Happy Summit Homeowners: An Interview with the Gaudutis family

It's been a little over a year since Joe and Debra Gaudutis moved into their Summit home a year ago, and we wanted to know what they thought of it so far. We spoke with Joe about his experience with their home, a Cotton Creek plan in the Parkwood at Stoney Creek community.

How did you hear about Summit Custom Homes?

In your search for a new home, what did you find were the most important factors you were looking for?

When we first decided to move out of our old home we had a few specific items we wanted to ensure a new house would have. First, we really wanted an open floor plan. We have family and friends over frequently so the house had to fit our lifestyle. Second, it had to be away from the highway in a quiet spot. Nine years of living near road noise was enough for us. At the time though, building wasn't really our first option. It wasn't until we met with Summit that it became doable. As we took it all in and researched Summit, we realized that it was certainly the right fit for us.

What were your biggest questions about the process of buying a new home?

This was not the first house we had purchased so we knew what to expect, generally speaking. We definitely had never built before though. Initially, the most daunting part about building a home was how we were going to make all the decisions that inevitably had to be made. What flooring, lighting, paint colors, appliances, etc. Other folks we know that had built homes gave us feedback that this process was overwhelming and stressful but that was not our experience. We were provided with a schedule of what contractors to talk to for all the decisions and what dates the decisions needed to be made by. The structure and defined process put our minds at ease.

Why did you choose a Summit home?

There were several reasons we picked Summit. Our initial meeting with Summit provided us with the confidence that we could actually build a new home. They did a great job of listening to our story and what we were looking for in a new house. Summit  patiently spent hours detailing the home building process, what to expect, touring a home, and answering our questions.

Like many first impressions, it was important, and in this case, it was a great one.

Second, the company seems to be just the right size. For example, we know people that have built homes with smaller builders and our impression was the process was much less defined and much more responsibility was placed on the home purchaser. It was appealing to us that we were provided a list of decisions that had to be made by certain dates. Also, the fact that  the warranty was maintained by a third party and was fully supported by Summit definitely put our minds at ease. We appreciated that any changes we requested were fully documented for verification. On the flip side, the company is small enough that it remains nimble. For example, just a few weeks before we closed, we decided we needed an electrical outlet added in the basement. We marked the spot, signed the change form, and a few days later, the outlet was installed. We made a few other last minute changes and none of them were turned down.

It wasn't just that we were buying a home from Summit but that we were partnering to make this home ours.

Finally, the Green Building practices were another big selling point. It was something we ideally wanted but were afraid it would cost an arm and a leg to implement. Luckily this is just part of how Summit operates. Most importantly, having a year of retrospect, this is NOT just marketing. For us, it has resulted in comparable heating and cooling costs to our old home that was half the size! I have heard horror stories from friends who have new homes that are paying much, much more than we are for climate control. We, regrettably, brag about our home's energy efficiency way too much. : )

Why did you choose Parkwood at Stoney Creek?

We chose Parkwood at Stoney Creek because it seemed much quieter than where we lived...we were specifically seeking a tranquil place to live. Luckily, this has turned out to be true as it feels like a different world here.

What do you like best about your new home?  

 We  moved into our Summit home a year ago, and we were really excited about living in the home we spent so much time and effort on. The process of building a new home forces a person to become so involved so quickly, that attachment to your new home is inevitable.

The personalization you get with building is something we still love a year later. At the time we signed on to build, we had just finished remodeling our old home so the memories of invasive building projects were fresh in our minds. So, building a new home from the ground up was a refreshing change. We now have a home that reflects our specific tastes and style. Most importantly, there is very little maintenance and we don't need to remodel for many, many years.

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