Ten years ago, not many houses in Penn had vaulted and tray ceilings, a bedroom in the walkout basement and a large deck and patio.

But Fred and Mariann Randolph chose a blueprint with those features for their new house in Saunders Farm Estates. Now their four-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath brick house at 931 Meadowbrook Road is on the market for $384,900 through Janet Lehnert, broker manager of Bob Shuster Realty (724-864-8884 or www.rwscustomhomes.com).

After buying a nearly 1-acre lot in this Westmoreland County development in 2000, the Randolphs decided they "definitely wanted a ranch"-style home for its convenient, one-level living. They liked the 18-foot-high vaulted ceilings in the foyer and great room and the tray ceiling that rises from around 9 feet at the edges to 10 feet in the master bedroom. These features plus 9-foot ceilings in the rest of the house were "ahead of its time," said Ms. Lehnert.

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Penn Twp.:
At a glance

• Website: www.penntwp.org/
• Size: 33 square miles
• Population: 17,500
• School district: Penn-Trafford (http://penntrafford.org/)
• District enrollment: 4,373
• Average SAT scores: 499 Verbal; 525 Math; 498 Writing (2009)
• Taxes for 931 Meadowbrook Road: $6,156; Township: $781; School: $4,178; County: $1,197
• Claim to fame: Penn Township is split into nine ZIP codes and two telephone area codes. Level Green, the section where this house is located, supposedly got its name from Indians who were describing the view of the treetops below as they came over a ridge.

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Two skylights and many tall windows add to the spacious feel of the 20-by-19-foot great room, which has a hardwood floor and floor-to-ceiling gas fireplace made from the same oversized brick used on the exterior. To make the kitchen open naturally into the great room, the couple removed a wall on the plans that created a separate dining area. A walk-in pantry went there instead, and there is no wall breaking up the open kitchen and its oak cabinetry, granite-topped counters, brick-sided peninsula with bar sink, ceramic-tile floors and stainless-steel GE appliances less than a year old.

Also on the main level are an 11-by-6-foot laundry room, powder room and three bedrooms -- the 17-by-15-foot master and two others measuring 12 by 11 feet and 11 by 11 feet, respectively. The master bath has a skylight and jetted tub.

Two more bedrooms (one is listed as a study) are on the lower level and were used by the couple's sons. The 14-by-11-foot bedroom, which has a full bath, is adjacent to a 28-by-18-foot game/exercise room. Double glass doors lead to a 26-by-25-foot patio made from concrete and Omnistone pavers. Retractable awnings shade the 20-by-12-foot deck made from Trex, a low-maintenance, composite wood material. The deck offers fine views of a nearby valley and a hillside covered with Blue Rug juniper.

Other amenities include a security system, central air conditioning and forced-air gas heat, a new hot water tank, a two-car integral garage and another one-car attached garage. A $350 annual fee covers maintenance of the plan's walking trail, pond, gazebo and picnic area.

The house is close to routes 130 and 22 and about 25 minutes from Downtown in non-rush hour traffic. Monroeville Mall is about 10 minutes away. The property's assessment value is $57,040 (http://westmorelandweb400.us:8088/WMDlogin.htm). In the past three years, 10 properties have sold on Meadowbrook Road for prices ranging from $64,500 in August 2009 to $315,000 in February 2007 (www.realstats.net).

Doug Oster writes a blog, "Growing With Doug," exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.