Beverly Hills Estates II overlooks blue Skiatook Lake
Dana Simon World Staff Writer
10/30/1999

This home by Randy Davis Homes is one of two speculative homes in Beverly Hills Lake Estates II on Skiatook Lake. The stucco 'Floridian-style' house is at 11746 Giorgio Drive, with 2,887 square feet, four bedrooms and three full baths. Another brick, Country French-style 2,484-square-foot home at 14405 Giorgio Drive has three bedrooms, a study and 2 1/2 baths.
A tall kitchen "Pearl Blue" granite counter (below) is imported from Sweden. Appliances include Kohler sinks, Jenn-Air grill rangetop, GE microwave and space for a two-door refrigerator.

A door opens to the deck from the master suite bedroom (bottom) with a grand view of nature at its best along the shores of Skiatook Lake. A Hunter ceiling fan gives a lazy feeling in the spacious, well-conceived suite.
Photos: Joe Iverson/Tulsa World
 

As Tulsa homebuyers make their march northward in search of diversity in luxury residential living, Skiatook stands out as one of the untapped communities.

Skiatook, a private, well-run town of only about 9,000 residents is 20 miles north of Tulsa, just west of U.S. 75 on Oklahoma 20. It's a thriving community with an all-American "Main Street," with clothing, furniture, floral and antique shops, banks and restaurants. The churches and schools form a firm foundation. The community's crowning glory, however, may be the blue, gleaming Skiatook Lake, where recreation abounds and value in residential property is like newly discovered gold -- in this case sapphire.

Skiatook Lake shores are virtually the way the land looked before statehood nearly 100 years ago. That pristine nature is assured with the U.S. Corps of Engineers' oversight. The lake itself is a newcomer to the Osage Hills, having been developed only within the past 12 years.

A few select upscale residential developments have cropped up along the shores of Skiatook Lake -- one of which is Beverly Hills Estates, developed by Beverly Taylor, and her brother, Dr. Kenneth Taylor, and his wife, Barbara.

The trio studied the area for several years before acquiring four sites which now make up Beverly Hills Lake Estates, Beverly Hills Lake Estates II, Santa Barbara Cove and Catalina Cove.

"We wanted to wait until the lake filled up before we decided to purchase the land," explained Beverly Taylor, who is the State Farm agent in Skiatook. Her brother, Ken, who is an optometrist in Enid, saw the potential for home value.

"What's unique about the lake is there is little private property," Ken Taylor said. "John Zink donated much of the land to the Boy and Girl Scouts of America, and other areas are under wildlife management."

Ken Taylor said, "We,  along with the other developers, intend to keep it upscale. This is one of the most satisfying things I've ever done. It's a dream we've been dreaming for a long time. That's coming from an esoteric and personal point of view."

Beverly Hills Lake Estates I, located on the north shore of Skiatook Lake, has a private, remote-controlled entrance to Crystal Bay Marina. It has only two remaining lots out of the original 23. Minimum square footage for homes is 2,200.

Phase II of Beverly Hills has 10 lots remaining out of 27. It also has the same access to Crystal Bay Marina. Minimum square footage is 2,400.

Santa Barbara Cove, with 26 lots, recently was opened. Two lots are sold. It is a patio garden homes development, with a 1,800 square foot minimum requirement.

Catalina Cove is on the southeast shore of the lake near Tall Chief Cove. Platting has begun and options on lots are being taken.

Property lots vary in all four additions from one-fifth of an acre to an acre. The design has been conceived so that all homes have a view of the lake.

Randy Davis of Randy Davis Homes has been one of the primary builders for the Taylor Development Group.

Two speculative houses constructed by Davis exist in Beverly Hills Lake Estates II. On this week's World of Homes cover is the full stucco "Floridian-style" house at 11746 Giorgio Drive. The house has 2,887 square feet with four bedrooms and three full baths.

The brick, Country French-style 2,484- square-foot home at 14405 Giorgio Drive, with three bedrooms, a study and 2 1/2 baths, is also featured.

Both homes have spectacular views of the lake, where other custom houses range from $200,000 to more than $1 million.

Davis has been a homebuilder for the past 14 years. He and his wife, Debbie, have two daughters, Heather, 10, and Kali, 8. Randy Davis is a 1984 graduate in industrial arts from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, where he also received a master's degree in education administration. He is close to his dissertation for a doctorate degree in occupational education studies. He has taught in Hominy and Inola, and was assistant principal at Madison and Cleveland Middle schools in Tulsa, as well as teaching at North Intermediate High School in Broken Arrow and Tri-County Vo-Tech in Bartlesville.

After several years of owning a custom cabinetry shop, Davis said he wanted to pursue homebuilding as a full-time career. He speculates that he has been involved in the construction of more than 150 homes in northeastern Oklahoma.

Davis said his strength is in custom home building. He chose to display his talents in the two Beverly Hills Lake Estates II homes on the shores of Skiatook Lake, and he is building in Destiny, another subdivision.

There are strong restrictive covenants in Beverly Hills, which has property owners' associations. Beverly Hills Estates I has surfaced roads, and surfacing will be done in the spring in Phase Two. All water, electric and phone service is underground. The development is the first in the state to be approved for use of "ecologically responsible" individual aerobic sewer treatment, instead of septic systems.

The two featured homes in Phase Two demonstrate Davis' standard qualities, such as custom-built cabinets with solid wood panel doors and Blum hinges, granite kitchen countertops, Jenn-Air grill, cooktops and ovens, Heat N Glo remote-controlled firplaces with circulating fans, insulated vinyl windows, and three-car, insulated garages that are heated and cooled.

Davis' homes have Hunter ceiling fans, whirlpool tubs with large separate showers, and a laundry room with sink. One of his special touches is to install second washer and dryer hookups in the master bedroom closet, as an added convenience. His homes have a central vacuum system, home theater system, security system, Bermuda sod yard and irrigation system. There is efficient American Standard heating and cooling, and thick exterior walls and R23 insulation. The interior wall corners are stylishly "bull-nosed."

Davis credits much of his work with several subcontactors, including Randall Bryant of Air Inc.; Goodman Construction; excavation by D&J Inc. and Cabe Dozier; masonry and brick work by Carthel Girdner; Prather Painting; materials from G&M Building Center; trimwork by Jones & Associates; irrigation by Pritchard & Sons; S.T. Bain Co.; All- Wood Products; Golden Eagle; Renegade Construction; and stucco work by Kenny Smith. Cort Furniture provided interior furnishings.

Representing the Beverly Hills Lake Estates II speculative homes are Don and Judy Marrs of John Hausam Realtors. The property at 11746 Giorgio Drive is listed for $299,000. The property at 14405 Giorgio Drive is listed for $249,000. Open house hours Saturday and Sunday will be from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. More information may be obtained by calling 396-3963 or 634-5069.

Lot prices range from $25,000 to $70,000. More information may be obtained by calling the Taylor Development Group at 396-7500.

Randy Davis Homes may be reached by calling 632-1671 or 396-3129.

To reach Beverly Hills Lake Estates from Tulsa, drive north on U.S. 75. Turn west on Oklahoma 20 and drive through Skiatook. The development is about seven miles farther west, and there is a sign indicating to turn south off Oklahoma 20. Drive south to the marked entrance and turn west again.