Meet The Lohses
New Westfield residents, the Lohse’s, share what life in their new custom home in Maple Ridge is like. Hear why they chose to build in Maple Ridge with Old Town, what their favorite part of their home is and how their building experience compared to previous homes they’ve lived in.
What initially made you want to build in Maple Ridge?
Jeff: We love the convenient, easy access to the Meridian and Keystone business and retail corridors, even 465. However, when you turn down Oak Road, there is a wonderful sense of peace and quiet. Maple Ridge is a smaller community and the beautiful wooded lots and ponds scattered throughout make it even more special. We spent a long time debating about buying or remodeling but I just kept coming back to Old Town and this area and it eventually won us over.
What do you like most about living in Maple Ridge?
Lois: This is a friendly, active neighborhood, which I love. I see neighbors walking their dogs or riding bikes. There is definitely all age groups here with kids, college age kids or those whose children are fully grown, like us. There is a great variety of people here that bring a real sense of community. We look forward for this warmer weather to get out and meet them.
What’s your favorite thing about your home?
Lois: My favorite feature of our home is our wooded backyard and the privacy our porch offers. We love how easy it is to take some time each day to enjoy sitting outside. I also love the layout of our house – the easy, open flow and all the beautiful, custom finishes.
Jeff: I really like all the large windows that are placed to allow lots of natural light into every part of our home. Even the basement windows provide an open and airy feeling.
Tell us about the building experience with Old Town Design Group.
Jeff: We really appreciated the creativity and flexibility that Old Town provided during the building process. Whenever we had a change order, Old Town always figured out a way to make it happen – which made the building process so much easier. It’s always “how can we?” instead of “it’s not going to happen”. They were clearly focused on providing a great customer experience. It was an excellent journey from beginning to end. The staff clearly communicated expectations, time lines and home owner responsibilities. They made the process fun and were very professional while giving great advice.
Could you describe the feeling when you both walked into your finished home?
Lois: I was really proud of Jeff because he was the one that got us through the whole process. I was worried about leaving our former home of 35 years to walk out that door. But I walked out very easily and was ready for this next chapter. I remember walking in the front door and feeling like I was home… there isn’t a better feeling.
Jeff: I had a real sense of pride and excitement – seeing the final culmination of this year long project was amazing and very satisfying. I have a genuine sense of happiness here.
The Lohse family found the home design and location that was right for them. Make the move and write your own building story with Old Town Design Group at our newest Westfield community, Maple Ridge.
About Maple Ridge
Nestled between the gated community of Grassy Branch in Bridgewater to the East and adjacent to the east woods of Cool Creek Park, Maple Ridge is just 1 mile from the Monon Trail, providing the perfect location for an active lifestyle. Don’t forget to ask about the optional membership in Bridgewater Club available to Maple Ridge residents, if desired.
Maple Ridge’s home styles range from Craftsman to Modern Farmhouses to Modern Prairie and go from 2,500 to 6,000 square feet. Average lot widths of over 100ft allow for custom home designs that maximize both your indoor and outdoor living space. Floor plans can include options like basements, bonus rooms, sun rooms, built-in bars, multiple outdoor living spaces, etc. Add your own personal touch to your home with details like exposed beams, stone fireplaces, or reading nooks.
DETAILS
HOME & LOT PRICE: Starting at $1.2M
SCHOOL DISTRICT: Westfield-Washington Schools
Carey Ridge Elementary, Westfield intermediate, Westfield Middle, and Westfield High School
ARB REQUIREMENTS: Minimum 2,500 SQ FT Ranch
AMENITIES/FEATURES: Access to the Monon Trail, Optional membership to the Bridgewater Club
MODEL HOURS: By Appointment Only
Meet The Wieczoreks
New Carmel residents, the Wieczoreks, share what life on the Monon in their new custom home is like.
What made you choose to build in Sunrise on the Monon?
Stephanie: When we were looking for a house, we had a lot of things that we wanted that we weren’t finding in already built homes. So, we decided to look at building and we heard about the neighborhood from some friends and it seemed like a great idea. We love the style of Old Town’s homes and we like the area a lot.
Victor: We came from living downtown, so we enjoyed all of the amenities that downtown had, but it was getting to be a little bit much. Coming north was a great choice and taking advantage of everything Carmel had to offer while still being accessible to downtown. It seemed like a great little quiet area, where you still have tons of access. Victor: We came from living downtown, so we enjoyed all of the amenities that downtown had, but it was getting to be a little bit much. Coming north was a great choice and taking advantage of everything Carmel had to offer while still being accessible to downtown. It seemed like a great little quiet area, where you still have tons of access.
How did the access to the Monon Trail influence your move to Sunrise on the Monon or did it?
