We have surely had an exciting several months here in RounTrey: a global pandemic, an insanely hot housing market, and as a result so many new neighbors are shuffling in as they move into their new gorgeous homes! One of our favorite things in the world is to introduce you to our very own families so you can hear all about the community from the mouths of our self-proclaimed ‘Treybors’ ! Hear from the Rogers family below as they discuss all things RounTrey, new construction, and even superheroes!
1. Where did your family move from and what was your motivation in choosing RounTrey with all of the new home communities nearby?
Well, that’s a bit of a story. It all started with a little event called “Lockdown” in March of 2020. We had only been in the Richmond area 3.5 years after travelling the country in an RV for 7 months with our 16 month old daughter and our 14 year old dog. We were fortunate to find a home in Maymont right away after settling upon Richmond for our new home. That little Cape Cod seemed enormous compared to our 34ft travel trailer, but once our second came along one bathroom wasn’t going to cut it anymore. Neither was renovating a house with two small children. We sold that house and moved to the Short Pump area, which we were never really enamored with. However, Matt had to commute to Mannassas, VA every day for work (2 hours each way!) so any farther South at the time was undoable. He had been working as a Supervisor at the Richmond airport for less than a year when COVID hit. To pass the time I started redecorating our saltbox Colonial—repainting rooms, refacing the fireplace, upgrading the porch columns, etc. But I was still unsatisfied. I wanted to take down walls, build a mudroom, open the place up! We got quotes. To do all that would price our home out of the neighborhood and also take way too long. Matt started scoping out Zillow and the very first house he was drawn to was a spec home here in Rountrey. It took some convincing on Matt’s part to make me want to sell and build, but I eventually got on board. We started with Rountrey, but also explored Magnolia Green, Summerlake, and of course, Hallsley. Ultimately, the proximity to the water, accessibility to the city compared to the others, and the cohesiveness of the family-friendly neighborhood won out. There was just a quality here that drew us in and said it was home.
2. Talk to us about the building process for folks who have never built and are considering! Any pro tips?
Um, yes there sure are! Firstly, don’t rush the process like we did. We squished a 9 month build into 6 months, and while it got done, it sprung more than a few extra gray hairs. Building is a practice in patience, a skill which we have yet to hone. We wanted a “dream” spec home that was turnkey. But given this home is now the 6th we’ve owned as a couple (not counting the apartments we lived in), we decided it was in our best interest to design for the features that would finally keep us nailed down to a location for longer than 3 years. We wanted to put our stamp on something, but we wanted it done quickly (for practical reasons, but nonetheless….). There may be a trade off to expect quality in a shorter period of time than that quality requires. So, if you’re going to do it, do it right, and take your time. See as many model homes as you can and take notes. Pinterest the heck out of every room design. Talk to as many homeowners as you can and ask questions regarding what they would have done differently. The Rountrey Facebook group is fantastic in this regard. There are a bunch of threads covering this topic alone! Consider hiring a designer if that’s not your natural forte. I expected our builder to have 3D CAD software and they didn’t, so all of the selections had to be visualized in my mind and we just crossed our fingers that it would all come together. I love the way my home turned out, but truly there are some things I would go back and change if I knew what the final product would look like. I think it’s also important to remember that building is a business relationship. Don’t be afraid to advocate for what you’re paying for and hold your builder accountable for their responsibility. It will save you many future headaches to get ahead of foreseeable problems!
3. Favorite feature or room in your new home?!
I’m terrible at picking favorites. I’d say this is a toss up between our big open foyer showcasing a floating staircase and the Murphy door/bookshelf installed next to our bar and wine fridge that enters into a moody pocket study. We altered our floorplan so the entry was where the study/dining room would have been and our study took the place of the smaller foyer. I wanted to be able to walk in and see the fireplace, while also creating impact with a dramatic entry space. The stairs are visible from the street so we have gotten many compliments on them and am super happy we made that call. The Murphy door (otherwise referred to as the “Scooby-Doo Door”) has not yet lost its novelty. It’s always fun to show this to guests, especially kids!
4. Have you all joined any of the incredible committees or social clubs in the neighborhood? If so, which ones?
My extroverted nature so suppressed by lockdown jumped on the opportunity to be on the social committee, and I was thrilled to be accepted. What a committed group of women (hint, hint: we could use some male influence!) that seriously know how to get things done and make this neighborhood the envy of Richmond. I’ve also recently started the RounTrey Wine Appreciation group with another neighbor (Deb Carusso)! I had some formal wine education in my younger years and am taking advantage of the social nature of our ‘hood to bring everyone together and nurture our oenophilia!
5. We’ve gotta ask: DC or Marvel?
I guess it says a lot that I totally had to Google this and find out which characters belonged in which camp! As a child of the 80’s I’d say I’m personally more of a DC comic fan, Matt (believe it or not) not really into superheroes at all. Our daughter took to Wonder Woman for a hot minute, but that passed. Our son, on the other hand, is obsessed with Spiderman, and has been for two years now, with such passion that it probably eclipses the ambivalence with which the rest of us embrace comics in general.
6. Best part of the RounTrey community?
From the first day we moved in, the little kids in the closest cul-de-sac knocked on our door and whisked our children away. We had a babysitter lined up to entertain them while we unpacked and quickly realized how unnecessary that was. This is the truest community I have ever lived in, and in six months, it has exceeded my expectations in every way. We don’t have family close by so we knew we had to create one…. Fall into a tribe. And we can honestly say that this has materialized for us in the best way possible, and only continues to solidify every time a family stops to say “Hey we’re going to be your neighbors soon!” We love it here!
If you, too, would love to call RounTrey ‘home’ then click here to email us any and all of your questions on builders, floor plans, lots, etc.! We cannot wait to hear from you!