When Rob was a young boy, one particularly hot summer afternoon he found himself staring out into what felt like an endless field atop a small hill with a flat landing. There were many spots like these on his family’s farm in bucolic western Pennsylvania where he would put in long hours bailing hay and helping around the property, but it was the inspiring view of this particular spot where the beginning of an idea took form. He didn’t know how or when, but he always thought it would be the perfect place to try and build a house and raise a family.
Many years later in this exact location, the lights flip on for the first time inside a newly built modern farmhouse, picturesque and befitting to the surrounding rustic countryside. It’s Christmas 2021 and even after a few unexpected pandemic material delays, Rob, his wife Meg and their young son spend their first Christmas they hope of many in their forever home, the Fieldcrest by Schumacher.
These are the bookends to an enthralling customer journey that picks up abroad before landing on a farm in the outskirts of Tallahassee, Florida, and then, finally back in Rob’s home state of Pennsylvania.
“We went quite a few different routes. I think we’d been planning it for four or five years,” says Rob about their desire to build a custom home. “And then when we finally met up with Schumacher it was just like that a-ha moment.”
Rob and Meg’s thorough prep time researching builders, floor plans, materials, and zoning rules armed them with the knowledge to proceed confidently with Schumacher. But having a deep understanding of the custom homebuilding process wasn’t the only reason they knew Schumacher was the right choice.
“Firstly, they were just so phenomenal to work with,” Meg leads the conversation outlining her and Rob’s list of why they chose Schumacher. “Secondly? The floor plans, there were just so many to pick from. There was such a vast selection, it really made everything very easy to personalize.”
“Schumacher’s base price included things other builders considered upgrades,” Rob adds conclusively, in a way that resonates with both him and Meg. “That was a really key factor (in our decision) that we were starting out with a really good, solid product.”
Knowing they were planning to build a forever home on a farm, the Fieldcrest stood out as an obvious choice, or as Meg describes, “it just perfectly fit the environment” of an open concept floor plan for an idyllic farm setting. Beyond its exterior charm, what the floor plan offered inside would also rise to meet and exceed their expectations. A centralized first floor, thoughtfully designed in a way that keeps the owner’s retreat accessible to the family’s customized sunroom, secluded and out of the way, combined with a second-floor focused on comfortable family living. Ascending gracefully above the first floor, the Fieldcrest’s second story begins with a cozy loft space at the top of the stairs, surrounded by several additional bedrooms and plenty of extra space to grow.
“From a square footage perspective, it was perfect for us in terms of us being here 20 years from now.”
Adding to the Fieldcrest’s intrinsic openness, the layout was also perfect for customizing the back wall of the house into a bank of windows, thereby creating a warm and inviting reserve of natural light. And of course, when surrounded by 80 acres of rolling hills and serene farmland, who wouldn’t want more ways to appreciate the view?
After five years of extensive planning before ever building their home, Rob and Meg admit you can’t anticipate everything, but as they see it, that doesn’t mean you should be concerned with becoming overprepared.
“Questions come up (in the process) that you never even thought of,” Rob offers some advice to anyone considering building a custom home. “It’s like any other big journey in life, you want to spend as much time preparing as possible and have your bases covered. Know what you want and stick to it because in the end what you get out of it, is what you put into it.”
Another crucial takeaway Meg passes along is the unexpected stress during the middle phase of their home’s construction. “It was really hard in the interim phases, where you see nothing but ply wall and all the other intricate moving pieces and parts. You start to ask yourself, is this ever going to feel finished? But it does and you push through it. Now looking back, we would do it all again, a million times over.”
That’s also where the Schumacher difference could be felt, Rob and Meg add – through the communication and the relationship with their contractor and the construction team. Because Rob and Meg were living in a different residence on the same property where construction of their new home was taking place, they could dip in and out of the building process on a daily, if not several times a day, basis. The couple recognizes the extraordinary level of access this gave them (and maybe added stress too), but just like the risk and reward concept, they say it made the moment when the lights turned on to mark the end of their journey, feel like that much more of an accomplishment.
Going back to the same spot Rob had always thought would make a great place to build a home, now he sees it every day while spending time with Meg and their son, building their lives together. The flat landing just off the top of the hill that’s now their backyard, Rob hopes one day soon it can be expanded into a small soccer field or family ice rink.
“What Rob didn’t mention is when we first met, and we’d been dating for only about 2 weeks, he told me about this very special place on the farm that he grew up on that he thought would be perfect to build a home since childhood,” she recalls fondly. “So, this is really special to have it come to fruition. It’s a dream come true.”
Custom home journeys have no predetermined route. Some take many stops along the way; others might progress along a more direct path. If you’re looking to start your custom home journey, Schumacher wants to help you take the first step.
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.