Victor: We like to bike and run. Having access to the Monon is another way to get downtown if we wanted to or to Broad Ripple, head up North to Carmel. It’s just a fun way to stay active. Now that we have Daphne, she loves taking walks out there.
Can you discuss the difference in your lifestyle since you moved to Sunrise on the Monon?
Stephanie: We definitely have been able to entertain more which is what we wanted when we were thinking about the house. We had a birthday party yesterday, and we had people over last weekend. It feels like we’re a lot more social I think since we have the space to be social.
Victor: Exactly, we were downtown for a year before we moved here which is a very different lifestyle, generally. Living downtown in a small apartment versus up here in the “burbs”, it’s just a much larger area. We’re able to take advantage of it and host a lot more. Even when we just have small parties, it feels like a lot more relaxed it’s not as hustle and bustle. But there is still a lot of action and activity here. We really enjoy it.
Could you describe the feeling when you both walked into your finished home?
Stephanie: I think it’s hard because Victor was over here, every day, multiple times every day.
Victor: Yeah, I was. So, walking into the home the first time and knowing it was ours after taking ownership, that was definitely a “WHOA” feeling for us. Coming into something that was brand new, built exactly how we wanted it and that we had been able to watch the process since it was an open field, it was a really cool feeling. One of the best parts of that for me, was knowing that the people who worked on the house, Dave and Eddie, did stellar work in communication. They let us know exactly what was going on and if something had to change on the fly, they described what it was, what was going on and why it needed to change. I never felt like there was a question mark about any decision that Old Town made. I always felt like I was in the ‘know’ and I got to voice my opinion. Throughout the process, Stephanie and I, learned to trust the professionals. I know it’s a long-winded answer, but the feeling was all wrapped up in the fact that when we took ownership, I was excited not because it was ours, but because I knew from day one that it was as good as it could be and it’s just an amazing house.
What do you like most about living in Sunrise on the Monon?
Stephanie: I think that we’ve met some really great people here and we love having a yard. That’s one way that we meet people, through Daphne. She’s very friendly and we meet other owners. It’s been really nice to have a community feeling and community events, like Food Truck Friday and Bud and Maureen’s semiannual coffee day.
Victor: Just in general, all of the folks have been wonderful and so nice. I think for being relatively young in the neighborhood it’s been great to have the apartments nearby. We enjoy it because there are younger people walking around and we’ve made a lot of friends with people living in the apartments. The location is fantastic, I love that we’re just minutes away from everything but right now we have the windows and doors open and it sounds so quiet and calm.
Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
Victor: I think I touched on it earlier about learning how to trust professionals, I think a lot of people have problems with that. Even just looking at the initial schedule, week one on Buildertrend they show every single step all the way until you’re closed and some of that, to a leman like me, doesn’t make any sense. But you have trust. Mistakes and accidents happen, sure. But in our case, in the few times where that did happen building our house, Dave and Eddie bent over backwards to make sure that not only do we make up the time, but that we close a week early which is almost unheard of. So, we couldn’t be anything but happier with that. Looking around now at the house, I’m thinking about things like the trim, which I’m sure that some people have strong opinions of, but I trusted that Old Town knew what they were talking about. It helped remove the stress of being nitpicky about every little thing. The customization was there, and when I didn’t want to [customize], the trust was there which was great.
The Wieczorek family found the home design and location that was right for them. Make the move and write your own building story with Old Town Design Group at our newest Monon community, Sunrise on the Monon, in the heart of Carmel.
About Sunrise on the Monon
Sunrise on the Monon is nestled in a quiet neighborhood at 99th Street and Westfield Boulevard, with easy access to downtown Carmel, Keystone at the Crossing, I-465, and the Monon Trail. This friendly community offers private wooded lots and intimate village lots to create a sense of community where every home is unique.
DETAILS
HOME & LOT STARTING PRICE: $595K
SCHOOL DISTRICT: Carmel-Clay Schools
Forest Dale Elementary, Carmel Middle, Carmel High School
ARB REQUIREMENTS: Minimum 1,600 SQ FT Ranch
AMENITIES/FEATURES: Direct access to the Monon Trail
MODEL ADDRESS: 9864 Morningstar Lane, Carmel, IN 46280
MODEL HOURS: Thurs-Sun, Noon to 5pm
Meet The Sulkowskis
New Westfield residents, the Sulkowskis, share what it was like building as a second time Old Town client.
What initially made you want to build in Chatham Hills?
Jim: We’re transitioning from Chicago and we’re looking for a fresh start, and we just felt that moving to Chatham Hills, everybody is in the same position, building a house or just built a home. [We felt that] it would be a great way to meet a lot of people and share the same experience.
Maureen: Right. The last home that we built, we moved in all at once as a community, and they’ve become our lifelong friends. So, we’re hoping that that will happen here in Chatham as well. Jim does love to play golf, so it seemed like a perfect fit.
