Having owned several homes, David and Michelle knew what they wanted in a new house. “As we talked to builders, we realized we wanted more than a model,” says David. “We had a lot of specific ideas…built-in bookshelves in the great room based on a photo, a front door shown in a catalog and a floor plan we had seen with a screen porch along the back of the house connecting the master bedroom and kitchen.”
After deciding James Craig would design and build the arts and crafts style home they desired, the Henrichs met with Craig and their sales person, Kathy, at their wooded lot; then sat down with the architect to sketch some general ideas and room sizes. “We discussed likes and dislikes – we said, ‘we’re square people,’ no arches or curves. I also asked for a lot of built-in shelving and cabinetry,” remembers Michelle.
“Our mindset definitely wasn't just building a house or even a dream home” says David. “Everything, even little details like how far the wall to the great room extended so as to keep the great room and kitchen private from the view at the front door to the longer bathtub to accommodate our tall boys…everything very much centered around how our family lives, changes down the road as our kids get older and opening our home to others. That made the builder so much more important than if we were just building a house.”
“My favorite room is the screen porch,” Michelle says with a smile. “We eat most meals, play games, read and study out there. And all of the built-ins turned out perfect! We enjoyed working with James Craig and they accommodated everything we wanted.”
“Craig has a gift for visualizing and placing a home on the lot,” adds David. “We were restricted on the trees that we were allowed to remove, so that was a challenge. It feels like our home was dropped between the trees.”