Nestled serenely in Cecil Township between the vibrant cities of Pittsburgh to the north and Washington to the south, Alto Piano beckons with its enchanting landscape amid the rolling hills of southwestern Pennsylvania. This custom-home development offers an idyllic lifestyle that harmonizes accessibility with natural beauty. Spanning over 100 acres, Alto Piano is a masterfully crafted community known for its cul-de-sac streets, three miles of sidewalks, and an eclectic array of home styles, each offering a unique combination of comfort and elegance.
Convenience awaits just around the corner at Southpointe—a 600-acre suburban business park—where the tree-lined Main Street and Park serve as the focal point for its walkable Town Center. Here, a world of convenience and leisure unfolds with banks, co-working spaces, eclectic shops, a fitness center, a yoga studio, a nail salon, a coffee shop, a variety of tempting restaurants, and the Iceoplex. For golf enthusiasts, Southpointe Golf Course, with its pristine greens, provides another welcome neighborhood amenity with an 18-hole course and clubhouse. Plus, the nearby Southpointe II development promises further entertainment with shopping, theaters, and thriving office complexes.
Alto Piano also provides convenience for commuters and frequent flyers with easy access to the City of Washington to the south and Pittsburgh to the north via Interstate 79, and Pittsburgh International Airport just a short drive away.
The Family Behind Alto Piano
The legacy of development and construction is often a family affair, and the Graziani family highlights this beautifully. In 1965, William Graziani, Sr. embarked on an extraordinary journey after immigrating from Italy, marking the beginning of a new era in homebuilding. By 1994, he was deep into the plans for Alto Piano, a remarkable development in Cecil Township. Named after a picturesque Italian town close to his hometown, Alto Piano—meaning “high plateau”—perfectly encapsulates its enchanting location among the rolling hills of southwestern Pennsylvania.
Following in his father’s footsteps, William Graziani, Jr. (known as Bill) absorbed the trade during his high school years before pursuing a degree at Case Western Reserve University. After graduating in 1990, he returned to Pittsburgh and launched Graziani Homes, a custom home-building company that breathed new life into Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. But the family legacy doesn’t stop there. Bill’s sons, Joe and Mike Graziani are also integral to the family business, highlighting their commitment as general contractors while diving into the world of real estate sales. With their foundations steeped in the nuances of new construction, they’ve cultivated a wealth of knowledge, passion, and admiration for the industry, taking the family name to new heights. Together, the Graziani family continues to weave their story into the fabric of home building, creating lasting legacies one house at a time. Remaining true to the family’s heritage and tradition of superior craftsmanship, the goal at Graziani Homes is to “get it right the first time.”
In a previous profile for Greater Pittsburgh New Homes magazine a few years ago, Joe Graziani described Alto Piano as “the last true custom neighborhood left in Cecil Township, and one that appeals to young homebuyers all the way to people in their 80s.” The same holds true today, with a diverse range of homebuyers still choosing this neighborhood as the ideal place to build their custom dream homes.
The Homes in Alto Piano
After World War II, Abraham Levitt and his company, Levitt & Sons, pioneered the ” cookie-cutter” developments with uniform architecture, identical floor plans, facades, and colors. For decades, these developments have been the standard for numerous subdivisions in suburbia. In Alto Piano, the opposite is true, with each home fully customized to the buyer’s specifications.
Graziani Homes offers a customized approach from start to finish. While the big box and semi-custom builders present buyers with a few plans to choose from, Graziani can amend one of its many plans or build a plan provided by the customer. Graziani will even customize the size of the lot to accommodate the buyer’s requests.
Truly All-Inclusive Homes
Graziani Homes has established a strong reputation for its unwavering commitment to building all-inclusive residences. Unlike many builders who treat upgrades as separate add-ons, Graziani Homes seamlessly integrates these enhancements into the overall pricing from the outset. In the early stages of his career, Graziani standardized a multitude of premium features that clients were accustomed to paying for, including Anderson 400 windows, lifetime dimensional shingles, dual heating and cooling systems for optimal temperature regulation, hardwood flooring, tile showers, Kohler fixtures, and granite countertops. The kitchens, both then and now, are designed to be of superior quality, featuring quiet-close drawers and other sought-after items as standard.
At Graziani Homes, constructing a home is viewed as creating a lifestyle for its clientele. “There are few upgrades that significantly affect the cost of one of our homes,” Graziani explains. “Everything we do is very high-end. The covered porches already have gas for your gas grills and porch heaters—all of these items are standard. If someone requests specialty products like Brazilian Tiger Mahogany or blue granite, that might be an upgrade, but otherwise, our standard package will give you everything.” Most homes include covered decks, outside fireplaces, hot tubs, saunas, and swimming pools. Additional features in the all-inclusive homes include 50 recessed lights as standard, many USB plugs, dimmers, and heated garages.
“With Graziani Homes, there is a distinctive touch of quality,” says Darlene Hunter, vice president and regional new homes manager for Howard Hanna Real Estate Services. “When you walk through their homes, it is easy to see they are solid. The homes start in the low $700,000 range for pricing, which is not too far away from what other builders are charging, and most builders arrive at that number by adding extras and upgrades. In contrast, Graziani Homes includes a lot of things as standard.”
