My husband and I poured over the Hand Crafted Homes book of floor plans and met with Larry frequently over the year to discuss the square footage, custom changes to the floor plans and the costs. We took Larry’s advice and toured the Hand Crafted Homes factory and were quite impressed with the operation, the quality of craftsmanship and all the options available to customize our home. Larry offered suggestions and provided wisdom with regard to our wants versus our needs and encouraged us to think critically about the last house we would occupy. Larry also counseled us about what lenders will and won’t finance and the appraised value of putting bedrooms in a basement versus bedrooms on the main level or adding a second level. Another perspective Larry brought to light was the potential resale market appeal if we should decide to sell in the future.

I would spend hours sketching the custom changes to the floor plans (all ranch style homes) I believed would suit us, and Larry would have professional floor plans drawn up for us with the accompanying price quote. Time after time, I wasn’t satisfied with the final drawings – they just weren’t exactly what I wanted. Finally, after XX floor plans and price quotes Larry told us that he believed we really didn’t know what we wanted. I felt exasperated and I wondered if Larry felt the same way, but he was right; I was trying to force-fit a floor plan based on price instead of first identifying the style of home my husband and I truly loved.

Over the next year I noticed that my husband and I would compliment Cape Cod homes. We liked the street appeal of this home. I searched Cape Cod floor plans on the web and we acquired a few quotes from contractors who ‘stick build’ homes. All the quotes were more than our planned budget. We visited other modular companies and toured their homes. None lived up to the quality craftsmanship of Hand Crafted Homes. It was then that I noticed the Concord floor plan from Hand Crafted Homes! With some minor customizations, this floor plan would allow us to maximize the views and still provide us with the option of living primarily on the first floor! We drove 2 and ½ hours to walk through a Hand Crafted Home Concord house to get the ‘feel ‘of it. We knew right then that this was our house plan! Back home, I began sketching the changes and adding windows to fit our needs, but would Larry work with us after all the renditions that we had made Larry go through previously over the last two years? Had we exhausted his patience? Would he take us seriously this time? Would he think we were back to waste his time? We were somewhat tentative about dropping by to see him.

My husband insisted I enter Larry’s office first! I poked my head in and Larry said, “Well I’ll be – I was just thinking about you Scheuermanns!” I asked meekly, “Larry, will you still work with us? We finally know what we want!” He warmly invited us in and we took time to catch up like old friends.

In 2009, we met with Larry several more times and finally we had a house plan to meet our needs, meld with our property, and fit our budget. Once again, Larry assisted us in weighing the costs of our wants versus our needs with an eye to the future. He was vigilant about adhering to the budget we had set. He never pressured us to spend beyond our means, and if anything, he would rope us back into a reality check by reminding us of what parameters we had set for ourselves. Larry was very accommodating with our requests for custom items, such as FX Formica in the kitchen and ¾” hickory flooring, that were outside the realm of standard offerings with Hand Crafted Homes.

We signed our LGS contract and finance loan June 1, 2010 and within three weeks, our land was leveled, our quarter mile long driveway was in place, the basement was dug out and block laid, the well was dug, the septic system installed and the house was delivered and assembled! Everything went smoothly and Larry frequently visited and oversaw the foreman and workers. Larry was either available to speak with us every time we called or he returned our calls within a few hours; he even returned a call from us when he was on vacation in Florida!

We moved in 30 September 2010! It has now been 16 months that we have been living in our Concord Cape Cod Hand Crafted Home and we couldn’t be happier! For the first year after occupying our home, Larry encouraged us to call him with any concerns we might have. Over the first year of occupancy, a few things needed attention and Larry made sure we were taken care of at no cost to us. This home truly fits us. Most of all, we enjoyed our experience with Larry and Ashton at LGS Homes. Larry was always a gentleman, truthful, tactful, patient and ethical. We highly recommend LGS Homes to anyone considering building their dream home!