NIH Homes Impresses Maple Grove Clients

Women-centric design and high quality yield makes an inviting home for the Oleksy's.

By: Juanita Hickerson | From the issue: May 2010

Chris and Stephanie Oleksy spend time in their kitchen

Photo: Marshall Franklin Long

Chris and Stephanie Oleksy spend a lot of time in their kitchen which serves as their home's focal point for entertainment.

Homeowners Chris and Stephanie Oleksy cannot say enough good things about the design/build of their gracious new home. After spending a year of weekends browsing the neighborhoods, lots and builders available in their Maple Grove home turf, they met Jeremy Skogquist of NIH Homes during the fall 2008 Parade of Homes. “We just knew. There was something about both Jeremy and the house that just stood out,” says Stephanie. Six months later, they moved into their cozy new nest and proceeded to become the “fun house where everyone congregates.”

Being ‘the place’ was very important to this genial couple—who knew what they wanted for their home as they became empty nesters—with a married daughter and grandchild and a son in college. Their number one priority was: “What will the entertaining be like?” says Chris. “We wanted an open feeling for kids and grandkids, something beautiful, but casual, where everyone is comfortable.” With its welcoming open first-floor plan, “everyone remains connected,” say Skogquist, “and the kitchen is the main focal point.”

Veteran new homebuilders on their fifth time through the process, the Oleksys had been satisfied with previous forays with primarily national level builders. But this time around, they were looking for a higher level of quality, says Stephanie. When they compared the NIH parade home with the next home they visited on the tour, she says, “The quality stood out the most.” The Oleksys returned to their car, drove back and “jumped right in” to the design/build process with NIH. They never looked back, even though the very day they put their former house up for sale, the market crashed. Instead of letting that make the process scary, Stephanie said they decided to make it fun.

According to Stephanie, the process was a “piece of cake”. Feeling that the house was being built especially and entirely for his family, Chris says the people at NIH were the “most creative people” he’s ever seen. Stephanie agrees, highlighting experiences where she found the team responsive: “I was even able to describe some changes over the phone, and they were able to send a drawing of what I wanted.” Some of that responsiveness and accommodation may be due to the fact that NIH is an exclusive Woman-Centric Matters builder. With 20 years of experience in home building, NIH kicked off its woman-centric focus in the beginning of 2008. Skogquist says, “91 percent of home buying decisions are influenced by women, and focus on entertainment, de-stressing areas, storage and flexible space.” NIH made it part of their design mission to make floor plans more family-friendly, de-clutter countertops and provide elements of surprise with clever hidden storage.

Though those considerations were important to the Oleksys, Stephanie said it was the visible level of quality that drew them to their choice to build with NIH. “We had built so many times. This made it fun; it felt different.” Stephanie appreciated the woman-centric focus since she was so involved in the decision-making. When it came to being on the jobsite, she felt totally comfortable with a respectful and accommodating crew. She says they accepted last-minute changes and “there was never any roll of the eyes.” Lakeside Cabinets, the only licensed woman-centric cabinet shop in Minnesota, researched exactly what Stephanie wanted when she sketched a wine cellar—“exactly the kind you would see in a wine shop,” she notes. They also responded quickly and embraced her notion of adding a concession stand complete with a candy counter and popcorn machine to the lower level theater space. When detailing balustrades and corner treatments, the woodworker would present options to the couple, asking, “Which do you like better? How would you like this cut done?” The Oleksys found this attention to detail with all of the subcontractors as well as NIH’s own carpenters, which the firm uses to provide high-quality finishing details in its homes.