This post is sponsored by Drees Homes, but all opinions are our own. We set out to build the home first and foremost and later entered into a formal collaboration. Photography by Liza Sue Productions.
Patience and kindness are words to live by. Whenever embarking upon a significant life event, it’s important to remember these, as well as the golden rule of treating people how you want to be treated in return. There will always be something that comes up as a stressor that triggers an escalation, but if we work through these together, the outcome can be positive for all.
One of the most significant investments is, of course, your home, and building it from the ground up is quite the undertaking. Immediately, you feel there is ownership in the process as you get to select so many of the structural features, exterior elevations, and design elements. Don’t lose sight of the love and memories you will make along the way. Take deep breaths and time to prepare for each meeting scheduled. Establish communication preferences and daily cutoff times so that you’ll hold your questions or thoughts until the next day early on with your builder. They’re your advocate and partner throughout, so having a solid foundation to work with is essential. Together, you’re taking the long and windy roads, and you’re all looking forward to seeing how the build comes together.
The timing of when the next milestone occurs is estimated until it happens. Setbacks are likely, and sometimes there will be momentum for earlier than told. All are to be taken knowing that healthy being, quality, and safety are paramount. When requesting dates, we often remind ourselves there are many moving pieces, and it’s just an estimate.
It’s okay if you can’t decide on specific design elements early on. If you want wall lighting in the hallway someday, add the electrical box and leave it covered. But don’t feel you need to have the fixture installed right away. Take time to select the pieces you want after living in your home. And if that takes 2-3 years, that’s okay, too!
The design takes time. Magazines, social media, and television shows make us think everything needs to be together when we move in. We again remind ourselves that these are staged to some degree. Developing our style evolves once we’re in the space. It’s great to start with a neutral palette and add pops of color as the seasons change.
Furniture planning tools are lovely, but again, if you have something that will work when you move in, bring it along. Live with it and then decide if it will continue to work or if you want to replace it with a different piece after that!
Since moving in and living in our home for ten months, we’ve added some paint to the bench in the mudroom off the garage. We had window coverings installed. And beautiful built-ins in the study. It was more fun choosing these things once we were home than if we had to make the decisions early on.
We built a home for the location, school district, and land. We loved the floor plan, of course, and being able to change some things to our specifications. But we also like the idea of nearly all the components having a warranty.
There are a few ways to contact customer care for assistance. Almost always, we write a friendly email explaining the concern and attaching pictures. This is easier than a phone call for us, and the images are essential for them to troubleshoot and ensure the right technician is sent to the house for a solution. While some matters are frustrating, we remind ourselves to be kind and patient. Help will come. The issue will be fixed the right way.
We are so proud of the place we call home. Building this has been a journey, and it’s not over. Our family is growing. We brought a puppy home a few months ago. We are hopeful to bring a child into our lives next year. And the space will evolve with us, around us. Thank you to everyone at Drees Homes who have worked with us to ensure we have what we need. We are grateful for you and look forward to what’s next!
We are an interracial, same-sex married couple, on our journey of building a family, turning our house into a home and capturing our daily adventures.
