Building your dream home

Shingles and outside stonework share pages with little dining room nooks and bathroom nuances. According to Bryan, the notebook has hardly left her side over the past two years, and now that the couple is getting ready to move into the home they’ve been building since September of last year, those ideas on paper are a reality they can’t wait to embrace.

“Even though it’s something that does consume quite a bit of time, it’s exciting and fun,” Bryan Vowels said of the home-building process. “Even the days choosing toilet lid colors are exciting.”

Though building a house is a year-round evolution, contractors throughout the tri-state region take advantage of the summer months, both because of the fairer weather and the longer days. According to Jerry Hickenbottom, building a house can take anywhere from six months to more than two years depending on the size and specifications. Each house has to go through the same set of stages, however, and there are a number of factors that play into the success and speed of completion. He likens the process to a lineup of dominos.

“As long as everything is lined up and on time — and that includes other houses in the area being built because of all the sub-contractors — then it’s good,” Hickenbottom said. “If one thing goes out, everything else goes out.”