Marc and Katie Lobliner take work from home to a whole new level. The husband-and-wife duo run their own business, so it was imperative their Drees home had a space where they could work together. In addition to their double office space, the Lobliners love the unique features they were able to incorporate like the spa-like super shower Marc jokingly refers to as a “car wash” and their personal, at-home gym.
After having lived in Illinois, North Carolina and California, the family of five wanted to settle down. They quickly fell in love with the Traditions neighborhood in Brentwood, Tennessee, and chose a serene, wooded home site. Now, the family enjoys picturesque wooded views and natural light throughout their new home.
After moving in, the couple sat down to share their top takeaways for designing a home that fits your family’s unique lifestyle needs.
What floor plan did you choose and what attracted you to this design?
We selected the Belterra with an added fifth bedroom, a deluxe owner’s suite, an extended screen porch with fireplace and even more customization. The first time we walked into the model, we said, ‘This is it!’ We fell in love with the high ceilings in the family room and entire layout.
The floor plan is perfect for our needs as a family. We have three children who each wanted their own bathroom. With the Belterra floor plan, the kids have their rooms and a gameroom upstairs.
We both work from home, so we used the space that was supposed to be the formal dining room as a second home office. It was walled off with double French doors. Plus, it has a barn door to separate the space from the working panty. Our offices are across from each other, which is great since we work together and communicate with each other all day. It is nice to have our own space though.
Working out is a huge part of our lives, so we extended the two-car garage to a three-car garage and finished the carriage garage to create a home gym.
As you have watched your new home’s design come to life, what have been your favorite spaces and features?
We have many features that we love, but our kitchen is our favorite. Drees was able to customize our kitchen to fit exactly what we wanted. We have a 30” refrigerator, a 30” freezer, a 48” professional-style professional range, a 10-foot island, and quartz counters and backsplash. Our working pantry is the perfect little spot right off the kitchen where we can keep the toaster oven and coffee pot without cluttering up the main counters.
What did you enjoy most about the building process?
The best part of the building process was picking everything we wanted and seeing it all come together. We loved that Drees has a Design Center where you could see so many different options in one spot. Even if they didn’t have something there, they could check with their vendors to see if they could get exactly what we wanted.
What advice would you give others who are interested in building a home?
If you are interested in building a home, we suggest making a priority list and having pictures of things that you like. When going into this build, we knew that our top priorities were two home offices, a home gym, a three-car garage, a gourmet kitchen and a home site that backed to trees. We were able to get all of those things in our new Drees home.
Why did you choose to build with Drees?
We choose to build with Drees, because they have been in business for a very long time and have a good reputation. We fell in love with the neighborhood and floor plan. Drees had first selection when the new lots were released, so we were confident we could get a home site backing to trees.
Learn More
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