ROSEVILLE, MINN. (February 9, 2015) — The young family that graces the Guidebook cover shares their home building experience.
Rebuilt Appeal
Nestled between Minneapolis’ chain of lakes and the bustling shopping hub of Excelsior & Grand, St. Louis Park touts an excitement of urban living with the sweetness of suburban charm.
The homes are mostly small ramblers from the 1940s, but teardowns and rebuilds have been on the rise.
Sommer and Thibault, homeowners in the Minikahda Vista neighborhood, never thought that they would ever consider building a new home. Like many other young families, “we thought that all we could afford was to remodel,” she explained. So when they began to expand their family, they planned to relocate or renovate their two-bedroom, one-bath, single-level home.
The couple was expecting baby number two when they got in touch with Rob Eldridge from Ridge Creek Custom Homes. They loved their community and convenient commute to their jobs at Target Corporate, so they originally made plans to stay in their existing home, complete an addition and build up a second story. “After Rob came in with our initial bid he suggested that we start from scratch instead.”
Old pipes and a wayward floor plan meant that Rob’s team would have to adjust plans to work around a lot of the home’s existing structure. Rebuilding on the existing lot raised the couple’s budget only slightly, and “offered us a brand new home with everything we wanted…so we said let’s do it!”
Ridge Creek Custom Homes started the build process when Sommer was in her third trimester. Janelle Mattson, Director of Sales and Marketing, “answered all 10,001 of my questions,” she joked, and Sarah Randolph, Ridge Creek’s Interior Designer, “helped make our vision a reality.” The interim was about as good as can be, too. The five-month build-process went by quickly for big sister Penelope (4), who thoroughly enjoyed the family’s “mini-vacation” at a nearby apartment (with an outdoor swimming pool!) that they rented during the rebuild. When Chloe (1) was born, the family was anxious to move back into their dream home as a family of four.
Now a spacious two-story, four-bedroom with a tuck-under garage and lower-level in-law suite, this home is exactly what they wanted. Thibault, who is from Paris, contributed to the home’s European style–think clean, simple, fresh and minimalistic, with lots of white. Sommer took to Pinterest for her inspiration to envision a stunning open concept living space with a bright white kitchen complete with open shelving, butcher-block countertops and a play area for the kids just around the corner.
xxxxx
The 2014 Spring Parade of Homes is sponsored by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and Minnesota Homeowners Alliance.