What was the building process like being the Home-A-Rama home owner?
Maureen: It was fabulous. Wendy and Amanda worked with us from day one, from conception to completion and it was a fun experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it couldn’t be any better.
Jim: It was beyond my expectation. When you build a house, there’s a lot of emotional and financial decisions to be made and working with the Old Town team and Wendy Langston and her team, it made it effortless. I could not be more pleased or impressed with the teamwork that took place to help us build more than our dream home.
Tell us about the building experience with Old Town. Was it different this time, having built with us previously?
Jim: Well the first time that we built with Old Town, I was very impressed just with everybody’s professionalism and their ability to work with the homeowners. Now with Home-A-Rama, it just stepped up to another entire level. The precision, the quality control, the teamwork, the communication, working through buildertrend, it made the process just so easy and effortless. What I really appreciate is that there was never a problem, whatever situation arose with the Old Town team, it was discussed and resolved. Again, as a new home owner, I could not be more happy with the end result.
Maureen: I agree. I’d say that after our first experience building with Old Town, we got to know many of the Old Town team, and they have just become part of our family. It has been just a wonderful experience. Anything that we needed, they couldn’t be happier to help us.
What’s your favorite thing about your home?
Jim: I think from the moment you walk in the house and you see the beautiful trees, the golf course and the way that Old Town designed the house with its location on our lot, there’s a wow factor to it that I never ever expected. I can’t be more thankful for the work that they did to bring this house about.
Maureen: For me, the favorite thing, if I could say the whole thing I would. If I had to pick one thing, I would say the livability of it. It just is comfortable, it’s just the perfect home for us for family and friends. I love our outdoor living space and how it flows into the main house, it’s just going to be wonderful for entertaining.
In what ways did Old Town exceed your expectations?
Jim: Without question, the quality of the work and their perspective on finding these little minor imperfections, that Maureen and I never notice, that they brought to our attention, that I was just amazed. Having worked in the building industry for many years, I just feel that they take this personally and that they want their clients to be so satisfied, that the quality control is beyond my wildest dreams. The fact that they take it to such an extreme was really appreciated by Maureen and myself.
Maureen: Everything Home did an equally wonderful job, their time and when things would come up and we would have to take a different route on a design decision, they were there to pick up the slack and help us come to a beautiful end conclusion.
Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
Maureen: I would just like to add a big thank you to Jeff, Wendy and their teams at Old Town and Everything Home, for a dream home that we cannot wait to move in and start enjoying it. Thank you so much.
About Chatham Hills
Chatham Hills is a luxury custom home community along the Chatham Hills golf course in Westfield, Indiana. There are many lots available that Old Town Design Group can build on, including course-front lots and lots with access to the Monon Trail. You’ll find Chatham Hills provides an outstanding location for your custom-built home with its close proximity to US-31 and downtown Westfield. Contact us to find out more about our homes and lots for sale at Chatham Hills.
DETAILS
HOME & LOT PRICE: Starting at $1.3M
SCHOOL DISTRICT: Westfield-Washington Schools
Monon Trail Elementary, Westfield Middle, Westfield Intermediate, Westfield High School
ARB REQUIREMENTS: Minimum 1,500 SQ FT on lots under 100′
AMENITIES/FEATURES: Chatham Hills Clubhouse, Golf Course, Indoor & Outdoor Pools, Tennis & Pickleball Courts, Fitness Center, Bowling, Pro Shop, Restaurants, etc.
MODEL ADDRESS: 19893 Elmsborough Drive, Westfield, IN 46074 (Chatham Village)
MODEL HOURS: Thurs-Sun, Noon to 5pm
Meet The Schaefers
What made you choose to build in Sunrise on the Monon?
Alex: I was looking at a place that would be a reasonable commute, with working at St. Francis on the south side, but still be in Carmel or Zionsville. Since this was the closest to 465, I felt that this was the the best option to keep the commute within reasonable bounds. Plus, I just like being close to northern Indianapolis. It’s a good location with Keystone, Nora and Carmel and Zionsville is close too.
Did the access to the Monon Trail influence your move to Sunrise on the Monon?
Shalina: Yes, I will say yes. We looked in both Zionsville and Carmel, and we were looking at new home developments and for sure the Monon Trail really pulled us here. Living down on the south side, we came in the summer with our boys four or five times, just to ride our bikes up here [on the Monon]. So, we would drive 45 minutes, park the car and then go on a bike ride right by where we are living. I would be so jealous of all of the homes on the Monon, I was like, “This would be a dream if we could just live here”. So, when we found out that there was new development on the Monon, it was a big deal to us.
