Brad and Stephanie had never expected to get involved in new construction. Brad reminisced that “We were just looking for a house to buy in this area (Wilmington, NC). While being shown a number of suitable houses we could buy, we came across a place on Sasspan Creek, which is a wide complex of waterways leading into the Shallotte River very near to where it empties into the Intracoastal Waterway and an inlet opening out onto the ocean.”
Luckily, the place was for sale. “But there was no house on the lot. We didn't feel we could pass up the opportunity to live in such a beautiful location. The land ran down a gentle grassy slope to a riverbank with an old fishing pier on it. The view was of waterfowl plying their trade among broad grassy wetlands unspoiled by noisy motorboats. All we needed was a house” said Brad.
Brad continued, “We had originally decided to use the services of a local builder with an impeccable reputation for honesty and efficiency, who had been recommended to us by close friends who were longtime residents and who had figured largely in our decision to move to this area.”
The house across the street was also for sale, so they bought that and the vacant lot at the same time and set about building a new house, intending to move into the new one and sell the other when the time came.
Brad explained, “As we went through the process, it gradually became clear to us that, no matter how patient and accommodating the builder might be, there was no way we could be involved in all the myriad small decisions that would have to be made along the way. We would have to rely on the builder's taste and style for the details, either that or drive him out of his mind with our meddling.”
They really liked the builder. Brad described their thinking further, “Should we just decide to rely on him for the details and trust his judgment? We also realized that this situation would apply to any individual builder we might choose to work with, except that we would be even less inclined to trust the judgment of any other builder.”
That was when they decided to see what the benefits might be of turning to a larger builder. They looked into the Schumacher Way of doing things. “And it became clear to us that Schumacher was the answer to our problem” says Brad. He elaborated, “Over the years, Schumacher has developed a system that works like a well-oiled machine. Each person has their function, and all our questions would be answered. There was no need to feel apologetic for taking the time of a busy builder when trying to get information. With Schumacher, that was what they were there for. There was never any time pressure. We came to understand that there was no way individual builders could compete with an efficient organization when it came to dealing with customers.”
The Schumacher Way is our unique process to make the entire new home building process simple and hassle-free. Over the last 3 decades, we’ve refined the process to ensure we’re a helpful guide for homeowners throughout their building journey from making selections with our Sales Coordinators to designing and pricing their future homes with New Home Consultants, and the detailed oversight of our Construction Managers. It, and our passionate experts at each stage of the process, are the main reasons we’ve become America’s Largest Custom Home builder over that time.
In Brad’s own words, “Of course, it didn't hurt that the Schumacher organization had amassed a collection of unbelievably outstanding personnel. Our Construction Manager (our "builder") was an extraordinary human being. He had to have been the greatest project manager in the world. I'm well aware of how extravagant that sounds—I don't know all the other project managers in the world—how can I say such a thing? But we truly believe that no one could be better at what he does. He keeps all the details of a dozen jobs in his head at all times, prioritizing and accomplishing each task in order, leading and handling a fine assemblage of subcontractors, all the while maintaining a cheerful and humorous attitude.”
Stephanie and Brad were equally pleased with other members of the Wilmington team. Brad said, “The General Manager where we are is the consummate professional, with a wealth of experience and a policy of complete honesty and reliability. We never had to worry about being cheated. We just knew that whatever decisions they made were in our best interests. We could always rely on their advice.”
Circling back to the reason that Brad and Stephanie switched to Schumacher Homes, Brad said, “The person who led us through the long process of choosing every detail of the finished product was patient and empathetic and extremely helpful. We started out by choosing from a collection of house plans and then customizing the plan as we wished. We liked the plan we had chosen, The Hummingbird, so much that we changed very little—we moved a closet and a door and added a large screened-in back porch for observing the wildlife and natural events of a teeming wetland. But there were countless small choices of materials and styles. Never did we feel rushed. Our guide had all the time we could possibly want in which to make our decisions. It all turned out to be one long amusing conversation.”
When working with us and our house plans, homeowners can change as much or as little as they want. You’re in control. That’s the beauty of our custom home process starting with the best products and curated style guides for those looking for inspiration, to allowing homeowners to make lots of floor plan changes to get the home of their dreams.
Brad summarized by saying, “As you can tell, the whole Schumacher experience has been a very positive and rewarding one for us. I can't imagine any other company even coming close.”
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.
