There’s no standard timeline for building a dream home. Some find the perfect piece of land, then hold onto it for years until the moment is right. Others prefer to move as quickly as possible, perhaps motivated by the financial climate, or maybe wanting to build before the kids get older.
For Carolyn, her dream meant being there for the people who’d need her. “Building my own home has been a longtime dream for me,” she said. “I chose to build in my hometown because my mother lives there and she is getting older, and I just felt that I needed to be close by to look after her.”
With that purpose clear in her mind, Carolyn made the decision to finally build after seeing a Schumacher Homes commercial. “I went online and looked at several of Schumacher's plans and just following that desire, I called and scheduled an appointment,” she said.
The visit couldn’t have gone better, except for one thing. Carolyn saw that she was still several years away from building a home.
Keeping the dream alive
Carolyn felt confident she’d chosen the right builder after touring the Schumacher Homes Columbia, SC design studio. But she also saw that she’d need patience to make it happen. “It had nothing to do with Schumacher, it was more about being able to actually afford the house I wanted,” she said.
So to make her dream home a reality, Carolyn would have to keep a focused, positive mindset. Luckily, she had help. “The thing that stood out to me the most is the fact that Heather from Schumacher’s Columbia office would call to check on me from time to time. She wasn't pressuring me about building, she was simply reaching out to encourage me that she knew I would get to build my dream home someday,” she said. “That encouraged me so much along the way.”
Carolyn kept her optimism alive by turning the wait into an opportunity. Instead of rushing to find land, she let the right opportunity come to her. “My realtor actually found the lot for me. It belonged to a distant relative of hers and she inquired if he was interested in selling, and it turned out that he was. The property is beautiful and more importantly, it is just down the street from my mom,” she said.
Finding the right floor plan
But perhaps the biggest benefit of Carolyn’s patience was how deliberate it let her be when designing the home. “I was convinced that I wanted to build the Oakley, but when I went inside the Santa Barbara, I just fell in love with the open floor plan,” she said.
So she studied the elements she loved and combined them. Carolyn chose the Beverly floor plan, customizing it with ideas borrowed from the Santa Barbara design. “The dining room became my office , and I closed off an opening between that room and the kitchen. Also, the pantry moved and the square footage increased,” she said. Carolyn even took design choices straight from the Santa Barbara model home.
“I loved the grey quartz countertop on the kitchen island. That was a must-have for me along with the subway tile backsplash in the kitchen,” she said. As for the rest of her Selections, Carolyn leaned on Schumacher Homes’ design team.
“The other thing that stands out to me is the enthusiasm of the young ladies who worked with me on my Selections, Tabitha and Nicollette,” Carolyn said. “I went to my Selections meeting alone, so having them there to encourage me in my choices and get excited with me about my choices made that an amazing experience.”
Walking into her new home
Now able to visit her mom down the street and then return to her own refuge, Carolyn gets the best of all worlds. “I love having a place that is my sanctuary. I can be in my home with a house full of people and I enjoy that, but I also love the times that I can just be there in the quiet and comfort of my home just lying on the sofa watching tv,” she said.
Speaking of quiet and comfort, Carolyn pointed to the owner’s retreat and living room as her two favorite rooms so far. “My living room is a favorite because it is large enough to accommodate my entire family without feeling crowded, but when it's just me at home, it still feels comfortable and cozy.”
Now, every time Carolyn opens the front door, she feels a wave of gratitude. “Each day that I walk into my new home I am so thankful. My prayer is that I will always have this same sense of excitement and gratitude each time I walk through the doors of my home,” she said.
Carolyn’s advice to others building a custom home
The patient, deliberate approach Carolyn took to designing and building her home can benefit anyone, no matter their timeline. From Carolyn’s perspective, it saved her from many of the headaches she’s seen others go through. “Other people who were building homes at the same time or had just completed their home build were telling me about their nightmare experiences with their builders and all the problems that they had before, during, and after their homes were built,” she said.
“But I never had that experience. The people at Schumacher Homes, from the sales consultants to my builder, made my homebuilding experience AMAZING. They were efficient and knowledgeable, and always available to answer any questions that I had. I tell everyone that I would definitely build again with Schumacher Homes.”
It’s an honor for us at Schumacher Homes to help people like Carolyn in the Columbia, South Carolina area and beyond build the home of their dreams. We can’t wait to hear more of Carolyn’s story as she enjoys her home over the coming years.
About Schumacher Homes
Schumacher Homes, based in Canton, Ohio, is America’s largest custom homebuilder, with operations in 32 markets in 14 states across the country. The National Housing Quality award winning company has built over 19,000 homes, customized to fit each family’s lifestyle, since its founding by Paul Schumacher in 1992. Schumacher Homes takes each customer’s inspiration and gives it a home. Each Schumacher Homes location includes a one-stop shopping design studio and model homes displaying the latest in architectural and product trends. Stop in today, be inspired and receive your no obligation price quote.