Alex: Yeah, it’s things we always do as a family; ride bikes or walk on the Monon and being right there is obviously helpful.
What are your favorite places to go off the Monon Trail and how close is it to your home?
Shalina: The Farmer’s Market up in Carmel and riding down to Broad Ripple too. We’ve gone to dinner with our boys by bike. The three-year-old can ride a balance bike about 3 or 4 miles. We’ve gone to dinner in the last month 4 or 5 times by bike, so it’s been really fun. It’s situated half way between Broad Ripple and Downtown Carmel and I don’t know how you could beat that.
Alex: The Arts and Design district and the Monon Center was a big selling point too, being so close with a water park for the kids.
Could you describe the feeling when you both walked into your finished home?
Shalina: It was our 10-year wedding anniversary the day of the closing, so that was really just a great day. It was overwhelming, but in a good way, when we walked into our home surrounded by our neighbors, toasting to our home. It was a really special day.
Alex: It did feel very welcoming, that so many neighbors took the time to come and show up. You know, this neighborhood is not even near filled out, so we really appreciated that.
What do you like most about your new home?
Shalina: I like the whole floor plan. It was a happy experience to get to design the home with people that you could trust and knew what they were doing. We’ve never done this before and it was a lot of decisions, but it was I’d say, 85% exciting and 15% nerve-wracking.
Alex: The grill. Grilling is a new hobby for me that I didn’t have before. It’s nice having the nature preserve right behind it – you can just look out and its just trees. It’s very green. Having the front porch very accessible and the back porch very accessible, both having views of greenery is something that I value.
Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
Alex: Every vendor was very professional and understanding that we don’t have the knowledge that they have and how to work with us and get us to show our preferences in a way that they could manifest them in the home.
Shalina: I think it was really helpful having Theresa work with us for the interior design stuff, just because these are things I’ve never thought about before. To be able to talk with any of the vendors and contractors about how we live our life and for them to instantly come up with solutions, they were excellent at that. They put in a laundry shoot for the boys. We said, “This is what we do in our kitchen”, and they made us a craft cabinet.
About Sunrise on the Monon
Sunrise on the Monon is nestled in a quiet neighborhood at 99th Street and Westfield Boulevard, with easy access to downtown Carmel, Keystone at the Crossing, I-465, and the Monon Trail. This friendly community offers private wooded lots and intimate village lots to create a sense of community where every home is unique.
DETAILS
HOME & LOT STARTING PRICE: $595K
SCHOOL DISTRICT: Carmel-Clay Schools
Forest Dale Elementary, Carmel Middle, Carmel High School
ARB REQUIREMENTS: Minimum 1,600 SQ FT Ranch
AMENITIES/FEATURES: Direct access to the Monon Trail
MODEL ADDRESS: 9864 Morningstar Lane, Carmel, IN 46280
MODEL HOURS: Thurs-Sun, Noon to 5pm
Meet The Plesniaks
New Westfield residents, the Plesniaks, share what life in their new custom home in Chatham Hills is like. The Plesniak family found the home design and location that was right for them. Make the move and write your own building story with Old Town Design Group at Chatham Hills.
What initially made you want to build in Chatham Hills?
Andy: We were in the process of downsizing, we lived in a much larger house than what we have here in Chatham. So we were looking for an interesting subdivision in which to build, one that had rolling terrain. We didn’t really want a flat surface on which to build. So we looked at other areas that were being developed and Chatham basically was the one we chose.
What do you like most about living in Chatham Hills?
Karen: Social Interaction, I’d say is really key. Our former neighborhood was nice, but it didn’t have the amenities – they had a club house, but it was basically a pool type environment – and here they have so many events and activities that make it very enjoyable. We’ve met more families here than we met at our old neighborhood that we lived at since 2004.
Andy: Old Town basically has been instrumental in that, they have little gatherings every once in a while, where we get to meet people that are going through the same process that we just completed, so we have things to talk about in common.
What’s your favorite thing about your home?
Karen: Boy I don’t know if I could narrow it down to one thing! But I think the open airiness and welcoming, it’s relaxed yet it’s a little sophisticated. It’s just comfortable!
Could you describe the feeling when you both walked into your finished home?
Karen: Besides the fear and anxiety, it was how are we going to make this a home. You built us a beautiful house, but then converting it to a home can be very intimidating.
Andy: Our problem was that we went from a 7,000 SQ FT house that was furnished, to one that is over 4,000 SQ FT. So we had pieces from the old house that we knew weren’t going to be able to be here.
Karen: It was a little intimidating, we were very anxious because you wanted some things to work and something it didn’t work. But the partnership with everything home, it just made everything work. When you’re picking out all of the elements, all of the selections for a new home it is just overwhelming. Ellen, everything home designer, created inspiration boards from conversations with us as to what we like, what we didn’t like, and she was able to narrow our focus… We have a family member who is an architect who always says, “You have to marry the house to the ground”, and we worked really hard to make sure that it felt right where it was sitting.
