For Sale By Owner

It's hard to believe that the Home of Possibilities has been open for a month. We've had such tremendous response, with nearly 1,000 visitors in the first 30 days! Rusty has answered lots of questions about the features of the home, the details, the options, the possibilities, but one of the most common questions is, "Is it for sale?" You bet!

3,100 Sq Ft of Fabulous, Functional Living

There's nothing like this home on the Columbia market. Its smart floor plan functions perfectly for daily living but can handle a crowd thanks to features in the Kitchen/Butler's Pantry and open concept. The finishes and details exceed those found in a standard speculative home, giving you a custom home without the wait! The techonology, window coverings, appliances all convey with the sale of the home so it's ready for you and your family to move right in. There are tens of thousands of dollars in upgrades, thanks to our vendor partners, in the Home of Possibilities and the new owners will benefit from all of them.

Location, Location, Location

The Home of Possibilities is located in the spectacular Spring Creek Subdivision in SW Columbia. The neighborhood is intimate and offers a family-friendly environment with spacious lots and gracious homes. Very few lots remain open in this area making access a premium. The Home of Possibilities sits at the entrance to Spring Creek on a beautiful lake lot with a southern exposure. The lake views are spectacular, transporting you away from the hustle and bustle of the day. The gorgeous landscape, designed by landscape architect Michelle Jansen, provides the right balance of green space to compliment the lake setting. If you're interested in making this spectacular, one-of-a-kind home you're own, contact Rusty today for a private showing.

Realtors Welcome

Realtors with qualified buyers are always welcome and appreciated at Smarr Custom Homes! Give Rusty a call to schedule a personal showing for your clients.

Build Your Dream Home

Has the Home of Possibilities started you thinking about the possibility of your Dream Home? Whether your Dream involves a 1,600 sq ft ranch or a 14,000 sq ft castle, a conversation with Rusty can get it moving from dream to reality. Don't put it off any longer, give Rusty a call at 573-881-1318 or send him an email today!

~Kristen

We're Open!

This was our first weekend to have the Home of Possibilities open to the public and what great turn out! We started the weekend with a ribbon cutting by our friends from the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors and open house for neighbors, friends and family. With more than 125 in attendance, it was a great way to test the Home's flow for entertaining large groups. You can see lots of photos from the ribbon cutting on our Facebook page. May 6 was our first Sunday Open House and the turn out was fantastic. We had guests from the moment Rusty put out the sign until well past the 4 pm closing bell! Rusty and I, along with several of our vendors, had a wonderful time giving tours and showing visitors the details, features and functions of the new Home. We wrapped up the day with more than 100 people passing through our 8' double front doors!

WHAT'S THE BUZZ?

We always ask guests which room or space they like best. It's not an easy question.

Based on the early feedback from visitors, the Master Bathroom with its Jason Microsilk tub with Moen IODigital controls, multi-head spa shower, heated Travertine floors, vaulted ceiling and swanky chandelier is a crowd favorite.

Or it could be the gourmet Kitchen and Butler's Pantry with all the thoughtful organization to make the best use of space whether preparing family meals or elaborate dinner parties. When you visit, you really must open every cabinet and drawer and check out all the nooks and crannies!

We heard from some that the Home's technology knocked their socks off. And it's truly throughout the Home in the form of the Sonos wireless hi-fi system, the 2Gig security system, the Carrier Infinity System with Greenspeed Hybrid HVAC, just to name a few.

Ok, so maybe it's really not easy to get concensus on a favorite room!

BE OUR GUEST

It was easy to get agreement about all the fun events on the schedule that benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mid-Missouri! The first one is Thursday, May 10, Chocolate Unwrapped. Our friends at Patric Chocolate will divulge the mysteries of fine chocolate making from bean to bar as the lucky 40 or so guests who were able to get tickets sample Patric's amazing artisan chocolate.

Next up will be the Art of Asian Cuisine with Jina Yoo, Battle of the Bakers, Columbia Home Farm to Table Night, and Cheers for Children. I don't know how all of our events came to center around food but I'm so glad it worked that way! All of these events benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mid-Missouri and tickets are available online.

