Owner-specific modifications:
Adjusted ceiling heights: 10' in living room, dining room, and foyer; 9' all other rooms
Changed several window sizes
Added 5' to garage depth, and 6' to garage width
Installed round-topped windows in front, plus round-topped, 7' front door
Relocated water heaters to garage closet
Added a "sunbed room" to garage
Built large backyard deck (instead of covered patio), accessed from four rooms
Instead of door in breakfast area, installed a round-topped window
Installed custom cabinetry throughout home
Installed hot tub and two-person shower in master bath, with custom stained glass window over hot tub
Installed lights in outside perimeter eaves
Installed sprinkler system
Added circular driveway in front, plus large driveway for garage, shop, and basketball court
Built a 25' x 25' adjoining shop to match house style
Precious few homeowners can say of their home, "I built it
myself." John Burge of Magnolia, Arkansas, is one such
homeowner. His home, Plan DD-2607, is proof that it can be
doneand done very well. A shift worker at a local chemical
plant, John is an accomplished builder on the side,
constructing shops, decks, home additionsand throwing in a
little renovation to keep things interesting. He even
manages 29 rental houses! "I stay busy," he says wryly.
The rest of the family isn't exactly sitting on their heels.
Mrs. Burge is a school teacher. Their three children are all
straight-A students; their eldest son has added "football/track
star" to his list of feats. Is it any wonder they live in a
house that cost $176,000 to build, but has recently been appraised
at $247,000?
Take a closer look at the plan for their house, and you'll see what
intrigued the Burges. Notice the clustered secondary bedrooms and
the secluded master suite. Check out the eye-catching exterior corners
and angles, which "gave us the chance to do some pretty
brickwork." Less immediately obvious is the design's impressive
flexibility when it comes to modifications. "the plan was easy
to make changes to," says John (see "Owner-specific
modifications," above).
Why did they build, as opposed to buy, their new home? "We had
sold our previous house at a nice profit, and could not find a
house to suit our taste or our size requirements for the money
we wanted to spend," says John.
So they dug in, contracting out only the brickwork and shingles, plus
a little of the drywall finishing and painting work. John also added
a detached, 25 x 25 shop, which lies to the right of the home. It's
an exquisite structure, matching the main house perfectly in style
and scale.
Construction began in January 1999, and was finished by the time
August 1999 arrived. The Burges name as their favorite features the
big, open kitchen/family room area, and in the master bath, a stunning,
stained-glass window (an extra Burge touch) catches the setting sun
and floods the space with dazzling color. The exterior plays its role
flawlessly, too: "I get a lot of comments on the exterior
brickwork!" says John with a smile.
What does the future hold for the Burge home? "I have a little
more landscaping to add," John admits, but the bulk of the work
is finished.
The Burges' stock blueprint experience was a good one, says John,
who says he would use stock plans again, and recommend them to his
friends. The plans were easy to work with and read, draw on, and
make changes to.
"We're very proud of our home, and love the plans that we got
from [Homeplans, part of Move]!"
1 Cost to build is DIY cost
|
|
