By Kaitlin Candelaria
Many people are drawn to the Over the Mountain area because they enjoy being close to the city, but they want an element of nature and seclusion in their neighborhood. For those people, the Grey Oaks subdivision in North Shelby County is a perfect fit.
Just a hop, skip and a jump from U.S. 280, the neighborhood is home to this year’s Fall Community Showcase Home.
Builder Jack Donovan of Donovan Homes and decorator Judy Dickinson said they were flattered to be highlighted by the Greater Birmingham Association of Home Builders, and they chose 404 Grey Oaks Drive to showcase the spirit of the neighborhood and the skill of their team.
“We chose this house because this is a plan that was specifically designed for us,” Dickinson said. “It isn’t a stock plan and it includes a very open and spacious main level with a study and a master bedroom.”
The floor plan, named after Donovan’s wife, Michelle, is one that is appealing to families of all different sorts.
“When you walk in the door, everything is together,” Donovan said. “That’s what families want today. Everybody is more together than we were back then. If everyone is doing different things in the house, at least in a house like this you’re doing them together because everything is here.”
Dickinson said that Donovan is known for his special touches in homes, and this one is no exception. From an oven with a built-in baker’s drawer to elegant light fixtures throughout the house, it stands out even among others in the neighborhood, which Donovan and Dickinson say is the goal.
“I try to put something different in every house,” Dickinson said. “It’s a very transitional style – not too modern and not too traditional.”
Donovan agrees.
“I don’t find that anybody out there puts the amount of finishes into a home in the price range we put it in,” Donovan said. Some other unusual touches include wood ceilings on the second floor and a tile backsplash designed to look like unfinished wood in the kitchen.
“We wanted this house to have a rustic feel and we like textures,” Dickinson said. “It’s going to be warm and homey. We want our homes to be inviting and livable. We put the elegance in there, but we also make it for an everyday family.”
The home’s first floor features a formal dining room, a living room, the kitchen and a master bedroom and bath and study. However, Dickinson said they will have the study staged as a nursery during the showcase tour to illustrate the home’s versatility.
Upstairs, visitors can find more bedrooms and bathrooms along with beautiful views looking back into the forest behind the house.
“The natural beauty of the neighborhood makes it unique,” Dickinson said. “The rolling hills and the trees …we only cut down trees that have to be cut to build the house.”
Donovan says that although they hope to sell the home during the showcase, he also aims to accommodate those who visit to get ideas for their own homes.
“There’s always more you can do to a home,” Donovan said. “You have to make it affordable for the homeowner or the person getting ideas for their own home. I tell the team throughout that we have to make it nice and elegant for the homeowners but you can’t jump (out of their price range).”
He says that Donovan Builder’s personal touch with customers is also something that sets it apart.
“We still want to be involved with the homeowners while the house is being built,” he said. “We don’t throw our people to the superintendent. We want to make them part of our building process.”
This home, like all of the homes Donovan Builders builds, is handicap accessible. All of the doorways are wider than what is standard because Donovan himself is wheelchair-bound. This is also a useful feature because a lot of blended families have found a home in the subdivision, he said.
“I’m finding more and more today that people have mixed families and are trying to find a home plan that fits their parents’ needs.”
