A New Home in WindRiver: Embracing the “New Normal”
Monday, June 29th, 2020
There’s no place like home.
That’s certainly the case for one couple who recently had a home built by McCamy Construction in WindRiver. At a time when so many people are spending more time at home, there’s no place they’d rather be.
“Our concept for this home was a camp for the grandkids,” said one of the homeowners. “It’s designed for all seven grandkids, from Texas to Seattle, to come and spend all summer here. We’ve got the cove in the backyard, kayaks and boating — we love everything WindRiver has to offer. ”
Building a Home Designed for a Lifestyle
The couple contracted with McCamy Construction for their first-ever custom built home. They saw a McCamy house in Rarity Bay that they loved, and McCamy built one with a similar floor plan for them in Windriver.
“We were looking for a house plan that we could just tweak, so we didn’t have to go through an architect,” the homeowner explained. “McCamy had several plans we liked, and we were able to walk through this one. It fit what we were looking for.”
They made a few modifications to the design — with input from McCamy’s designer Ashley Jones and President of McCamy Construction Grant McMahan — and the entire process was smooth sailing.
“We were told some real horror stories about building a home,” recalled the homeowner. “Friends told us we’d be in jail, divorced, or bankrupt at the end of it. None of those things came true.”

In fact, the
time spent designing and building the home was a lot of fun. They added a pantry in the kitchen and a bonus room over the garage, plus a few windows and a larger covered porch. Ashley helped them select many of the finishes and final touches on the home, all while keeping them under budget.
“The impetus behind the home initially was that we wanted something that was more functional for our lifestyle,” one of the homeowners said. “We didn’t downsize or upsize, but we wanted the living space on one level.”
The basement has turned out to be a surprisingly wonderful place. It’s very liveable, with bunk beds and trundles in the great room for the grandkids and two bedrooms for the moms and dads. They’re very happy with the details, like the concrete floors in the basement and more traditional flooring upstairs.
“I call my upstairs ‘going to grandma’s,’” said the homeowner. “I’ve got old things that were in the family, and we put in more traditional flooring. A lot of the homes I see here at WindRiver have a more contemporary look, but we’re a little more traditional in our approach, and Ashley was great in helping us with that.”
The whole team is what one of the homeowners described as young but “well-seasoned.” They know what the trends are and what the costs are going to be.
Embracing the “New Normal”
The homeowner is still working for an out-of-state company, but instead of traveling like he usually does, he’s been working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’ve been stuck here for 100 days, it seems,” he joked. “In reality, it feels like I’ve been on vacation since March!”
The bonus room is perfect for his new work-from-home lifestyle. They’ve enjoyed having the time to settle into the house without distractions, and complete some landscaping projects.

What the homeowners appreciate most about the whole process is how professional, kind, and helpful the McCamy team was the entire time. They had put off selling their home until the new one was built so they wouldn’t have to rent or stay in a hotel, but despite their intentions, it sold within hours of being put on the market.
“McCamy did a great job on helping us eliminate staying in a hotel,” the homeowner said.
The McCamy team went into overdrive on completing the home so the couple had somewhere to go. The plan was for the house to be built within a year. It took 11 months and 1 week.
“We didn’t go bankrupt, we’re still married, and I’m not in prison!” the homeowner celebrated. “It’s been a very pleasant experience.”
The homeowners are happy with the entire process and expressed that Grant is a very gracious person.
“He doesn’t get upset,” they explained, “at least not in front of us! He takes things in stride and has a good personality. All the people we worked with didn’t let things bother them and were able to just get things accomplished.”
These days, you can find the homeowners on one of their two back porches overlooking Tellico Lake, enjoying a life filled with slower days and the love of their family.
WindRiver Custom
From
home renovation or
building a custom home, McCamy has the experience and expertise to match your lifestyle and vision. We take into account the way your home looks, feels, and functions to envision the smartest solutions to customize your home.
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