Describe your dream home. Go!
An open floorplan with tall ceilings. At its center, an inviting and welcoming fireplace. Low-maintenance and worry-free energy efficient appliances throughout. A front porch facing unobstructed, scenic views. A finished basement that feels more like a sanctuary; a mancave anyone would proudly retreat to after a long day. All of this and more, situated on an open piece of land, embodying the best parts of country living.
Trying to fulfill this wish list in an existing home would be difficult at best. Looking for this caliber of bespoke-level craftsmanship with a traditional custom home builder might even be a challenge. But at Schumacher, this is an example of what we are proud to label as another successful homeowner story.
We’re happy to share this entry from Kayleigh and Tim whose custom home journey began with some hesitation overcome by a trip to a model home where they quickly realized building their dream home with all their must have’s – and plenty of space to call their own – was truly within reach.
Property First
“We probably decided, about a year ago that we wanted to build.” Kayleigh told us. The couple had been married for two years and was currently living in an older home but had always dreamed of building on a larger property to support Kayleigh’s passion for horses. “It was something that I've always wanted to bring my horses home and have them with me and everything in one location.”
After some friends mentioned a piece of property they thought Kayleigh and Tim might like, propelled by their curiosity, the couple hopped in their car for a quick visit to the land in question. Their hopes and dreams were answered in what they saw upon arrival: a cluster of horse barns in an open meadow surrounded by ample grazing pasture and bordered by trees and rolling hills in all directions.
“As soon as we saw the property we knew…this is where we want to spend the rest of our lives.”
The More Economical Option
Even before Kayleigh and Tim stumbled on to what would eventually become the land they would own and build on, the couple was still considering older existing homes to buy. But, to Kayleigh and Tim’s surprise, after some research and consultation it became clear that building a custom home directly on the land of their choice, was the most economical option.
This is one of the most common misconceptions about custom homebuilding that steers potential homeowners away – that building a new home is by default more expensive than buying an existing one. Kayleigh weighed in on this topic during our Zoom interview and was happy to address the concern.
“In a lot of the houses that we were looking at, they were older, which meant they were going to need a lot of work done to them. So, for as much as we were going to be spending to buy and put all the work into it, it was actually cheaper for us to build.”
Kayleigh and Tim were able to further add to their investment in a custom home by installing the most current energy efficient appliances, windows, and doors. While there are many factors that can go into a home’s energy footprint as it pertains to cost (e.g., home size, location, building materials), by comparison Kayleigh and Tim’s electric bills in their new home are considerably less. Additionally, new home construction brought the peace of mind of less maintenance and worries about repairs.
Model Home Love
Upon visiting Schumacher’s Bowling Green Design Studio, Kayleigh and Tim decided to tour several different model homes before settling in on which floorplan would be right for them. This was another big advantage of Schumacher.
“We fell in love with the model houses,” Kayleigh recalled. “I wanted something that one, you didn't see everywhere you went (or look like belonged in a subdivision), and I wanted to do something different.”
With other builders, sometimes falling in love with a model home comes with a bunch of compromises on size, style, materials, layout – but at Schumacher, any of our floorplans can be customized, or even combined with other models, to meet the exact specification of our customers. Attracted to the openness of the Charleston with the high ceilings of the Olivia, Kayleigh and Tim combined two different models to come up with their ideal home scenario in the style of the Ashley. And that was only the beginning of the updates and customizations made available to them. Working with their design team, Kayleigh and Tim expanded their kitchen (bumping up the size of the island), with significant additions and re-designs into the layout of the 1st floor (adding a front porch and fireplace) and a fully finished basement for Tim. Upstairs they upgraded their owner’s bathroom including a standing tile shower adjacent to the bathtub.
Guidance on Everything
Once Schumacher began design and construction, Kayleigh admitted that she and Tim were not entirely sure what to expect. Building a home from scratch had always been Tim’s dream, but neither of them necessarily had any preconceptions of what the actual process – from start to finish – would look like. That’s where Schumacher was able to help the couple better understand the prioritization of their build by listing out each specific step, by phase, and how and when it would all come together.
Kayleigh and Tim both credited the Schumacher construction process for helping them feel involved and knowing exactly what they were getting into.
“I was really nervous we were going to get overwhelmed in the process, and we never did. Not at all.” Kayleigh told us.
They were also impressed with the continuous back and forward communication with their Construction Manager, who balanced providing technical guidance while accommodating Kayleigh and Tim’s requests on where and when they could make alterations.
Hands Down, Recommend
One year later, Kayleigh and Tim say they would 100% recommend building a custom home with Schumacher. The process itself wasn’t as stressful as they imagined and Schumacher’s no pressure approach made the amount of decision-making that goes into something of this scale feel intuitive, easy, and not at all overwhelming.
Their other piece of advice for would-be homeowners? Do your best to stick to your budget. For Kayleigh and Tim, it was separating the must-haves from the nice-to-have’s. Schumacher helped with this aspect by clearly detailing which floorplan alterations and changes were easier and more cost effective to manage during construction versus implementing later on.
“I would definitely choose them again,” said Tim. “They made everything easy and laid everything out, I mean if I had an idea, they would draw something up and I could see it.”
Inspired by Kayleigh and Tim’s story? Come visit us and describe your dream home to us in person. We’re ready to answer your questions and put together a no obligation quote at any one of our Schumacher Design Studios.
About Schumacher Homes
Schumacher Homes, based in Canton, Ohio, is America’s largest custom homebuilder, with operations in 32 markets in 12 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.
