After years of helping clients build their dream homes, this builder put herself in her customers’ shoes to design her family’s dream home.
Being in the construction business for 6 years, Dana Dziuk of Lee Lyn Construction was always behind the scenes helping clients build their dream homes. In her role, she would help coordinate timelines, assist clients in making design selections, and communicate with the many team members needed to bring a home vision to life.
After remodeling several older homes throughout their life, Dana and her husband, Scott, now have two daughters and a more active lifestyle. The two felt that their family had outgrown their current rambler. They wanted more space, a floor plan that allowed for their bedrooms to be on the same floor, and a home to make memories in as their daughters aged. They started dreaming about a two-story home and decided they didn’t have the time to commit to another hands-on renovation project, so it was finally time to build their dream home.
“The timing worked out perfectly,” Dana says. “We could stay in our existing house while we built our new home at the same time.”
Now it was Dana’s turn to be in the client’s shoes.
“It was difficult to be on the other side with my perfectionism and knowledge of the way things work on the builder side,” says Dana. “I know all of the ins and outs going in, but I still managed to rush the process.”
Dana felt the most pressure at the beginning stages — how to best utilize the lot they bought, wondering if their timeline would hold up, and having to take a step back now that it’s her home the company is building.
“The waiting in between each stage is tough, because you’re really hoping everything will look good, but it’s an exciting experience to start visualizing where you’ll live with each new step,” says Dana.
Her favorite part was watching her family’s reaction as the house came together. With every new detail — walls going up, paint on the walls, light fixtures getting installed — the family began piecing together the new house they would call their home.
With this being their third home, Dana knew all the must-haves for their custom build. “We wanted it all — a bigger garage, screen porch, four bedrooms upstairs, laundry on the second floor like I had seen in so many other Parade Homes,” recalls Dana. With a career in homebuilding, it was easy for her to collect a thoughtful list of envied features. Now, she could have it all.
Looking back on the process, Dana feels grateful to have made her dreams into a reality. Working in the housing industry has provided her with extensive knowledge, passion for homebuilding, and appreciation of all that goes into a new build. She believes homeownership is a fantastic opportunity and that more people should benefit. “I can’t even imagine not owning my own house anymore,” says Dana, “Housing is growth and we’ve been able to put our hard-earned money into something bigger and better to serve our family’s needs.”
Her advice to those thinking of buying or remodeling in the future? “Even if you don’t think you’ll be ready to take the leap for a while, start looking now,” Dana recommends. “Go visit showrooms, go on the Parade of Homes, and start putting together a portfolio of ideas so when you get to that point, you know what styles you like.”
Dana and her husband highly recommend remodeling if you have a smaller budget or really want to make your current space into something new. “Remodeling a house is awesome,” she says, “It’s cool to transform something into exactly what you want it to be.”
If you’re looking to take the next step or not sure where to start, the Parade of Homes website has valuable tips on the blog, search options for finding builders and remodelers in your area, and plenty of home photo galleries to inspire you.
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