Aaron and Ashley embarked on an adventure last year. Not only did they decide to move out of state, but they also made the choice to purchase and build their very first home. Their choice to move to the area was driven by the desire to be closer to family. Although, when they discovered they could build their dream home in their new city instead of settling for a resale, they were even more excited to kick off this new chapter.
Ashley sat down to provide us with insights into their unique building experience as first-time and out-of-state homebuyers.
What floor plan did you choose?
We chose to build with the Monarch floor plan with the garden bath option. We knew we wanted a home with an open concept, four bedrooms and an unfinished basement. It was important to us that we had room to eventually grow our family.
As you have watched your new home’s design come to life, what have been your favorite features?
Seeing our space come to life has been amazing! My husband’s favorite space has definitely been the owner’s suite bathroom. He was so nervous about choosing our design options. He kept saying that he just couldn’t picture it. Once we were able to see everything come together, he fell in love!
As for me, I was convinced that our bathroom was my favorite place too … until our kitchen was complete! I love the space we have created in the center of our home, and look forward to creating many recipes and even more memories in our kitchen and dining area.
What did you enjoy most about the building process?
We loved seeing our dream come to life from the ground up and getting weekly updates from our builder.
Personally, I also loved our day at the Design Center! There were so many options to choose from, and it was so exciting to be able to focus on the vision we had for our home. Our Design Consultant, Cara, was super helpful too. Together, we were able to design a space that we couldn’t wait to move into!
What advice would you give others who are interested in building a home?
Go into the process with an idea of what features you need as well as the things you want. Make a list of your top three features and prioritize those. After that, everything else is a bonus! For example, we definitely wanted to prioritize our owner’s suite, but other areas like our fireplace, which we didn’t absolutely need, ended up being a great feature too.
Also, make sure you have an idea of what you want your design style/aesthetic to be. Pinterest is your friend!
Why did you choose to build with Drees?
When we were shopping for a home, we found that many of the houses that checked most of our boxes had been built within the last three to four years.
We researched and met with many builders, and ultimately decided, based on location and the floor plans offered, that Drees Homes was right for us! We could build our home for nearly the same amount that we were budgeting to buy a resale home, and building with Drees, we were able to check off all of our boxes!
Learn More
Interested in other personal stories from the Homeowner Spotlight Series, click here.
To learn more about building your own Drees home, visit dreeshomes.com and select your location.