Hi, there. I’m Sheila Buck, and this is my blog about custom homes. I grew up in Edina, MN. My father was a welder, and my mother was a chemistry teacher. We were big lake people. Fishing, hiking, boating, even some water skiing and wakeboarding. On our way out of town to visit one of Minnesota’s 10,000 Lakes, we would pass by a new subdivision development with a big sign for Ridge Creek Custom Homes. I remember you could see some of the new homes, and some of the other ones as they were being built. And then, of course, the whole landscape slowly changed over the years of taking lake excursions with the family.
There was one house I remember, in particular. It had a front porch and a separate side patio with a pergola. The wood framing was painted this blue-purple color that I thought was beautiful. It was two full stories with a combination stucco and some kind of hardboard siding. It had big beautiful windows on the outside. I used to imagine what the inside must look like. A huge kitchen. Bedroom after bedroom. Only rarely did I imagine a heavily wooden design scheme. Most of it was more modern, almost futuristic, with impossible carve-outs and eccentric layouts. I was too young to think to seek out or send away for a brochure and this was before the days in which websites became commonplace, much less well-known sites like Zillow. Maybe it was so much for the better. As a child, it was this stunning curb appeal and mysterious interiors that fanned the fascination with and, ultimately a passion for, new and custom homes.
I told my future husband early on that if we ever got married, I wanted to build our home altogether. Already on a career path that would take him into the bathroom remodeling industry, he was unfazed. But little did I know we would build 3 new homes together as our family expanded and then contracted again over our amazing life together! I know all about the excitement and then the stress of designing your custom home. I know all about the impatience of construction delays and the trickiness of getting the closing and final walk-throughs done with your entire wish list fulfilled down to the last detail. After all, one of the big advantages of a new, custom home is not having to compromise on what you want. At least not if you’ve done your research and started with a realistic vision.
While I only have a layperson’s understanding of home building, I mean I know what I joist is, but if you’re looking for technical construction advice, well…you’re more than welcome to ask me, but it may take longer to get back to you. So, like home building itself, be patient as I find the time to add more and more tips and resources to this site and slowly transform it into a comprehensive custom home-buyer resource.