Tell us about the building experience with Old Town Design Group.
Karen: Excellent. We built in 2004 the last time and this experience was lightyears ahead of what we went through before. Buildertrend made it so easy to see where we were and what was on schedule, when we had to make selections. It was just wonderful, everyone we worked with became part of the family, they’re a part of us now.
Andy: Basically, Karen did a lot of research and she found a floor plan that Old Town had built at Sagamore that most closely fit how we saw our new house going. But we wanted to make some changes to personalize it. So we worked with Nate our architect and he delivered. We got extra windows, a larger closet for the Master Bedroom and he helped us with the lower level, we’ve been very pleased. During the construction process, it was a lot of fun because we didn’t live that far away from Chatham – we were able to come almost every day to view the progress on the house. We got to introduce ourselves to the subcontractors, the framers, the trim carpenters, all the subcontractors, and we would come on property and I would always say, “I hope you don’t mind a stupid question, explain why you’re doing it this way”. I learned a lot and I learned why things turned out the way they did. It was very good for me and for the subcontractors.
Karen: I think Andy’s famous line was, “Well what if…”.
Do you have to be an avid golfer to live at Chatham Hills?
Karen: We’re not avid golfers, but we own clubs, we’ll put it that way.
Andy: Knowing my accuracy with my golf shots, I didn’t want to meet my neighbors by bombarding their houses with golf balls, so no. You don’t have to be an avid golfer. There’s a wonderful club house that’s being built that has a gym, swimming pools, restaurants, again there are things to do here and with the Monon trail there are other activities outside that we’ll look forward to using.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
Karen: I feel like we’re a part of the Old Town Design Group family now.
About Chatham Hills
Chatham Hills is a luxury custom home community along the Chatham Hills golf course in Westfield, Indiana. There are many lots available that Old Town Design Group can build on, including course-front lots and lots with access to the Monon Trail. You’ll find Chatham Hills provides an outstanding location for your custom-built home with its close proximity to US-31 and downtown Westfield. Contact us to find out more about our homes and lots for sale at Chatham Hills.
DETAILS
HOME & LOT PRICE: Starting at $1.3M
SCHOOL DISTRICT: Westfield-Washington Schools
Monon Trail Elementary, Westfield Middle, Westfield Intermediate, Westfield High School
ARB REQUIREMENTS: Minimum 1,500 SQ FT on lots under 100′
AMENITIES/FEATURES: Chatham Hills Clubhouse, Golf Course, Indoor & Outdoor Pools, Tennis & Pickleball Courts, Fitness Center, Bowling, Pro Shop, Restaurants, etc.
MODEL ADDRESS: 19893 Elmsborough Drive, Westfield, IN 46074 (Chatham Village)
MODEL HOURS: Thurs-Sun, Noon to 5pm
Meet The DeCourseys
New Carmel residents, the DeCourseys, share what life on the Monon in their new custom home is like. Learn why they fell in love with the location of their community at Sunrise on the Monon, what the building process with Old Town Design was like, and their favorite parts of their new home.
How did you first hear about Old Town?
Carol: Well the way that we first heard about Old Town Design Group was at a wedding! Actually, at a wedding reception, we were sitting next to some friends of ours, that go to the same country club that we do, and they were talking about the home that they were building. It just sounded so perfect to us. So, we actually went to see it [their neighborhood and the model], and it was one of Old Town Design Group’s homes, in Old Carmel. There really wasn’t an available lot that appealed to us there, but it gave us the opportunity to meet Justin Moffett. Justin toured us on some of the other homes they’d built, he seemed to know what we might want from talking to him. That was the beginning, just building that relationship with Justin was fabulous.
Could you describe the feeling when you both walked into your finished home?
Paul: This was a labor of love of Carol’s designing and ultimately decorating. As the house became built, and the pieces came together, it was clear to me that what she’d put together was going to be really special, and it is.
Carol: For me, it’s sheer joy and gratitude. The joy came from seeing dreams realized. The gratitude came from being at that place in our life and from being able to work with the people we worked with.
Paul: Old Town did a great job of listening to her vision and putting it on paper, making a few adjustments and you can see the finished product.
What do you like most about your new home?
Carol: Oh – the view! The view, inside and out. I just love that the inside seems to be an extension of the outside. That kind of goes with the Prairie style feeling that we wanted, but I am totally enamored with that as I believe Paul is. But I have to say, a close second, but the location. We feel like we’re tucked away from everything and yet we’re moments away from everything that we want to do, which is fabulous. Then we live in probably the friendliest community that exists.
What do you like most about living in Sunrise on the Monon?
