Homeowner Highlight with Sarah Wilkins

Your home is more than just a place to live – it’s an expression of who you are and a canvas where you paint on your individuality and personal flair. In our ongoing Homeowner Highlights series, we share inspiring stories of individuals who turned their vision of a dream home into a reality with Eastbrook Homes.

In this edition, we delve into the journey of Sarah Wilkins, the star of our recent Building New series. Follow along with Sarah’s journey of designing, building, and moving into her dream home, and see how the team at Eastbrook Homes was there to share expertise and advice every step of the way!

Casting a Vision

A mother of four, Sarah’s three oldest children have since moved out and started families of their own while Sarah’s teenage son continues to live with her. In searching for her dream home, she needed a space that could accommodate visits from her large extended family while still providing a cozy, comfortable space for her to finish raising her youngest child. When she couldn’t find a suitable house on the market, Sarah turned to Eastbrook Homes for help designing and building her dream home from the ground up.

Sarah decided to build on a one-acre lot in the Macatawa Legends community in Holland, Michigan, near her work. Sarah met with Eastbrook Sales Agent Maureen Smith, who helped Sarah choose the perfect home plan to suit her unique needs after a series of home tours that allowed Sarah to get an in-person feel for her potential home. After exploring her options and seeing several model homes, Sarah settled on The Birkshire!

With a home plan chosen, it was time for Sarah to visit Eastbrook’s Home Creation Studio, where she had the opportunity to work with a professional interior designer to make decisions on flooring, countertops, cabinetry, and a host of other design elements that would allow Sarah to imbue her dream home with her unique character and style. After finalizing the home plan and interior design, it was time to break ground at the build site!

The Building Journey

As exciting as it was to brainstorm ideas for Sarah’s dream home, there’s nothing quite like seeing it come to life before her very eyes! Throughout the building process, Sarah received monthly check-ins with Construction Manager Alex, who also walked Sarah through the build site to update her on each month’s progress. At each visit, Alex updated Sarah on the work that had been completed, as well as what she could expect in the coming month so that she was always kept informed throughout the construction journey.

With each passing month, more of Sarah’s personality could be seen in her home as it crept closer and closer to completion. The installation of the HVAC system revealed Sarah’s chosen three-zone climate control, electrical systems made room for future fireplaces, and the framing of kitchen countertops and cabinets outlined the central island that was key to Sarah’s design inspiration. The final months of construction saw each minute detail of Sarah’s home take its final shape, like the gold-accented plumbing fixtures, and heated tile flooring in her and her son’s respective bathrooms. At long last, after months of hard work, these details marked the finishing touches on the completion of Sarah’s dream home!

Settling In

Sarah’s final walkthrough with Construction Manager Alex didn’t involve progress updates or future building plans. Instead, it was all about welcoming Sarah into her new home and showing her how to get the most out of each of Sarah’s chosen design features that made her home uniquely hers. 

Once she was officially moved in, it was time for Sarah to christen her new home with exactly what it was designed – hosting family! The large living area proved a perfect venue for grandchildren to play, while Sarah and her adult children communed together around the kitchen island that Sarah was so fond of during the design process. Surrounded by family and nestled in her chosen Eastbrook community, Sarah’s first gathering in her dream home is a manifestation of the vision she had when she first met with the Eastbrook team – a vision that is now a reality!

Are you looking to embark on your own journey towards building your dream home? Get started today! Explore one of our many existing Eastbrook communities, browse our feature gallery for design inspiration, and work with our talented team of designers to get started building your next home. Contact us today and we’ll help you through every step of the home-building process!