Rusty and I hope you'll come visit us at one of our Sunday Open Houses or at a special event. The doors will be closing all too soon!

Welcome to Our Home

I can't believe it. It's just about time to open the doors to the Home of Possibilities 2! The Home opens to the public on Sunday, May 6. Several people have asked me what they can expect to see so I thought I'd give you just a taste of what awaits our guests...just a taste though.

WHAT IS A HOP?

First things first. Some are confused by the name and concept of the Home of Possibilities.  Here's some background. In Columbia, we're often asked to make decisions about products based on descriptions and images from print catalogs and online sources. We see exciting ideas on sites like Houzz, Pinterest and HGTV but it's tough to find the actual products in town. New products take awhile to make their way from the coasts and local demand for high-end products may not justify the overhead for vendors to stock these items. These are the items that customers who build custom homes often want in their homes so Smarr Custom Homes developed the Home of Possibilities (HOP) concept.  The HOP showcases the latest products. styles and technologies in a real home setting so consumers can get a sense of the possibilities for their own projects!

GEEK CHIC

If you're like me, you love your tech. This home is chock full of goodies for the technophile. From the home entertainment system to the security system to the master bathroom to the garage doors (yes, the garage doors) the HOP has smart, sassy functionality. For those who are into energy efficiency and green technologies, we've got you covered there too. The pros from The Entertainer and Brunner-Peters Heating and Air will be on-hand throughout the open house period to get as in-depth as you want into the technology. I'll be happy to show the systems off when you come in for a tour. It's one of my favorite assignments!

MODERN LINES, OLD-WORLD CRAFTSMANSHIP

In today's cookie-cutter home market, it's a treat to get experience thoughtful design and true craftsmanship. The HOP has both. Design inspiration comes from the sleek lines from light fixtures, natural stones and woods, ceiling designs, exterior finishes, and choice furnishings. Hand-crafted trim, cabinetry, custom built-ins, and more are examples of old-world craftsmanship not often found in today's homes under $1M. Spend some time really absorbing the details.  I notice something new every time I walk through the HOP!

A FANTASTIC FLOORPLAN

Rusty puts function first and this home is no exception. This floorplan is 3,100+ sq ft of one level living that is as smart as it is beautiful. It's built for entertaining, for family, for storage, for function, for viewing the beautiful lake, for safety. It's all there!

RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE AND SMARR CUSTOM HOMES

Smarr Custom Homes partnered with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mid-Missouriduring the first Home of Possibilities two years ago. I had been volunteering with that fabulous group prior to the HOP project.  RMHC had undertaken a campaign to build a new Ronald McDonald House near University Women's and Children's Hospital and Rusty wanted to raise awareness and funds for that project through the HOP.  We did that through special events and donations.  We are continuing and expanding that relationship for the new HOP. Click here for tickets to events benefitting RMHC.

EXPERIENCE FOR YOURSELF

I hope this has given you a sense of what the HOP is about, the tech, the design and craftsmanship, the floorplan and our relationship with Ronald McDonald House. There are many ways for you to experience the HOP for yourself.  You can tour the Home every Sunday May 6-June 24, from 1-4 p.m. You can attend one of many special events sponsored by one of our vendors or the Ronald McDonald House.  Visit our events calendar for an up-to-date schedule and come see us soon!

~Kristen 

Floored by the Floors

I'm kind of nutty for hardwood floors. I admit it. And I'm really a fan of the hardwoods available now that offer the hand-scraped, rich, warm, worn look that can instantly transform a room into something special. So when Rusty started planning the Home of Possibilities 2, I cast my vote for hardwood floors knowing full well that Rusty's not inclined to use wood floors on a slab foundation. It's not that Rusty's anti-wood flooring, not at all. It's that he's anti-maintenance issues and wood floors and sweaty slabs haven't always been the best of friends. The answer for wood floor lovers with slab foundations in the past had been engineered wood or laminate floors and they'd left us underwhelmed. Until now!

