The story of Schumacher Homes is the story of our customers. No matter what your story is, what your needs may be, we exist to work with you to build the custom home of your dreams. No story tells this tale better than that of Janie and Brad, who recently built a new home in Holidaysburg, Pennsylvania.
This homeowner journey actually begins in Louisiana, where Janie served as a pastor for her local church. She had been called to serve with a new community near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and due to a few recent events, the needs of their family were quite specific, leaving them with little opportunity to find an existing home in what would be their new, small town. Not long before their move to Pennsylvania, Janie and Brad had welcomed twin babies into their lives and adding even more specificity to their housing needs, Brad had recently undergone an amputation of his lower leg. Needless to say, choosing to build a custom home was an easy decision for their family as they had quite a few necessities that they would never be able to find in an existing house. So, after careful research, they chose to build with Schumacher Homes, as it was clear that our customization options and capabilities were perfect for their family.
During their travels back and forth to Pennsylvania, working to secure Janie’s new job, Janie and Brad came across a piece of land that they absolutely loved. They secured that property and shortly after, signed a contract with Schumacher Homes to start work on their new home. Over the course of the next few weeks, the details for their new home were deliberated over. Be it over email, phone calls, or FaceTime chats, Janie and Brad’s trust in Schumacher Homes continued to grow as they witnessed the commitment and diligence in the effort put forth by the team in Pittsburgh. Their goal was to have the home completed quickly, by the time that they relocated, so our team moved fast, scheduling the appropriate meetings, continuing to move the process forward even without the new homeowners present for the day to day activities.
Brad and Janie’s construction manager, Zachary, performed a walkthrough of the lot that they had purchased, as the site had a few peculiar challenges that needed a closer look. The site that they had chosen was stunning, sitting beside a creek bank on the left of the property, but this, along with the drainage pit for the creek at the rear of the property, would cause a bit of a headache for construction. Zachary and our team were in constant contact with Brad and Janie, relaying information about the site to them, along with the costs that would likely be involved in preparing the land for construction.
There was going to be a lot of hands-on work needed to prepare the site, and Brad and Janie would be leaning heavily on the Pittsburgh team in their new hometown to help get them through the tasks at hand while they tied up their lives in Louisiana. Beyond the lot logistics mentioned, the team discovered that they would also need to install a propane tank and a water well. Again with these features, the new homeowners looked towards the Pittsburgh team with utmost trust in obtaining bids for the well and having the propane tank installed by a team of local contractors.
Once the gritty pieces of the construction process had been expertly handled, Janie and Brad were excited to move onto the more exciting aspects of the process like color selection and materials choices. Of course, the distance still existed between them and the Schumacher Homes office in Pittsburgh, but our team happily went the extra mile, literally, to make sure everything went smoothly on the way to building their dream home. For selections, our Sales Coordinator, Jacki, emailed back and forth with Brad and Janie on a regular basis, providing multiple lists and photos to prepare them for all of the selections that they’d need to make, be it light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, door options, or kitchen cabinetry. This was followed up with color selection meetings via FaceTime so that they could really feel like they were right there making decisions with the team.
Going the extra mile, literally: For every cosmetic selection that Brad and Janie made, samples were sent from the suppliers right to their current home in Louisiana so that they could be absolutely certain that they loved what they chose.
Outside of the fun of choosing colors and features for their home, all of the pre-construction meetings were handled via FaceTime as well, but the long-distance teamwork didn’t just stop there. As Schumacher Homes has an office in Louisiana that is more convenient for Brad and Janie, we were able to handle all of the signing of contracts and plans in a location much more local for everyone involved. Assisted by one of our Customer Coordinators from the New Orleans - Baton Rouge office, Claudette, the excited homeowners were able to review all of their paperwork and sign all that was needed without any issues. Claudette was instrumental in pushing the project forward, as nothing can happen without signed documents.
After the planning phase was finalized and the documents signed, the job broke ground under the careful supervision of our construction manager. Soon after, Janie and Brad moved to Pennsylvania, a bit sooner than they had originally expected, which gave them a chance to keep an eye on the process. Unfortunately, due to Brad’s recent surgery, his ability to access the construction site was limited, but Zachary, their construction manager, did an incredible job relaying all of the daily events in detail when they were unable to take a look up close and personal. Of course, as can happen, there were some hiccups in the building process. When excavating, two septic systems and an existing well were found at the site. Zachary was able to provide photographs to Brad and Janie, continuing the communication efforts with the homeowners to help them understand the impact that it would have on the build and the costs.
Overall, dedicated teamwork between the homeowner, the Pittsburgh team, and Louisiana team made this new home a reality for this relocating family, and the ultimate result was extraordinary. This is the story of Schumacher Homes and this is how we can work across geographies and challenges to build homes perfect for each unique family.
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.