Living Well in River Bluffs

The neighborhood is so nice that these homeowners are buying twice

By Brittany Conley  »  Photos by G. Frank Hart

In 2005, Burrows Smith surveyed a tract of land, tasked with both visualizing how to turn this untouched space into a community and bringing that vision to fruition. I'm sure there were a thousand little things running through his mind at once, but all of those early, brilliant ideas that came to him were built on one thing, in his words: “It was way too pretty to clear cut.” A lot of developments begin with clearing all the trees and planting new ones once everything else is in place. That isn't the story of River Bluffs, and their bold approach to creating a haven for both their residents and the natural world is exactly why they can boast of a unique trend of homeowners who outgrow their homes building new ones in the neighborhood instead of looking elsewhere.

Mary Burke & Paul Dickson

Mary and Paul met just outside Washington DC when they were neighbors in an apartment complex more than 30 years ago. “I always tell people I married the girl next door,” says Dickson. Their romance blossomed from those small DC apartments to raising a family in a large home in Maryland.

“It was a great place to raise our kids. We enjoyed our lives there,” says Burke. “But when the kids moved out for college and started their own lives, the house was just too big. We realized we wanted a change.”

It didn't take the pair long at all to narrow down their options for a new place to call home. Though they initially kept their search around Washington DC, and a couple of towns further south, their hearts were being called to one place over and over. Wilmington bound, their friends and family were naturally curious as to why they chose the seaside town. “We tell them it is because it is the only place where Venus fly traps grow natively,” says Dickson, with a hearty laugh.

“Which is true,” adds Burke, “but we honeymooned in Wilmington, and we've always just loved it here.” With their minds made up, the search shifted to narrowing down a neighborhood. Wilmington is blessed with some of the finest neighborhoods imaginable, so the decision isn't always easy. There was one thing, however, that immediately gave River Bluffs an edge as far as Burke was concerned.

“I need trees in my backyard,” says Burke. “Our home in Maryland was basically in a forest, so having all the amenities River Bluffs has to offer is great, but I couldn't imagine not having trees.” The couple picked out a lovely home with the trees Burke's heart desired, and they began integrating into the community, making friends who meet at the River Bluff's restaurant and bar–one they liken to Cheers in that walking in, everyone knows their name. “It's such a fun community. There are a million clubs. For instance, we formed a wine-tasting club that meets every other month. We taste delicious wines, learn all about them, and we raise money for charity,” says Burke. The couple also loves the community garden, where people can grow anything from ornamental flowers to herbs and veggies. There is even a resident farmer on hand to help answer questions and guide homeowners who want to exercise their green thumbs.

Everything about their new neighborhood was perfect. They even loved their home, but as they say, sometimes love isn't enough. “Unfortunately, the house just wasn't right for us,” says Dickson. Both note that there was nothing wrong with the home itself, just that it wasn't functional for their lives. “We both work from home, and we needed separate spaces. We needed a second story, somewhere we could work without being on top of each other.” Their home was one of the most popular layouts in River Bluffs, but their unique needs kind of snuck up on them, including accommodating visits from their son who is studying musical theatre and needed space to practice. But they were so happy there, how could they leave?

They decided they couldn't stay in the house, but they couldn't leave River Bluffs. Thankfully, they found another plot inside the community with trees in what would be the backyard, and an incredible builder with the perfect floorplan to suit their work and family needs. Charter Building Group was there to solve their problems and make their dreams come true.

Charter Building Group has been doing that very thing for customers in the Wilmington area for over 30 years. They teamed up with River Bluffs in 2019, admiring the same qualities as residents. “We were drawn to River Bluffs' unique development style that focused on embracing the native landscape and quality low-country homes.  Homesites with knotted oak trees and winding neighborhood streets seem to be a thing of the past with so many denser communities popping up in and around Wilmington, but River Bluffs still has a lot of character and a sense of community,” says Holly Overton, Vice President and co-owner of Charter Building Group.

While the new home for Mary and Paul is not completed yet, everyone is excited to see it come together in the next few months. “Mary and Paul are building one of our newest home plans, The Brookshire.  This new design has upper and lower porches on the back of the house that really optimize the serene, wooded view from their homesite.  The Brookshire also has a lot of interior features that we are seeing excite buyers today, including the large Butler's Pantry area adjacent to the kitchen offering plenty of storage.  We are also seeing a trend toward more traditional entryways, in keeping with this trend, Paul and Mary have a barrel roof entryway that leads to a foyer with a volume ceiling,” says Overton.

