Jill’s parents had a vision: early in their marriage they started investing in land, hoping their family members and future children would build homes there, creating a multi-generational family compound on the roughly 75 acres. Jill’s aunt took them up on the offer about 20 years ago, and her sister followed suit about a year before Jill.
“I never really thought I'd be able to afford it,” Jill said, noting that the costs of building on virgin land seemed prohibitive. “But it had always been a dream to build on my parents’ property.”
After the sale of her prior home due to a divorce, however, Jill had cash in-hand and decided to explore the possibility of making that dream come true. She crunched the numbers and began meeting with builders – but Schumacher Homes wasn’t one of them.
“I didn't meet with Schumacher at first because, seeing their houses, I didn't think it would be in my price range,” Jill said. “I thought it was going to be way above just because they’re so beautiful.”
Finally, she visited the Schumacher Homes’ website.
“A lot of the pricing was online,” she said. “And I was like, you know, maybe I can do this…”
That spark propelled her to visit the Schumacher model home location in Cincinnati, where she met with Laurie, a New Home Consultant.
“I met with 14 builders, and Laurie just blew me away,” Jill said. “She was knowledgeable, professional, and she really listened. She cared about what I wanted, and she wanted to help me get exactly what I wanted.”
It was a pleasant surprise to discover that some of those wants were already included in Schumacher’s base price, Jill said, including 9-foot ceilings, granite countertops and an unfinished basement. Ultimately, she decided the Ashley fulfilled the must-haves: a two-story floor plan of nearly 2,000-square-feet, with three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and a porch.
“One of my must-haves was a decent sized front porch,” she said, “so I could read on the porch while my children play in the yard.”
Other important features were a dedicated dining space, and a place for her sons’ toys, to keep them from taking over the rest of the house. The Ashley plan accommodated both needs, with a dining area adjacent to the great room, and a loft for boys and toys. But perhaps the most important feature was a luxurious bathroom in the owner’s suite.
“One of my guilty pleasures is a bubble bath after my kids go to bed, to wind down at the end of the day,” Jill said. “I was able to customize it in the Ashley floor plan, and now it’s my oasis. It’s so perfect.”
Even the less than perfect moments had happy outcomes, Jill said, due in large part to the Schumacher team, which she described as hands-down amazing. When Tyler, her builder, met her to do a pre-construction lot walk, they found the site hadn’t been cleared as needed.
“He said we couldn’t do the lot walk, but then he looked around my acreage and recommended a different place to build on my property,” she said. “It gave me a little more privacy, and was on higher ground so there was less flood potential. He went above and beyond to make sure I was building on a good location.”
Now that her home is finished, Jill is thrilled to be living so close to her family, and still awed by the fact that she’s able to.
“Every morning since we’ve moved in, I wake up thinking, am I dreaming? Am I really here?” she said. “Not only did I never dream I’d be able to build on my parents’ land, but to also have such a beautiful house, and to be able to do it on my own…”
It can still make her emotional, she said, just like she was after her first meeting with Laurie.
“I will never forget getting in my car and hoping they couldn’t see me crying, but they were the happiest tears ever, because I had met with all those builders, but Schumacher was just perfect, and I got everything I wanted,” she said. “I just never thought, as a single mom with one income, that I’d be able to afford to build, let alone this perfect house.”
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 20,000 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.
