. In the spec home, “It gives the buyer a way to personalize this house,” John Giusiana said.

He explained, “We don’t finish downstairs in the basement. The reason we don’t do that is if someone wants to come in here and put in the game room, they can put in a game room; if they want to come in here and put a wood shop, they can put a wood shop; if they just want to use it for all storage, they can use it for their outdoor picnic storage. It’s flexible.”

In the spec house, the mechanicals are located toward the back of the basement. There’s also an enclosed area suitable for a wine cellar.

Each home – spec or new build – is required to provide outside access from the basement. Safety considerations notwithstanding, this allows improved access to the yard.

From $70,000

Right now, 11 homes are built and 10 occupied within Vista North. That leaves 23 dedicated, individual lots still available for purchase.

Parcel sizes vary. In Little Vista, land ranges from 13,500 square-feet up to 35,145 square-feet. Prices start at $70,000 and top out at $90,000. Big Vista lots, meanwhile, start at 13,500 square-feet and get as big as 86,695 square-feet. The cost per site begins at $75,000 and tops off at $140,000.

Single-family homes in Vista North range from 1,900 square-feet up to 7,500 square-feet.

Vista North is located off Ridge Road (Route 104). It’s less than one mile from the Village of Lewiston and just 25 minutes to downtown Buffalo.

For more information, call 716-754-2522.