At Parkwood, we’re dedicated to helping you build not just a home, but a house that feels like your home. That’s why we work hard to give you the freedom to design your home for the way you live. Here’s how we helped Jackie build hers.
Why were you looking for a new home?
Jackie: I was relocating for my job and I actually work across the street. So it was that and I wanted to be someplace convenient for work in a neighborhood that I felt really fit my needs, and I really found it here.
What in particular about Urbana that grabbed you more than other areas?
Jackie: I really liked how they put the community together. I think that they have everything. I always tell people, “you know I have Washington DC, but I'm never going into Washington DC because I have everything I need here within a 10 mile radius of where I am. So this is my world and I like it. It's a very comfortable world. I have everything I need right here.
How did you find Parkwood Homes?
Jackie: Well I had a realtor and she was going to come with me. I told her, “we're going to spend one day looking and I'm gonna find my place.” Seriously! So she showed me seven or eight different places. Then, when we were about done, and nothing really fit the bill. I said, “can we go look at this model that's across the street my office? I know it sounds crazy but can we go look at it?” We walked in and I turned around to her after I looked at it and said, “I want this. This is it.”
So what in particular grabbed you when you were walking through the model?
Jackie: The detail, the quality of the finishes, the quality of the layout. I could see myself there, especially on the second floor. This is where I spend 90% of my time and it was just open and inviting. I think this kitchen is fantastic. It really is what sold me. I could also envision myself designing what I wanted to. I think the choices I was given to work with were fantastic. It wasn't them saying, “you have a choice of three things,” it was more like I got to design my own home. I got to make a custom home.
What was the build process like for you?
Jackie: It was really interesting because the first things we took care of were decisions about the basic stuff. How many bathrooms do you want and all that stuff, and that was pretty straightforward. Then when it came time to pick the finishes we went to look at the quartz, we went and looked at all the finishes, we spent the whole day doing that and the great thing was Robyn (Parkwood’s Sales Manager in Urbana) was able to help me and give me some guidance. The great thing about this is that instead of just making all the bathrooms the same finishes or being forced to make single choices for the whole home, you could change it up and make it look like a custom home. It’s so funny when I walk through some of these homes and it's like, “I know that generally our floorplans are pretty much the same throughout the house, but it’s amazing how different these homes feel just depending on each person’s decision-making process and in the decorating decisions. So your home feels entirely yours, and it’s very cool in that way. I got to pick my own light fixtures, and I was able to visualize my art on the walls, where I would put my things through the whole process.
So this home has a very unique decorative style. Did you know the style before you found the home, or did you come up with the decorating plan after finding the right place?
Jackie: I found the house and then I kind of let it speak to me. I knew I really liked the gray idea. I had some pieces, like that table came with me, and it's kind of that industrial feel. I was just so blessed to find something comfortable, and really I love color palettes and gray. It really just all came together. This kitchen was a really important finish to pick because it kind of set the tone for the rest of the place. I think especially in these homes, because it is very centrally located, it also becomes like a central hub for anything that's happening in the house at any time. So everything from picking the light fixtures to getting the quartz right was very important to me.
Are there any projects you’re working on now or planning for the future of the home?
Jackie: I actually think I'm pretty much done. I’ve been here for almost a year now and I really didn't cover every wall right away. My husband and I travel to Italy once a year and so I was picking up art, we pick up a piece every year when we go there, and it becomes a part of the collection here. Art is just so important to me, be it pottery that I collect or the art that we put on our walls. With all that done it makes it so now I come home and it's mine and it’s peaceful. I come home and I can rest. Every one of my coworkers that comes in, they just marvel at it and they're like, “did you do this?” I just say it was just super easy and the process was great.
Any other thoughts before we finish up?
Jackie: I think compared to what I looked at on that first day with my realtor, the quality was just there. There were so many just cookie-cutter places that just didn't feel right. This feels warm. Everything in this place is unique to me, this is my home. That is my neighbor’s home and this is my home and you can really tell the difference. It's easy to have it be a cookie-cutter approach and have everybody be exactly the same, but because of the process it became my home from day one.
