For these Stillwater homeowners, building a new house is more than an exciting project, it is the beginning of a return to normalcy, a haven to raise a family, and a place to call home, again.
After we lost our home in the 2017 NorCal firestorm, we looked at prefab homebuilders primarily because we had heard that this approach could save time and money in getting back into a home. We looked at many prefab companies and chose Stillwater Dwellings for a few key reasons. The first was the response after we emailed. We received a phone call from Kaveh, who listened, which was quite unusual in comparison to the other prefab companies we spoke to who just wanted to sell something, sell anything to us. The second was the aesthetic, mid-century modern, lot’s of glass to make the most of the views and a company that had sustainable practices. The third was the quality; we toured an existing Stillwater home and fell in love with it.
What are you most excited about in your new home?
The view from the big windows and the open plan flow of the living area!
How do you feel about the process so far?
We have always purchased existing homes and we had no idea of the complexity of undertaking such a new build. Stillwater explained and walked us through the process and are still actively involved now in the general contractor, build phase of the project. We still have support. The house build is also going very smoothly which takes some stress from us away. We document our journey on Instagram; designintheglen
How do you feel about the quality of the home?
Blown away by the quality. Several of our neighbors that also lost homes and have rebuilt comment on the quality of wood used, the construction and design is better than the experiences they had. We were lucky enough to be invited to the factory in Reno to see the house walls up inside the factory. That was the moment it sunk in that we were getting a brand new home of much higher quality than the others we have seen being built using traditional methods.
Would you recommend a Stillwater systems-built approach to others?
We would 100% recommend this way of building. I would clarify, I would only recommend the prefabricated approach with a prefab company that has high quality and high integrity. We have seen several other prefabricated homes being built in the area and toured many and we feel some we have seen are questionable when it comes to quality and design. I would advise any prospective prefab home owner to visit as many different prefab homes as they can, and to really look at the quality of the design, materials and construction.
Were you able to customize the home’s design and finishes to your liking?
Yes, we started with a 155 plan, and a steep hillside. We worked with the architect to get the final design for a home that would work for us as a family on a tricky site. Working from home we need a separate office and we got this in our own design, with a private office off the master suite.
What has been your experience working the the Stillwater team?
Honestly, we have nothing but great things to say about the entire team and we are very happy we chose to go with Stillwater. We can tell that everyone that has put work into our home has great pride working for the company and in the work they do.