Palmetto state natives, Robert and Mevy had been living near downtown Columbia, South Carolina for the last few years after relocating from Charleston. Residing in an older home located in a historic neighborhood, it was their second home together, and they loved everything about its mystique and character. But as a growing family welcoming the birth of their first child, the size and storage limitations within the layout of their beloved 1930’s bungalow started to cast doubt on the longevity of their current living situation
“Our house was simply stunning. But it just didn’t work for us anymore as a growing family,” Robert revealed. “My wife and I are both from a small town here in rural South Carolina and grew up on some land, ourselves. So, we made the decision that we wanted to kind of get back to our roots.”
Conversations around planning to build away from the hustle and bustle of Columbia’s urban charm began happening more frequently, however the reality of it still seemed a year or two down the road. That would soon change.
“We were in a unique situation,” Robert recalled. “We ended up selling because someone approached us, our home wasn’t even on the market at the time.”
Both Robert and Mevy agreed the offer they received, was too good to refuse. The offer also rapidly accelerated their moving (and everything that goes with it) timeline. With the sale of their home in progress, the young couple’s conversations around relocating and building a home started to solidify into definitive plans.
For the land, Robert reached out to his brother who had purchased some property previously owned by their grandfather a few years prior. The 15-acre tract that Robert’s brother now lived on with his own family gave them an idea.
“We ended up approaching my brother about a 6-acre section for our family, and he was thankfully amenable to that option. You know I think we got the prettiest place on the property.”
As Robert and Mevy began their search for a custom home builder to fulfill their needs, they initially started planning with a smaller builder. Quickly realizing multiple concessions on size based on their budget, ultimately, they were told it would mean building a smaller home. Looking for alternatives to the compromise proposed by the builder, Robert and Mevy thought they should continue their search before moving forward. That’s how some targeted online research led them to check out Schumacher.
“We ended up going in and talking to Schumacher after looking at many of their floor plans online,” said Robert of the beginning of their relationship with Schumacher. “The house, the size and the different features that we wanted, were all going to fit in our budget for what we were looking to do.”
It was a bracing change in perspective that reassured both Robert and Mevy a custom home in a location living alongside their extended family, without concessions on size or space, was achievable. Impressed by the selection and variety of floor plan options available to choose from, they homed in on the craftsman-style floor plan found in the Lexington model.
It was the open-meets-intimate duality of the Lexington’s first floor connective space all coming together underneath a grand vaulted ceiling that first got Robert and Mevy’s attention, complemented by the home’s exterior qualities.
“The pure curb appeal of the plan. Before you even get into the house, we loved the way the plan looked from the outside.”
To make the design their own, a large screened in porch was added on the back of the house along with a bump out in the owner’s retreat bathroom to accommodate a free-standing tub. Outside of those customizations, Robert and Mevy were most excited with the long-term possibilities for their family. With four bedrooms and four baths, their Lexington home would be spacious enough for both parents’ work from home requirements and still have plenty of flex space for their daughter to play and grow into.
Robert said one of the more understated aspects in choosing a custom home plan was thinking big picture and deciding on all the must have features to be included in the home’s original build to avoid costly additions or upgrades down the road; adding things like windows or doors, a change in flooring, or making significant structural changes can be more expensive (and more difficult) when they’re unanticipated or unplanned.
“You don’t have to tackle everything day one,” Robert replied when asked about advice for future homeowners. “But I would say make sure you get the things done during the building phase that you don’t want to have to deal with in the future.”
The unsolicited offer on their home may have been the catalyst, but Robert and Mevy’s homeowner story really started with a piece of land. Not just because the land would afford them a chance to reconnect with the area where they grew up, but because the land they were building on would offer unique challenges that would affect and shape many of their house plan decisions. This is where Robert and Mevy’s final words of wisdom come in: The land you build upon affects everything from the type of floor plan to which windows will get the most natural light to utilities.
“I think we were really cognizant of building the right size house and the right type of house on the land that we selected based on orientation. Before we had a house plan picked out, we knew where the house was going to go and which direction it was going to face.”
Ready to start a custom home journey of your own? Schumacher can help.
Schumacher Homes, based in Canton, Ohio, is America’s largest custom homebuilder, with operations in 30 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.