Paul: It’s a community, not a neighborhood. That started when we had the lot selection back in October of 2015 where you get to meet prospective neighbors. So, when we moved in, we knew everybody. I think that distinguishes Old Town from a lot of other builders. People just move in and it takes them a while to get to know their respective neighbors, but we knew everybody.
Carol: Yes, a real feeling of community.
How would you describe your home?
Carol: The style of our home is what I would probably call Prairie. I wanted something kind of Frank Lloyd Wright-like, so marrying the outside with the inside, just kind of an extension there with nature. So that’s kind of how I came to pick colors and stones and things like that. But we really wanted it to be open and clean. Windows and light were of critical importance. That was the first thing, I wanted my black windows. Everything about the process was exciting.
Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
Paul: We have each met people who come to the Food Truck displays each month here, in the warm months, who are looking at potentially buying. We can’t say enough positive things about Old Town. If somebody wants to build something that’s quality and live in a community, versus a neighborhood, this is the place.
Carol: I would just like to add a big thank you, just a big shout out thank you to everyone that contributed to our home becoming what it is. I really feel like everyone at Old Town lives with the motto, “There’s no place like home,”.
The DeCoursey family found the home design and location that was right for them. Make the move and write your own building story with Old Town Design Group at our newest Monon community, Sunrise on the Monon, in the heart of Carmel.
About Sunrise on the Monon
Sunrise on the Monon is nestled in a quiet neighborhood at 99th Street and Westfield Boulevard, with easy access to downtown Carmel, Keystone at the Crossing, I-465, and the Monon Trail. This friendly community offers private wooded lots and intimate village lots to create a sense of community where every home is unique.
DETAILS
HOME & LOT STARTING PRICE: $595K
SCHOOL DISTRICT: Carmel-Clay Schools
Forest Dale Elementary, Carmel Middle, Carmel High School
ARB REQUIREMENTS: Minimum 1,600 SQ FT Ranch
AMENITIES/FEATURES: Direct access to the Monon Trail
MODEL ADDRESS: 9864 Morningstar Lane, Carmel, IN 46280
MODEL HOURS: Thurs-Sun, Noon to 5pm
Meet The Fritzs
Jackson’s Grant residents, the Fritzs, share what life in their new custom home is like.
What made you decide to live in Jackson’s Grant?
Abbe: The location was the biggest thing. That’s what spurred our interest. We had already decided to build and there’s not a whole lot of places in Carmel where they’re doing new construction. I think, too, knowing everything that we wanted from a house; with the style and the quality of construction, Old Town had. I’ve always loved Old Town. Once we knew the house that we wanted to build could be built with Old Town, in this location; that was the biggest thing for me. We also had friends who were some of the first to build in Jackson’s Grant.
Danny: It was a perfect combination of accomplishing what we wanted. We wanted to build a house in Carmel. We were already familiar with Old Town; with their designs and how well built their houses were. It was within our price point and it’s in a perfect location. I’m a mile and a half away from work. It checked all of the boxes for what we work looking for, so to speak.
Could you describe the feeling when you both walked into your finished home for the first time?
Danny: Excitement. A sense of arriving because we had finally built our dream home.
Abbe: A sense of accomplishment and so overwhelmed with joy. It was everything I had hoped for and more. It’s fun designing your house and seeing the finished product it was wonderful.
What do you like most about your new home?
Abbe: Oh, that’s hard. Honestly, everything. From the design, the aesthetics and the details – it feels like home. It’s felt like home since day one. I think that’s in part because of the people at Old Town. We love our house and our neighbors. We just love this place.
Danny: I mean, there’s lots of things reflective of us in the design: the basement with a walk-up bar, the open concept with the living room-kitchen-dining room, I absolutely love our shower – I feel like I’m in a spa anytime I’m in there. But I think the one thing that makes our house unique, compared to other Old Town houses, is our front elevation. We basically took an already existing Old Town floorplan, gave them the renderings of what we wanted the front of our house to look like, and they were able to bring that to life. It was the perfect marriage of what we wanted the front of our home to look like and the floorplan we fell in love with.
What do you like most about living in Jackson’s Grant?
Danny: The neighbors. We have block parties. Back in the fall, we put cars out and blocked both ends of the street and everyone brought a side item. Another thing, in terms of why I like the neighborhood, is the greenbelt area with lots of paths. For me it’s first neighbors and second the greenbelt area and third would be location.
Abbe: Yeah, we do a lot with the people on our street. I’d say there’s a lot of energy, lots of active people – and at all ages. There are people in their 30’s like us and people in their 50’s and 60’s. It’s a good mix of age ranges.
Is there anything you would like to add?
