Custom Over Production Home: The Stephen & Kailey Story
Stephen Godfrey and Kailey Phillips knew they wanted to build a new home, but they weren't sure about going the custom route until they hit roadblocks with a production builder.
The Production Builder Problem
"We actually met with a production builder before we decided to go with Keel," Stephen explains. "We wanted to move some rooms around or take some rooms out, and they just weren't able to do that like Keel was able to do. They also were limited in the selections that we were able to choose for the house."
That's when they decided to explore custom building with Keel Custom Homes. "We just wanted the opportunity to start from scratch," Stephen says. "We ultimately wanted to make those decisions and have it be more customizable."
Local Subcontractors Make a Difference
One advantage they discovered was Keel's use of local subcontractors. "The subcontractors were all local, so we were able to go meet them locally and pick everything out," the couple noted.
Design Consultant, Bridget, was particularly helpful throughout the selection process. "Bridget was able to come with us on all of our on-site meetings, whether it was cabinets or flooring decisions," Kailey recalls. "It's really nice being able to have her there and have that design eye that she has and help us out."
Communication That Actually Works
Building involves countless decisions, and Stephen was impressed by how accessible the Keel team remained throughout the process.
"Being able to call them, text them, email them, come visit them on site at their local office was super helpful," he says. "You're always their first priority. I genuinely can't think of a time that I reached out to them where I didn't hear back from them the same day."
Redesigning the Sanibel
Sanibel Floor Plan
Kailey had specific ideas about her forever home. "I've always pictured my forever home with a big front porch, kind of a country style, and I fell in love with the Sanibel," she says.
The Sanibel is one of Keel's most popular floor plans, featuring 3,405 square feet with 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms across two floors. The standard design includes an open concept great room, gourmet kitchen with large island, and a grand foyer—but Stephen and Kailey had different interior plans.
"We came to Bridget and said, 'Hey, we love the outside, but we have some different plans for the inside.' And she just helped us redesign the entirety of the inside. It felt like an existing floor plan once we were done."
Their biggest change was creating an even more open floor plan. "We took out a bedroom, which gave us this nice open loft area, which also allowed us to have floor to ceiling fireplace here, and gave us a lot of natural light as well."
Control Over the Details
Keel's walkthrough process gave them control over specifics that matter in daily living. "We were able to go to the house and do different walkthroughs, like the electrical walkthrough," Stephen notes. "We were able to pick out exactly where we wanted outlets to go. We were able to change anything before it was too late."
Quality You Can Trust
Stephen appreciated how Keel's commitment to quality was evident throughout the build. "It gives you peace of mind as a consumer knowing that their work represents their name," he observes. "I felt like that was just extremely clear throughout the whole entire process."
The Results
As construction neared completion, Stephen reflected on the experience: "It's truly incredible. It brings our entire vision to life. It's awesome to see and especially with the siding, the trim, and everything else that's going on on the inside kind of getting installed. It makes it feel more real and we couldn't be more excited about it."
Ready to explore custom building? Contact Keel Custom Homes to discuss how we can bring your vision to life.