1. How did you choose Ivan Stanly and Associates to build your home?
We chose Suzanne Allen from Allen Guerra Architecture as our architect and were extremely impressed with Suzanne and her firm. Because we established a comfortable and trusting relationship with her, we trusted her recommendations to select a general contractor. She gave us several recommendations and we followed her lead. We met with and interviewed several general contractors. While impressed with all the recommendations, we were most comfortable with Jeremy Fischer’s personality and style. Jeremy took us to view several Ivan Stanley Custom Home Builder projects and we believed that his attention to detail and final products were of the quality we expected for our mountain home.
Link: Allen Guerra Architecture
2. Would you recommend Jeremy as a custom mountain home builder to others and why?
We would absolutely recommend Ivan Stanley Custom Home Builders to anyone considering building a custom home. “In fact,” says Kevin, “I wouldn’t build another home without Jeremy. Wherever I decide to build next, I will make sure that Jeremy is on board.” Donna states glowingly, “In the beginning of the project, when I would ask Jeremy for anything related to the house, Jeremy would reply, Yes, Donna. By the end of the project, we were had formed a pretty close relationship. So Jeremy started answering endearingly, Yes, Dear.” We loved that we were able to develop a relationship that we could find humor in the building process. It was so important to me that Jeremy would just take my requests and find a way to make them happen. He really became a partner in building our dream mountain vacation home.
3. Were you comfortable communicating with Jeremy throughout the building process? Was the communication clear and effective?
Extremely comfortable. Jeremy is easy to talk to. His demeanor is calm and he genuinely listened to our suggestions and concerns. He was patient and was great about explaining the processes that we didn’t understand. He talked us through all of the necessary decisions, without bogging us down with details that were not necessary for us to be involved in. Jeremy would ask about our choices and was good about double verifying each decision by running it by both of us. He was always available, answering the phone consistently or calling us back right away. It was comforting to know that we were a priority.
4. What were some challenges you faced during the building process? How was Jeremy able to help you resolve these issues?
Honestly, the biggest challenge was the HOA in our subdivision. We ran into issue after issue with the HOA. Jeremy worked hard to get us through this challenge. And to give credit where credit is due, Suzanne Allen, our architect, really spearheaded tackling the issues with the HOA. Suzanne and Jeremy worked together, but I would say that Suzanne took the lead and worked tirelessly to get through all the HOA requirements and red tape.
5. How would you describe the architectural style of your home? Are you satisfied with your builder’s rendition of this style?
“I love the interesting roof lines and angles,” states Donna. “The varying peaks on the roof make it fun to look at.” Donna & Kevin love the high ceilings, tall doorways, exposed beams and trusses, and expansive views. Large windows provide lighting and a connection to the outside. We love the finished product and wouldn’t change anything about the home. We also appreciate Jeremy’s input concerning budgeting and value engineering. He helped guide us with areas where we should spend the money on the finest quality and where we could scale back. For example, he encouraged us to put in excellent quality, showpiece lighting in the main level and in the common areas. We then chose to get quality, but not necessarily custom lighting in the more casual lower level areas of the home. His input was helpful and again, we are very happy with the decisions we made about the finishes.
Donna goes on to describe her experience working with Karen Fischer, Jeremy’s wife and business partner. Karen has a background in design and art history. Karen helped Donna choose finishes and artwork. Donna explains that Karen was able to really understand what Donna wanted, she clearly understood Donna’s style and her expectations concerning the final look. Karen assisted Donna in achieving that look in a way that was genuine. Donna says, “Karen didn’t impose her own tastes on my home, she stayed true to what I wanted and helped me to make choices that were authentic to my taste. Karen has a gift for identifying what a client really wants.” Donna also expressed how fun and helpful it was to have a husband/wife team. Donna felt even more comfortable and engaged with Karen on board.
6. Describe your favorite room in the house. Why is this your favorite room?
Donna’s favorite room is the great room on the main level. She loves the massive masonry style gas fireplace and the giant floor to ceiling windows. The view of the Ten Mile Range from the great room is stunning. Tall ceilings and an open floorplan give the feeling of openness and light while the exposed trusses and beams help to create a feeling of comfort and warmth. “All the trusses and beams are real wood, made of Montana Fir. The tall doors are Alder.” Donna & Kevin also love the White Oak Floors of the great room.
7. Is there an interesting or unique finish material that you especially like?
Donna particularly loves the granite countertops and the cherry cabinets in the kitchen. The custom kitchen cabinetry in the kitchen includes exceptionally tall cabinets, extending into the high ceilings, giving the room a very large, expansive feel.
8. Can you tell me about the custom light fixtures? How are they made? What is the background story?
The light fixtures are an incredible addition to the home. Kevin has a connection to a lighting company in Texas where they have done business in the past. He and Donna commissioned Ashore Lighting to create the one-of-a-kind chandeliers. Ashore Lighting is a family run business and they handcraft each individual lighting fixture/element with precision and care. The craftsmanship is exceptional and unique. The chandeliers are made of forged wrought iron and present stunning showpieces on the main level of the home.
9. Tell me about the tiles in your showers? How are these unique?
Each shower has a “feature” wall with a mosaic that is different than the other 3 walls, kind of like an accent wall that you might see created with a contrasting paint color. Pete Thayer of Rightway Tile did the tile in the entire home and we fell in love with his work. He is a perfectionist and is excellent in his craft. We are so appreciative of the fine quality that Pete provided. And we loved working with him as a person, as well! We have to say that Jeremy pulls together the best subcontractors. They are all incredibly skilled and work well together as a team.
10. What is the primary purpose of your home? (Residence, vacation home, rental, family meeting location, ski getaway, etc.)
The house is a second home and we spend as much time here as possible. While we enjoy the winters, we truly love the summers. We are both golfers and part of the reason that we chose this area is its close proximity to the Breckenridge Golf Course. We have two sons who love to visit and who have their own rooms in the home. Our friends visit when they can. Now that they know about the house, we are finding that we have more friends than we realized!! The house is perfect for entertaining. The great room with the open kitchen and dining room layout is ideal for dinner parties and family gatherings. In the summer, we love using the outdoor living space. We have a nice outdoor grill, outdoor gas fireplace, and gas fire pit. The outside deck has an excellent view and is a perfect way to extend the living space into the outdoors.
11. Talk about the experience of working with and architect and a builder who have a close working relationship. Did this enhance your custom home building project?
We didn’t realize in the beginning how beneficial this would be. Suzanne and Jeremy have worked together on many projects and they work beautifully together. Their communication and collaboration was incredible for us as the client. We were away for much of the building process. Because Suzanne and Jeremy worked so well together, they were able to brainstorm and solve problems without concerning us when appropriate. They really listen to each other, bounce ideas off each other, and solve any issues that might arise. While we wanted to be involved in decisions, it was also important that the project keep moving in our absence. Between Jeremy and Suzanne, they seemed to know just when they should solve issues without concerning us and just when we should be contacted. It was really the perfect balance for our needs.
12. How would you describe and rate your overall experience working with Jeremy? How satisfied are you with your finished custom home? We honestly wouldn’t change a thing about our home. In fact, we’ve tried to decide what we could have done differently. We can’t identify anything. Our friends and family told us that by the end of the building process, we would be so tired of dealing with our contractor and that we would be frustrated and exhausted. This is so far away from what we actually experienced. We actually developed a friendship with Jeremy and Karen Fischer. The Ivan Stanley Custom Home Builder team made our experience pleasant and enjoyable.