When you're considering building a home, you undoubtedly have an idea of the size and style of the home you want, but many factors influence what can and can’t be built on any given site. Most often, sites have features which dictate the home’s size, its location on the site, and in some cases, the materials that can be used. These factors can not only influence your budget but also what you can or cannot build. That’s why it’s best to secure a site before finalizing plans.

Some common questions that should be asked and answered before purchasing any site are:

Need more room?  Or a major overhaul?  But love your location?

That was the situation of the owners of the home in the photos when they contacted us.   The house was close to downtown and within walking distance to the Big House - no worrying about football parking for them! 

They loved the location but had outgrown the house, and the only way to expand was to go up due to the size of the lot.  

Stainless steel appliances have been the reigning champs of the appliance world for a number of years.  In fact, they account for about three-quarters of all appliance sales, and it’s likely that stainless will still dominate in years to come.

But where does that leave someone who truly doesn’t want stainless? 

Builders are the “face” of every structure that’s built, but it takes literally hundreds of people to take any building from concept to completion.

And so as we closed the last units at The Mark yesterday, we pause to recognize those hundreds of people who made it possible, from the architect, the engineers, the attorneys, the lenders, the title company, the suppliers, the contractors – the list goes on and on.

Collectively, they formed a team of which we’re so proud and with which we're so pleased to work.

Today, Glazier Woods is an idyllic setting for new homes, but the site – located just off Glazier Way - was once a welcome refuge for weary travelers who were escaping the tyranny of slavery.  

It’s no wonder, then, that while we were building the homes, I often stood there and thought, “If only this land could talk,” for few building sites have such an historically significant story to tell. 

It began in 1833 when Richard Glazier moved his family from New York to Ann Arbor which was incorporated as a village that same year.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Buildings are often named after people to pay tribute to their achievements.  Such was the case when we were in the early stages of planning a condominium building at 318 West Liberty - a building now nearing completion - and my husband Alex suggested "The Mark."

For us, it was personal.  Fourteen years ago, Dr. Mark Kaminski, Director of the Multidisciplinary Lymphoma Clinic at The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, saved my life.

When it came to naming the street in Ayrshire Woods, a subdivision we developed off Ayrshire Road in Ann Arbor, we had only one thought.

It would be named Lillie Lane in honor of Gary Lillie, a well-respected and well-liked commercial real estate broker whom we had known for years.

But Gary’s real passion was helping fellow veterans.  He served in the U.S. Navy, fought in Vietnam, and was a strong advocate for veterans.  For several years, he hosted a weekly broadcast program called Veterans Radio, a program he helped launch.