Johnston Paint to the Rescue

Our vendor partner, Melissa Murphy, at Johnston Paint and Decorating blew us away with a new engineered wood floor from the HGTV Collection from Shaw Flooring. The Rockbridge hardwood floor is a hand-scraped hickory wide plank option. The color is special (we chose 961 DUSK) because it's achieved through a multi-step staining process in which each color layer is hand-rubbed. The result is really rich, deep color saturation with stunning variation within each plank. And it's appropriate for installation on a slab foundation! I love it when Rusty and I both get what we want.

Scrape Me Up Off The Floor

Last week, floor installation started at the HOP2. I asked my obligatory goofy question, "What do you nail the floor to?" Duh. In this installation, the hardwood is installed with a Shaw adhesive product.  Even this product is special! The Shaw 4-in-1 Adhesive is a concrete moisture sealer, sound control system, crack suppressant and adhesive all in one. It's the top-of-the-line adhesive but it's the perfect way to protect the investment of your gorgeous hand-scraped hardwood floors.

 

Just a Tip

The floors went together beautifully and the end product is just the look and feel Rusty hoped to achieve. Here's a little tip if you're planning to do a harwood installation that involves glue. Be sure to wipe off the adhesive as you go! It's a lot easier to clean off the adhesive before it cures than it is after it sits for a day or two. Fortunately, Shaw makes a wonderful product that is applied on the equivalent of a handi-wipe that will take the glue off without harming the finish. But trust me, you do not want to crawl over 1100 sq. ft. of hardwood wiping glue with a wipe!

 

 

Just the Right Recipe

Some girlfriends and I enjoyed an Indian cooking lesson yesterday. Our hostess talked about the ingredients of classic Indian cooking then she shared some secrets for taking classic Indian dishes and making them your own. When she was done with the lesson, we got to enjoy the fruits of her labor and try the fabulous food. I'm no Indian food expert but it was delicious and it certainly met my expectations of what Indian food should be...colorful, flavorful with a little kick!

Building a home is a lot like cooking; you determine what 'flavor' of home you're after and then you decide how you're going to go about creating it. Will you follow the recipe or will you create your own version?

The Home of Possibilities has a distinctively French Country flavor. Rusty was really interested in breaking free from the Cottage mold that's been popular recently and wanted to try something different. But would we follow the French Country recipe to the letter or would the classic serve more to inspire the end result? Like a great chef, Rusty has to put his own touch on the recipe, his own style to the design.

So which elements are the inspiration and which are the inspired?

The Inspiration

The French Country style is derived from Normandy architecture. Roof pitches are steep with flared eave details typical of French eclectic architecture. Rooflines are often hipped; however, the use of gables may also accompany Americanized versions of the style. There are striking similarities between French Country and Tudor style homes. Common elements include tall, thin windows, often with slat-board shutters, steep roofs, multiple gables, and assorted arches (windows, shutters garage openings and entries). Stucco and stone are frequently used, trimmed with painted timbers, windows boxes, wrought iron railings and brick highlights around windows and doors.

The Inspired

The exterior of the Home of Possibilities is full of French Country flavor. Touches like the custom exterior trim nod at the inspired. When you step through the doors, you start to get an even stronger sense of the interpreted style. The arches continue as do architectural beams and a French White kitchen. Rusty has his own interpretation of trimwork with a combination of painted and stained wood throughout the home. Also apparent is his commitment to form following function. In Rusty's mind, it's fine for something to be beautiful but it's great when it's beautiful and smartly designed. The Home of Possibilities is a model of that preference.

My French Food Tastes Like Curry

It's dangerous to mess with a classic. People have an expectation of what it's going to look or taste like and if your creation doesn't meet their expections, they are disappointed.

There's nothing wrong with following a recipe to the letter (lots of cooks AND homebuilders do that everyday.) It's a good, safe choice and it absolutely has its place. That said, a great chef and a great homebuilder have the ability to take the classic and do something to make it unique and special.

I hope you'll come sample the Home of Possibilities for yourself during May and June 2012.

Until next time, bon appetit!

~Kristen