After taking their dog for a walk through The Brooks at Vale Park and admiring the rolling topography, Jeff and Liz Bartholomew decided that The Brooks would be the perfect location for their new home. The couple was looking to build a ranch-style home that would be suitable for easy mobility as they aged and wasted no time contacting the realtor to see which lots were available.
This led the Bartholomews to Havyn Homes, which showed them a beautiful lot with a retention pond at the back of the property on Winding Brook Drive. The Bartholomews took the plunge, purchased the property, and worked with Havyn Homes to design their dream home.
“Havyn Homes said if we didn’t buy the property, they were considering buying,” Liz Bartholomew said. “We incorporated a little bit of what we have in our current house into this new house because we liked the kitchen remodel we did about eight years ago along with some other updates.”
To ensure their future home would suit their needs and desires, the Bartholomews met with Havyn Homes to accomplish their vision.
“We spent about six hours over two different days meeting with Havyn Homes, and they had a wonderful gal named Tiffany who was the home decorator. All samples and everything we needed were in their office building so we didn't have to look somewhere else. Tiffany helped us pick out all the materials, which made it easy,” said Jeff Bartholomew. “The owner, Mike, the architect, the home designer, the superintendent, and everyone else are easy to work with. We’ve had no issues whatsoever.”
With the help of Havyn Homes, the Bartholomews designed a home with three bedrooms, two and a half baths, a patio, an enclosed porch, a wood-burning fireplace, a full basement, a three-car garage, and other amenities.
“It’s designed just how we like it, and it’s all on one level,” Jeff Bartholomew said. “It has a lot of nice walking paths out there. Someday, we look forward to having a pool out there for kids and grandkids when they visit.”
Although they will not officially move in until the end of April, the Bartholomews are already integrating themselves into the neighborhood. Walking around The Brooks, they have met a couple of future neighbors and describe it as a friendly neighborhood. They have even discovered a connection between their current and future neighbors.
“Across the street from where we live now are some really wonderful people who we will miss, but their nephew is across the street from where we’re moving and is going to build a house there,” Liz Bartholomew said.
The scenery, walking paths, opportunity to design a house, and friendly neighbors are not the only benefits that attracted the Bartholomews to The Brooks; the neighborhood’s proximity to Downtown Valparaiso was also a big draw.
“We can walk to downtown from where we’re at now,” Jeff Bartholomew said. “There are lots of restaurants, bars, summer concerts, and other things to do. It’s a nice downtown, and most people in Valpo want to live downtown or close to downtown.”
The Bartholomews look forward to moving in around the end of April and beginning a new adventure at The Brooks at Vale Park.
For more information about The Brooks at Vale Park, visit thebrooksvalpo.com.