What’s New in Alto Piano
In the initial building stages of Alto Piano, approximately 162 customized executive homes were constructed, with Graziani Homes building roughly 80% of those. Graziani, Sr. also developed an additional 70 lots for future homes.
The most recent development centers around two sections for 40 homes. One of the sections presents a new product for Alto Piano. In the current phase of construction, there are nine patio homes located in a section titled The Crossings. For buyers aspiring to achieve homeownership but concerned about their financial constraints, patio homes may be an ideal solution. These inviting residences offer a perfect balance of comfort and functionality, making them an excellent choice for empty nesters, retirees, and first-time homebuyers looking to enter the real estate market without straining their budgets. It is important not to overlook these compact yet stylish properties; they offer significant value in both aesthetic appeal and practicality.
Although Graziani Homes is known for custom designs, patio homes require some adjustments. “For the patio homes, we are locked into three designs because we know that those designs fit the lots set aside specifically for patio homes,” explains Bill Graziani. “But we are offering full customization for the home interiors. The patio homes in The Crossings will also be part of the main homeowners’ association for Alto Piano but will also have a sub-homeowners’ association to manage things like plowing the snow and mowing the lawns.”
Location Matters
Choosing where to build a new home involves innumerable details. First, location matters. If you are starting a family or are moving school-age children, the school district plays a significant role in your decision. For empty-nesters, amenities in the neighborhood and close proximity are important considerations. Working adults charged with going to an office each morning will want to consider the time commuting will consume.
For families with children, Alto Piano is ideally situated within one of the Pittsburgh area’s top school districts – the Canon-McMillan School District in Canonsburg. A highly rated public school district, it has over 6,000 students in grades K-12 with an estimated student-teacher ratio of 17 to 1. Canon-McMillan High School is renowned for its exemplary academic accomplishments and student-centered approach to education. With an enrollment exceeding 1,600 students and a steadfast commitment to academic excellence, the institution consistently achieves high rankings in both state and national educational assessments. In the past year, the high school has been honored with prestigious awards, including recognition as one of the 2023-2024 U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools and inclusion in the 2023-2024 AP School Honor Roll.
In recent years, Alto Piano has attracted newcomers to the area, including people who have moved from other states. People in the medical profession who work at area hospitals, people in the oil and gas industry, and people who work in other companies at Southpointe are attracted to the neighborhood.
The location is ideal for commuting into Downtown Pittsburgh due to its proximity to Interstate 79 and the Route 19 corridor. The Pittsburgh International Airport is also an easy drive.
Get to Know the Alto Piano Neighborhood
Graziani Homes has been actively engaged in the Alto Piano community, located adjacent to Southpointe, since the early 1990s. By empowering homeowners to make selections on every aspect of home design, this development has organically evolved into a vibrant neighborhood that encompasses a diverse array of residents across various ages and backgrounds.
The website Nextdoor.com. notes this about the neighborhood: “Alto Piano is a charming, well-maintained neighborhood known for its beautiful atmosphere and strong community spirit. Nextdoor Neighbors love the area for its cleanliness and family-friendly environment.”
When residents of Alto Piano are surveyed about their perceptions of the neighborhood, a consistent sentiment emerges: the area is characterized by its diversity, featuring a harmonious blend of demographics. This includes young families, empty nesters, baby boomers, and older individuals, contributing to a vibrant and inclusive community. “There’s a lot of diversity in the neighborhood, which is a plus,” says Hunter. “You’ll also find people moving within the community, which may include older residents wanting to downsize or younger families wanting more space.”
One resident expresses a notable satisfaction with the neighborhood, a sentiment that extends beyond his role as builder. “It’s a beautiful place to live. I appreciate it and believe my clients and neighbors do as well,” states Graziani. “The commute is convenient for me. My wife and I take our dogs for a walk every morning at 6:30. We walk the entire development, and if subcontractors are on-site and require assistance, I am readily available to assist. Living in the neighborhood where I am building means there’s nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, making it a significant responsibility to ensure that everything is executed properly.”
As Hunter notes, “It takes courage to live in a neighborhood you built, but the Graziani family takes care of their clients.”
Alto Piano Details in a Nutshell
- Alto Piano is a beautiful development displaying high-quality, custom-built executive homes
- A highly walkable community with cul-de-sacs and three miles of sidewalks
- Lot sizes range from .3 to 1 acre
- Lot prices start at $95,000+
- Custom homes with high-end features starting from $800,000+
- Within walking distance of Southpointe Business Park, with numerous amenities, including the 18-hole pristine greens of Southpointe Golf Course
- Residents benefit from low Washington County taxes
- Located in the highly rated Canon McMillan school district
- Convenient to Interstates 70 and 79 and Route 9 for easy commutes and airport access
- Family-friendly atmosphere
- Diverse neighborhood with a wide range of age groups and cultural backgrounds NH