See the McGurk Family's Wellington Home

Bill and Terri McGurk were ready to move into their next phase in life and age in place in a home that was just right for them. They chose a Wellington Classic from Wayne Homes and customized the exterior.

Their Wayne Homes team included Field Manager Kyle Phillips from the Ashland location, New Home Consultant Jen Halcomb from Akron/Medina (now at the Ashland office), and Design Consultant Pam Boreman, who recently retired from Wayne Homes after more than 30 years of service!

The McGurks’ previous home was an older two-story. There were steps to get in and out of the home. With the goal of aging in place, the McGurks wanted to build a ranch home with zero entry, wider doorways, and a shower with zero entry. Terri’s mother is in a wheelchair, so she hadn’t been able to visit them at their previous home in many years. Her mom is so excited that these customizations made to their Wayne home will allow her to visit. Terri is thrilled to be able to host her whole family for gatherings again.

Why Wayne?

We always love to hear why our valued homeowners choose us as their custom homebuilder. For the McGurks, it was an easy choice. “Everyone at Wayne Homes was so friendly and helpful and took the time to sit with us. Everyone has been helpful and willing to work with us.”

The McGurks found that Wayne Homes was dedicated to getting an end result that is what they wanted and are happy with. “We didn’t have the feeling that you build the home and are just done with us. We did look at two other national builders. One was not a custom builder and the other’s base price was a little over $100,000 more than Wayne Homes.” The choice was clear!

Floor Plan Selection

The McGurks really liked the whole kitchen area of the Wellington much better than the McAllister, which was the other floor plan they were considering. “The size of the kitchen in the Wellington worked better for us, and we really liked the flow from room-to-room. I liked how we could make the changes that we wanted to, especially making a large laundry room and walk-in pantry,” the McGurks shared.

They loved the ease of adding the zero entry features. “Our consultants knew exactly what we meant, which was nice.” The McGurks also found that having the right lot was important in making this their forever home. “Our lot is a lot larger than what we were originally looking for, but it is the right lot for all the adjustments we needed to make. Having all the emergency services close to our new property is also comforting.”

Creative Customizations

The Wellington includes 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The McGurks removed the closet in the rear secondary bedroom to make that bedroom into a den. They also removed the half bathroom and expanded their laundry room/owner’s entry into the original half bathroom space.

Some key customizations were made to allow for aging in place.

The McGurks added a zero entry from the garage into the house, at the front door, and at the rear patio sliding door. A tile shower was added in the owner bathroom with a zero entry.

The McGurks also added cabinetry, a countertop, and a laundry sink in the expanded laundry room. A Bilco door was added for basement egress access and will be used for Bill’s workshop in the basement. They added rough plumbing in the basement so that they can add a 3rd bathroom in the future.

A 3rd bay was added to the garage, creating extra space for toys or storage. Storage was important to the McGurks, so they shifted the owner bathroom a few feet into the original owner bedroom space in order to enlarge the walk in closet. In the kitchen, crown molding at the top of the wall cabinets, granite countertops, a cooktop, a wall oven, white painted cabinets at the perimeter and stone gray painted cabinets at the island, and a range hood enhanced both the functionality and beauty of the space.

Some additional customizations include:

• A covered concrete porch on the rear of the dining room
• Created turned basement stairs and widened each of the stair treads for a more gradual descent
• Added a corner direct vent fireplace with granite face and hearth, as well as a maple mantel surround
• Added a coffered ceiling in the great room to create visual interest and separation in their open floorplan
• Additional windows in the great room and owner bedroom

Advice for Future Homeowners

The McGurks found that watching videos about their selected floor plan and hearing what other customers were saying about their home building experiences was really important. They also recommend taking the time to really think about what you want and the customizations you want to make. Sharing those ideas with your New Home Consultant allows for collaboration to achieve the outcome you desire. Even though you may be set on one plan, that may not be what you end up with. Don’t be afraid to ask a question!

The McGurks’ home is a great example of how you can customize your Wayne home to fit your needs exactly. They now have a home that has the function and style that they want today and as they age in place. Thank you to the McGurks for sharing their beautiful home with us, and for choosing Wayne to create their forever home.

In a couple of months we’ll be revisiting the McGurks to find out how life is going in their new home. Stay tuned to the blog for that update!

Would you like to create your forever home with Wayne? Contact us to discuss ideas!

About Wayne Homes

Wayne Homes is a custom homebuilder in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia (see all Model Home Centers). We offer more than 50 fully customizable floorplans and a team dedicated to providing the best experience in the home building industry. For more information, Ask Julie by Live Chat or call us at (866) 253-6807.

Disclaimer: The details of this blog are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change.