What floor plan did you choose and what attracted you to this design?

After living in a home we built for 32 years, my husband and I decided we had a list of things we needed in a new home. We needed a main floor owner's suite and two offices. We wanted an open floor plan and spacious rooms to entertain. Most of all, we wanted our home site to be wooded and have enough room for a pool. After considering other options for a custom build, other production builders and Drees, we walked through the Drees Crestwood model home and both felt that this was the one!

The Crestwood met all of our needs! What's great about the Crestwood design is that we were able to move the main floor laundry, thereby creating another office. When our daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter come to visit, they love the openness of the upstairs game room and two bedrooms and two full baths!

As you have watched your new home’s design come to life, what have been your favorite features?

As we watched the building process take place, I thought my initial favorite space would be the large kitchen, as it has an 11-foot island, butler's pantry and openness to the great room and morning room. As we have been in the house, our favorite space is now the outdoor living area, which is enjoyable in any weather thanks to the covered deck. Our favorite features include the nearly floor-to-ceiling windows on the back of the house as well as the 11-foot ceilings! We also love our owner's suite with the super shower. It's hard to pick because there are really so many spaces and features that we love.

What did you enjoy most about the building process?

One of the things we enjoyed about this process was the Design Center and working with credentialed designers! The designers were excellent, patient and helpful. Every week, my husband and I would go into the Design Center during open browse hours to look at our options. We put together several color selections with flooring, tile, countertops, etc. Additionally, Drees was willing to work with us with the refrigerator size and not limiting the gas cooktop size. What I liked too was that we had to have our design decisions made and finalized before they broke ground. So, that meant that we could enjoy the process and not get caught up on design changes and additional costs.

What advice would you give others who are interested in building a home?

When my husband and I decided to make this move, it was January 2020. After selling our home in three days just before COVID-19 hit, we began the building process. We had to live in an apartment for four months during the build, which was only 10 minutes from our new Drees home under construction. Fortunately, we could stop by the new house three to four times a week to see the progress. It was so exciting to see the various stages of the build.

We were able to establish a great relationship with our Builder and maintained an open line of communication, which we recommend.

As for design, have an idea of what style you like, colors, must-haves, etc. Know that countertops, cabinetry and flooring will be some of your largest expenses, so make the choices you want in the beginning. If needed, upgrade those choices in the design phase, because changing those out later can come at a huge expense and mess.

This is our third build. The first two homes were custom and this was a “production” build. We were somewhat skeptical of a “production” build versus a custom “stick built” home. However, we were impressed with the way this build took place. Our walls are true and straight and the engineering is solid. We looked at it as cars are built in a production format, in a temperature controlled environment. Why can’t the frames and walls for houses be build the same way? We would build again as long as Drees was the builder.

Why did you choose to build with Drees?

We chose Drees because of the neighborhood, the home site with trees in the back, room for a pool and the floor plan for our forever home. Our experience with Drees and the building process was very positive and literally checked all of the boxes on our wish list!

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To learn more about building your own Drees home, click here and select your location. Interested in other personal stories from the Homeowner Spotlight Series? Click here.