Our Dream Address: The Jones Family Home-Building Journey

Building a home can be an extensive process, so learning from another family’s building experience can be highly beneficial. Join the Jones family as they tell us how they built their dream home and their journey! 

Finding the Perfect Land

Finding the perfect piece of land to build your dream home is an essential and exciting part of the home-building journey. Every family’s vision of their ideal property is unique; for the Jones, their ideal property was a farm with at least 200 acres. They got in touch with a family friend who happens to be in real estate, Pete Ewing; he showed them their dream property on December 10, 2021; “We told our real estate agent, Pete Ewing, that we wanted to build our life on a 200-acre farm. He found something even better, our slice of heaven on 330 acres in West Georgia, and it was perfect!” While driving through the property, the Jones noticed a hill overlooking about 150 acres. They knew right then and there that this was where they wanted to wake up every morning and see a beautiful sunrise over their green fields (check out the photos of their stunning view below!). As of May 2022, the Joneses had all 330 acres to themselves! 

Choosing a House Plan

On a mission to pursue their forever home, the Jones searched through plans for about a month, “We were specifically looking until we found the one with a wrap-around porch, two garages, and ranch-style.” After searching through our house plans, the plan the family landed on was Modern Farmhouse Plan 963-00549. Plan 963-00549 offered the look and the layout that they wanted. The Jones explained the selling point of that plan for them was how the guest room and owner suite were located on the main level and that there were two separate garages, allowing for their dream of “his & her garages”!

MODERN FARMHOUSE HOUSE PLAN 963-00549

Modifications

Making modifications to the floor plan allows families to tailor and transform a home into their ideal living space. As for the Jones, they slightly customized Plan 963-00549: they widened the house 4′ in each direction on both sides of the home, expanding the owner suite on the main level. They built their home on a walkout basement foundation and finished part of the basement, which added about 1400 square feet to make extra space for entertaining, plus a jack-and-jill bathroom and bedrooms for their kids. They left some unfinished rooms in the basement for additional storage. Lastly, they added a bar to the rear of the garage to the right of the house, making a garage bar and patio to the back on the main level instead of a “lake bar” on the basement level, as the original plan calls for. 

How Do You Choose a Builder?

Choosing a builder was a unique process for the Jones; they were in search of someone local & trustworthy. Luckily, they had close family and friends who worked in construction. Jonathan, the Jones’ patriarch, was previously a builder and ended up selecting a great friend of his local to their area. Their team offered great expertise & a high-quality team of sub-contractors. 

What is the Building Process Like?

Building a home can be a stressful process for anyone, and The Jones experienced some unique difficulties building right after COVID-19. “As this was our second home build, we quickly learned that right after COVID, it is much harder to build a home than it was before. Lead times took longer than usual, and it wasn’t easy to find the pieces we wanted in time to make our design feel like home. However, despite the longer duration and stress of the build, the outcome was worth the wait & very rewarding,” stated The Jones. Throughout the build, the Jones tried their best to be involved daily and assist in onsite activities as much as possible. They wanted to be as involved as possible if that meant installing finishing touches such as door knobs or lighting fixtures. In the end, the Jones stated the most exciting part of the process was watching their dream come to life and seeing how their plan that was once a drawing became their forever home.

What Happens If You Experience Issues or Delays?

As a result of building after COVID-19, the Jones explained that they did experience some delays throughout their building process. The Jones’ most challenging part of the process was waiting on long lead times. The Jones stated, “Due to these lead times, it made our build a tad more challenging, causing it to take a year to be completed when we were hoping for 7-8 months.” The Jones’ delays consisted of long lead times for their desired materials and trying to finish up their build in one of the wettest summers in Georgia. 

Many of the Jones’ delays were unavoidable on their behalf, as they mainly consisted of extended waiting periods. However, there are ways to avoid possible issues or delays. Collaborating with your contractor or builder can give you a detailed and realistic timeline for the project. If you don’t already have a contractor or builder in close contact, it’s essential to research and ensure they’ll present a reliable construction process. Similar to what the Jones family did, visiting the construction site frequently allows you to stay informed about the progress and identify issues early on to avoid any significant problems later on. A proactive approach to addressing challenges is crucial for keeping the project on track!

Yet, after a year of patiently waiting, the Jones finally moved into the home of their dreams. A beautiful home sitting on a stunning 330 acres: 

Want to see a video walk-through of their final build of this plan? Check it out here.

What Advice Did You Wish You Had Received About Building a Home?

Advice from the Jones:

1. Plan every aspect before you get too deep into the process. Plan out materials, colors, lights, fixtures, flooring, etc., early on in your process
2. Check with at least two subcontractors on bids
3. Enjoy the building process, take your time, and ensure you’re building exactly what you want. In the end, it is YOUR dream home!