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House Plan NW-579 Customer Testimonials
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Owner-specific modifications:
Made deck larger and moved stairs to left side of living room
Extended master bath one foot and master closet one foot, for total of 2 ft. added to overall width of home
Omitted skylights and skywalls, since home gets plenty of sunlight without them
Enlarged island and moved range to "west" wall
Moved "west" entrance, near kitchen, to "north" wall of utility room. West entrance was replaced by desk
Expanded opening between dining and living rooms, from 54 to 75 inches for more open feel
Replaced French doors with sliding glass doors in master bedroom and dining room, to avoid hitting furniture with doors
You would think that anyone driving in the area of scenic U.S. Highway 321, on the east side of Gatlinburg, Tenn.,
would be looking south toward the awesome views of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
But something else is grabbing their attention.
Perched on a slope above a nearby road, the home of Suzanne and Ray Whaley is getting noticed.
Maybe it's the living room's cathedral ceiling with glass rising to the peak.
Or maybe it's the 12-foot Christmas tree that draws attention in December.
But people often stop to ask if they can make an appointment to view the interior.
The Whaleys are flattered. They are happy with the home they built (Plan NW-579), and they don't mind showing it off.
Ray and Suzanne have been in the home-construction business for more than seven years.
Ray is a field supervisor, which means he oversees everything for people building a home.
He saves them money compared to a general contractor, since he only works for them part-time.
He helps to make decisions about the home, which makes people feel more comfortable.
Suzanne serves as Ray's "sidekick," helping out in any way she can, from staining wood to doing heavy lifting.
Since they know quite a bit about homes, Suzanne and Ray were able to choose a plan that fits perfectly on their sloping lot.
And the windows are oriented for maximum views of the Tennessee hills and mountains.
There are so many highlights in Plan NW-579, but the Whaleys mention the deck as one.
They enlarged it from the deck on the blueprints and moved the stairs to the left.
They chose a material called ChoiceDek®, from Weyerhaeuser. It is made from
a 50/50 combination of recycled wood and recycled plastic, and will never need to be sealed, stained or treated.
Of course, another highlight of the home is the living room, with its cozy fireplace, cathedral ceiling and sweeping views.
The shop off the garage is handy, since the Whaleys are homebuilders. Ray can back his truck right up to the shop area.
The home's thoughtful layout places two bedrooms and a full bath on the daylight-basement level.
This is perfect for Ray and Suzanne, who do some work with a children's home, and sometimes have guests in their home.
The guests can use the entire basement and enjoy a sense of privacy.
If they did it all over again, the Whaleys would only change one more thing.
They would make the house deeper, to expand the size of the second bedroom on the main floor.
Suzanne and Ray are proud to say that they built the entire home themselves, with just a few exceptions:
smoothing the slab, hanging the garage door, and installing the heat and air conditioning.
Suzanne sums it all up by saying, "We did everything on this house . . . and we're still married!"
All joking aside, it must have been a positive experience, since this was actually the second home they built for themselves.
And even more impressive: they're already thinking about their third home.
They hope to start building again in a couple of years.
They must be serious, because Suzanne admits that they've already gone back to looking through home-plan magazines.
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