“Working with Charter Building Group has been fantastic,” says Burke. “They're efficient, friendly and organized. And I love HGTV as much as the next person, but I am not cut out for interior design, so I am glad they have one in-house I can work with. Jill is incredible.”

The Dickson-Burke home should be move-in ready come September this year, and the couple is anxiously awaiting getting out of their temporary downtown apartment and back to their beloved River Bluffs and their friends. “Downtown Wilmington is great, but we are ready to be home again,” says Dickson.

Brandi & Johnny Milam

Another couple who couldn't fathom living elsewhere is Brandi and Johnny Milam. The couple met over 25 years ago at a local restaurant where Brandi worked and their courtship and eventual marriage have all taken place in Wilmington, it is where they have always wanted to be. Narrowing down where to buy a home was a little more difficult, as they grew up seeing so many incredible communities and surely knew many people who were quite happy in several of them.

Johnny owns a plumbing company, and he'd had the opportunity to do work in River Bluffs early on. When they heard about a Parade of Homes event happening, they went and found the new community calling to them. “The neighborhood has so many amenities that you can't find anywhere else,” says Mrs. Milam. They purchased their first River Bluffs home nearly a decade ago making them one of the original homeowners in River Bluffs.

“Johnny found a love for pickleball after moving into the neighborhood and getting introduced to the sport for the first time. Johnny plays a lot, but the kids and I also love to play with him sometimes. I love walking the neighborhood, the riverwalk, and all the trees make for a very enjoyable walk year-round. We also love being able to put our boat in the water at the boat ramp in the neighborhood and either stay on the river or take a ride all the way to Carolina or Wrightsville Beach,” says Mrs. Milam.

But, like Mary and Paul, the Milams' first home in River Bluffs suited them well in the beginning, but with their growing family, their needs evolved. Leaving the community, however, was simply not an option. “When the final section of the neighborhood started being developed, we just loved all of the hardwoods and we knew they would try to keep as many trees as possible. Our new lot is one of the larger ones in the neighborhood, allowing for a larger house and more parking along with a pool in the backyard. It is on a cul-de-sac, so we will have more privacy as well, as the lot backs up to a wooded area,” says Mrs. Milam. 

Admitting to themselves their home, beloved as it was, didn't suit their needs anymore did not mean they hadn't been pleased with it from day one. In fact, it was the opposite. “Marty Vahue built our first house in the neighborhood and it was not even a question that we would use him again. We had a great experience the first time around,” says Mrs. Milam. “We looked at so many plans, but ended up finding one online that just checked all the boxes—master suite downstairs with laundry off the closet as well as a laundry room upstairs, butler's pantry, and office space for when we need to work from home.” Their new home will also not be completed for a few more months, and their excitement for its completion is ever-growing.

Marty Vahue of Vahue Custom Homes has been in the construction industry to some degree since he was knee-high to a grasshopper. Watching his father build homes from scratch, he saw firsthand what true craftsmanship looks like. “I've been dragged around homesites since I was a kid,” says Vahue. “Things were different back then, they did everything themselves.” It wasn't much of a surprise when Marty Vahue decided to go to school for architecture, however, after his father got him a job with a framing contractor, that was all he needed to know he wanted the hands-on approach. “I went back to school, packed my bags, and learned how to build homes.”

Having worked his way through the trades, Vahue learned how to build homes from the ground up. For decades he specialized in custom trim before moving to Wilmington and started his custom home business. His operation is family-oriented, with his wife running the interior designs and his son working with him full-time preparing to one day captain the ship. It is their attention to detail, demand for quality, and true customization that has taken them from relative newcomers in the area to one of the most sought-after builders in the region–just as River Bluffs has become one of the most sought-after planned communities.

Perhaps John Lennon, River Bluff's director of operations, says it best: “This is the perfect example of responsible development. We have tried to embrace native plant life – a natural setting. It's ok to look like a natural wooded area. We have tried to incorporate that into the sales process.” All those years ago when Burrows Smith's wheels began to turn about how to retain the abundance of beauty, that vision has not changed and it is one that everyone at River Bluffs, from staff to residents, still strives for. 

All it takes is one look around and you'll experience exactly what the original goal was with River Bluffs. And when you imagine yourself living here–which is inevitable–there's a great team of people in the sales office who will work with you to find your dream home or the builder to make that dream home a reality and it won't be too long before you, like The Milams and Mary Burke and Paul Dickson, are fully immersed in the River Bluffs way of life.

Start your journey today:

RiverBluffsLiving.com

CharterBuildingGroup.com

VahueCustomHomes.com