New Nies Homes east Wichita community is ‘a new concept for us and for Wichita’

Nies Homes is preparing to start construction on a new 97-home east Wichita community that president Nicholas Cowgill said is “a new concept for us and for Wichita.”

Cowgill, who is the third generation of the family business, said Nies Homes has been creating outdoor spaces for homeowners for some time, but the new Freestone development on East 21st Street just east of 143rd Street will feature a more fully integrated indoor-outdoor living community.

“The central idea behind this whole community is getting people outdoors,” Cowgill said. “There was a push for that in design, but I think everything (was) heightened the last few years.”

That’s due to the coronavirus pandemic, of course.

“Lifestyles changed during that time,” Cowgill said.

In addition to features like patios, lots of covered outdoor spaces and outdoor kitchens at the homes, Freestone will have a lot of trails that connect the homes and a nearby school.

There will be a large common area in the middle of the community with what Cowgill calls “weaving trails through rolling hills.”

The idea, he said, is to “make it feel like the Kansas prairie.”

“It’s kind of like our central hub for the community.”

There will be a resort-style pool, a playground, a children’s fishing area and pickleball courts.

Cowgill said all but two homes will back up to reserve spaces, meaning no other homes can be built there. He said it’s all about increasing the community’s green spaces.

Freestone’s 97 homes will be split in two residential developments.

The Reserve at Freestone will feature 30 homes starting in the $700,000 range and going as high as probably $1 million.

“Those are all full custom homes,” Cowgill said.

The Trails at Freestone will have 67 homes starting in the $500,000 range and going up to the mid-$700,000 range.

“The Trails at Freestone is kind of a whole new concept for Wichita,” Cowgill said. “What we wanted to do with the Trails is create an offering of plans that people can personalize.”

He said there will be three styles of “incredibly designed homes.”

There will be a farmhouse style along with modern and traditional styles buyers can select from.

There will be interior features such as floor-to-ceiling windows and large sliding doors.

“We focused a lot on the details in these houses,” Cowgill said. He said he “brought in some of the fancier elements that you get in more expensive homes.”

“We stepped outside the Wichita market and worked with architectural firms from different parts of the country.”

Cowgill said he’s excited to bring those designs back to Wichita.

“The streetscape is going to look quite a bit different as well,” he said.

What he means is how the houses appear from the street. There will be different configurations across the fronts of the homes, some with side-load garages, some with split garages, extra added details in the front and higher rooflines.

“The purpose of that is to just break up the streetscape,” Cowgill said.

There won’t be gates at either development because he said he wanted to keep the communities open and flowing into each other. Cowgill said he’s striving for connectivity throughout Freestone.

“Our real focus here is, again, getting everybody outdoors.”

Cowgill said he’ll have what are called veranda lots where instead of traditional decks that are elevated above backyards, there will be patios connecting the main floors of homes to the backyards.

“It goes right from a patio right out to your backyard so there’s no disconnect,” Cowgill said.

He said “that helps with the flow to keep your indoor and outdoor spaces more connected.”

“We’ve seen a huge demand . . . for that.”

The majority of the veranda lots will be in the Trails at Freestone.

Nies will be the exclusive builder at Freestone.

“Every builder has their own unique style, which is great,” Cowgill said.

However, he said he wanted a consistent look that feels intentional.

That starts at the front entrance and goes through both developments, Cowgill said.

He said as he and his team thought through the development, they asked, “How can we make it feel unique? How can we make it feel impressive?”

Street work will start in about three weeks, and model homes should be ready by fall.

Cowgill said the east Wichita property is a great place to try his new concept.

“I think people are really going to like it.”

This story was originally published March 30, 2022 at 11:22 AM.