Abbe: I think we’ve said this before, but everyone we worked with through the whole process was wonderful – but I can’t say enough about Jim. I know that he just works his tail off. It’s so nice to have someone that’s visible and a point of contact throughout the whole process.
Danny: Jim and our New Home Consultant were awesome. They always above and beyond and were always responsive. We’ve already recommended several people to build with Old Town.
The Fritz family found the home design and location that was right for them. Make the move and write your own building story with Old Town Design Group at Jackson’s Grant, in the heart of Carmel.
Meet The Van Schaacks
New Jackson’s Grant residents, the Van Schaacks, share what life in their new custom home in Carmel is like. Learn why they chose to live in Jackson’s Grant, why Old Town Design Group was different than other area builders, and what they love best about their new home.
What made you decide to live in Jackson’s Grant?
Jes: Phil has been scouting out Old Town homes for a really long time, so even before Jackson’s Grant was established, he wanted to build with Old Town. He loved the craftsman home, he loved the builder. We lived at 96th and Meridian prior to this, which was such a great location, and when he saw that Old Town was building here, we jumped on the band wagon.
Phil: Earlier, driving through Carmel, I knew about this location; the farmhouse, the two big oak trees, that very long driveway and I just thought, “Wow, this is convenient,”. It doesn’t matter where you live in Indianapolis, you know where 116th and Meridian is. It’s such a convenient location. The neighborhood is lovely, but once you get on one of those [nature] trails, you really see what kind of neighborhood this is.
Could you describe the feeling when you both walked into your finished home for the first time?
Jes: It was just a relief. It was so cool to see it all come together. It was a relief in that we are finally done making decisions and we finally get to see it all come together. I loved the closing party because Old Town is a small enough builder that shows that they still care about the individual and the family. And it just kind of wraps it all up. So that’s a really nice closing touch to the [home building] process. Old Town is proud of their product.
Phil: As corny as it is, I really like how Old Town does the closing parties. There’s a lot of decisions, big financial decisions, but I felt good about it and to have Old Town who’s proud of it as well. Everyone bought into it and felt good about it. The owner of Old Town, Jeff, came to the closing and said, “Oh I like what you did there!”, or “Oh there’s a touch up spot there,”. They had ownership and accountability in the home rather than just trying to knock homes out. Area Manager, John really pushed that we’re a part of the family and we won’t be left hanging. We had a big box builder home before and if anything went wrong, well that’s just on you.
What do you like most about your new home?
Phil: My favorite thing is the built ins, the trim, the woodwork – just the craftsmanship. We used to look at a lot of model homes, but they just don’t compare to Old Town. The first house we looked at was the green house on the Monon, the Cobblestone model, and that is the exact same built-in that we have. We walked in there and we just said, “That’s what I want!”. Craftsmanship isn’t a good enough term, it’s the care and character that these houses have.
Jes: I like the big open floor plan that we have, and we went with Everything Home to help decorate the house and that’s really what made it a home. It’s cozy. When you walk in it’s not cold, it’s very welcoming.
What do you like most about living in Jackson’s Grant?
Jes: I love the neighbors! I love that it’s a brand-new neighborhood and that everyone is new. We’re all starting at the same point. Every time you go for a walk, everyone says hello because they’re all trying to meet each other. I like that about Jackson’s Grant. We can all share our building stories and that’s fun.
Phil: I like the trails. I like the unbridled elegance. I know it’s corny, but I drive through the neighborhood and annoy my wife saying, “Unbridled Elegance”. I love that it’s all custom homes, I love that no one else has our house but us. We’re also a big fan of walking down to The Bridges.
Would you recommend us to a friend?
Phil: I think that we have a unique story, in that after we decided to build with Old Town, we listed and sold our house in a day. We ended up having to go with our back up plan which was to move in with my parents. We lived with my parents for 10 months, while we were building the house. So, my parents were able to see and hear the discussions, the disagreements, the excitement, the trials and tribulations, the change requests and long story short, after we moved in they loved our house so much, that my parents are now building in the back of Jackson’s Grant. I think that kind of explains itself. Not only would we refer it, but the people that I’m closest to, my parents, are building in the same neighborhood.
The Van Schaack family found the home design and location that was right for them. Make the move and write your own building story with Old Town Design Group at Jackson’s Grant, in the heart of Carmel.
Meet The Daggetts
Jackson’s Grant residents, the Daggetts, share what life in their new custom home is like. Learn why they love the flow of their house, what made the design process go so smoothly, and what surprised and delighted them when they first walked into their completed home.
What made you decide to live in Jackson’s Grant?
Jennifer: It’s four minutes from his work, which was our main goal. But we have great neighbors and the green space for the dogs.
Ron: My perspective is that we really liked the green space, the trails. We liked the homes, the community pool. It’s a great location.
What is your favorite thing about your home?
