Tell us a bit about yourselves!

We met freshman year of college at Olivet Nazarene University through mutual friends. We had an easygoing friendship that quickly developed into a relationship that has lasted ever since! We got engaged the summer before graduating from our undergrad and got married three months after graduation. At this point, we’ve been married for a little over two years and in those two years, we’ve managed to grow our family by getting a pandemic puppy and getting pregnant! We are due in early April and are so excited! 

What made you start looking at homes? 

Our goal when we got married was to rent housing for as short of a time as possible. Once we got pregnant and Danny got a new job working from home, we decided that we would need more space.

What was your experience like looking at existing homes? 

We would search for homes for fun but could never find exactly what we were looking for. If we both agreed on a location, we couldn’t find a house that would meet our needs that was within our budget and vice versa.

What brought you to Eastbrook? 

Miles- I grew up in an Eastbrook community and I know my parents had a great experience building with them (twice!) so it was an easy decision. Danny- I had a marketing internship with Eastbrook the summer of 2018 and enjoyed every second. I became familiar with the home building process, the home creation studio, and Eastbrook’s awesome team. 

Why did home building seem like a better fit for you? 

We both have always had a dream of building our own home. We love the idea of customizing every living space and moving into a home that doesn’t need any work done. 

How did you choose where you were going to live? 

The top two reasons we picked Byron Center is because of the great school district and close proximity to family. 

How did you choose your home plan? 

We picked the Violet home plan because it fit all of our needs in terms of space (home office, spare bedroom, fenced in backyard). We also love the idea of the terrace home series because of the urban feel that it brings. 

What tips do you have for people about to start building?

The biggest piece of advice we have is to do your homework BEFORE the home creation studio! Their envision website is easy to navigate and gives a good cost estimate for your selections. Our HCS appointments went very smoothly because we went in having a good idea of what we wanted, so our designer was easily able to guide our decision making based on our style preferences. 

What advice would you give to other young couples or individuals who are considering home building? 

To other young couples who want to build— it’s completely doable! Don’t be afraid to look into the home building process because it doesn’t have to be more expensive than buying an existing home!