Cottage Glen, built in Saugus by S & S; Construction, sold 199 of its 300 homes last year, making it the fastest-selling residential development in Los Angeles County.

S & S; Construction, a division of Shapell Industries Inc., currently is building the last nine homes in the project. Three models have been put up for sale and the remaining three will go on sale later this year, said Sales Manager Elaine Mason.

While Shapell generally builds high-end homes, Cottage Glen was aimed at a younger, less affluent market. The name of the project “denotes affordability,” said Shapell’s Marketing Director Jerry Sellers. The homes have from three to five bedrooms in up to 2,679 square feet of space. Remaining houses are priced between $270,900 and $354,900, Mason said.

“One of the quirks of our company is that we don’t believe in giving you a shell and making everything else an optional item,” said Sellers. “We try to give people a complete house.”

Cottage Glen’s amenities include triple garages, oak cabinetry in the kitchens and master baths, rear-yard gas connections for barbecues and pre-wiring for future security systems.

Because the company has a strong reputation, Shapell is one of the few homebuilders listed by name in resale ads, Sellers said.

“Very few builders are recognized in the resale market,” agreed Lorry Lynn, a principal with the Meyers Group, a real estate advisory firm. “Shapell has a strong following among consumers. Because it’s an older company, it has a tendency to build the old-fashioned way, with higher-quality construction.”

Lynn said Cottage Glen part of the 2,400-unit master-planned community Plum Canyon offered a “strong alternative to the more expensive homes on the market in the area of Valencia and Stevenson Ranch.”

According to Mason, some of the buyers came from the Santa Clarita Valley, while others relocated from Palmdale, the San Fernando Valley or from out of state.

Lot sizes are generally shrinking because the price of land is going up, so most residential lots tend to be between 4,500 and 5,000 square feet. However, Cottage Glen offered lots with up to 7,000 square feet big enough to park a recreational vehicle in the side yard, Sellers said.

The bigger lots were available because the Cottage Glen subdivision map was designed and engineered several years ago, so “we have larger than normal sized lots on which we built smaller houses,” Sellers said.

“If you’re able to provide a larger lot size, it will be well received,” Lynn said.