Ron: That’s tough. We had a more traditional house before, so we like the 10’ ceilings, the transoms, the beams, the oversized island. I like the fit and finish of Old Town.
Jennifer: All of it. We designed it to be exactly what we wanted. Our friends asked us last night if there was anything that we would do differently – we honestly couldn’t come up with anything.
What was the building process like for you?
Ron: We really like when the mudroom, flows into the laundry room flows into the master closet into the bathroom. We really liked that. We picked a [predesigned] plan that featured that and made changes. We’re people who really trust the process. Buildertrend was really good, our Construction Manager Jim was good with daily reports and weekly emails. We had a little anxiety early on about allowances and understanding it, but we worked through that.
Jennifer: Communication was really good. We could always find someone to answer our questions if we had one. The [vendor] reps were really good about letting us know when we were getting close to our allowance.
Share with us the thoughts and feelings you had when you walked into your completed home for the first time.
Ron: We were surprised by how big it was. It looks smaller from the outside, but inside it’s so open. We loved it.
Jennifer: For as close as we are to our neighbors, it’s very private. We could almost reach out and touch them, but we never see them because of the way that the house is designed. Our New Home Consultant asked us, “Is it starting to feel like home?”, and I said “Yeah, because we were with it for the whole process. Everything about it we picked out. Once everything together it felt like home.”
The Daggett family found the home design and location that was right for them. Make the move and write your own building story with Old Town Design Group at Jackson’s Grant, in the heart of Carmel.
Meet The Dysons
New Carmel residents, the Dysons, share what life in their new custom home in Sunrise on the Monon is like. Hear how they first heard about Old Town Design Group, what Bill’s favorite part of the house is, and why they love their new community.
What made you choose Sunrise on the Monon as your community?
Bill: The Monon Trail. We use the Monon a lot and we decided that if we were going to move, we needed to be close to the trail.
Susannah: We had a home in Westfield where we lived for over 20 years and we were right on the Monon there too. There was no way I was going to move if I couldn’t be close to the trail again since we walk, bike or run it nearly every day. We knew we wanted to build and there’s not a lot of options to build a home along the trail.
Could you describe the feeling when you both walked into your finished home?
Susannah: We were just really happy that it was finished. A few weeks before closing, our construction manager said he wanted us to stop coming every day so that there could be some surprise at seeing it finished.
Bill: The home was exactly what we had in mind. Living in the apartments, we were able to come over every day so there wasn’t a huge feeling, since we’d seen the home every step of the way. Once it was all cleaned up, it was the feeling of, ‘Yeah, this is it.’
How would you describe the style of your home?
Susannah: I think it’s a Craftsman style, but we went for something that’s casual and cozy. It’s not modern but it’s also not super formal. It’s very casual like we are. So many houses can be all white on white, which I know is popular right now, but the blue is exactly our style. It’s us.
Bill: It’s blue and we cannot disagree with it being called a ‘House of Closets’. Our new home consultant came up with that. She’d be giving tours in the house and said that you couldn’t turn around without finding another closet. But we had a very specific plan for usage of each one and it’s worked out well.
What do you like most about living in Sunrise on the Monon?
Susannah: Besides being close to the Monon Trail, everyone is so active and friendly. We love all of our neighbors. We walk a lot and sometimes it can be difficult to get a long walk in because we stop and talk to all the neighbors. But it’s a good problem to have – Sunrise is a perfect fit for us!
Bill: It’s a community like no other that we’ve lived in as far as openness and friendliness. One neighbor brought a monthly Drinks on the Drive tradition with them and it’s been a great way to keep in touch with the entire community.
The Dyson family found the home design and location that was right for them. Make the move and write your own building story with Old Town Design Group at our newest Monon community, Sunrise on the Monon, in the heart of Carmel.
About Sunrise on the Monon
Sunrise on the Monon is nestled in a quiet neighborhood at 99th Street and Westfield Boulevard, with easy access to downtown Carmel, Keystone at the Crossing, I-465, and the Monon Trail. This friendly community offers private wooded lots and intimate village lots to create a sense of community where every home is unique.
DETAILS
HOME & LOT STARTING PRICE: $595K
SCHOOL DISTRICT: Carmel-Clay Schools
Forest Dale Elementary, Carmel Middle, Carmel High School
ARB REQUIREMENTS: Minimum 1,600 SQ FT Ranch
AMENITIES/FEATURES: Direct access to the Monon Trail
MODEL ADDRESS: 9864 Morningstar Lane, Carmel, IN 46280
MODEL HOURS: Thurs-Sun, Noon to 5pm
Meet The Kennedys
New Carmel residents, the Kennedys, share what life on the Monon in their new custom home is like.
How did access to the Monon Trail influence your move to Sunrise on the Monon?
Kristi