It was a surprisingly quiet Saturday afternoon in the Siders’ gorgeous new Payne Family home at Ohmes Farm. Thirteen-year-old Spencer was in his “man cave”; toddlers Maggie and Hayden were down for their naps; and cherubic, copper-haired Anna, age 3, cheerfully abandoned the cartoons she’d been watching to supervise the interview with her parents.
Mom and dad to these active youngsters, Mackenzie and Ben Siders are a classic example of two highly successful young professionals who found their ideal “match” on the Internet. Ben is an attorney with the Lewis Rice law firm, specializing in technology litigation. Formerly a senior project manager with Express Scripts, Mackenzie now devotes her considerable management skills to organizing their busy household.
By last year, the Siders family had outgrown their West County house, and Ben and Mackenzie began an intensive six-month search that included both pre-owned homes and new construction. Space was a priority, and the couple had a clear vision of the home they wanted.
Ultimately, their real estate agent found the perfect floorplan – a “Breckenridge II” two-story, one of 12 designs featured in Payne Family Homes’ Lifestyle Series and offered in several of the builder’s communities. The logical neighborhood choice was Ohmes Farm, an expansive multi-village development in St. Peters, where Mackenzie’s brother was already a resident and her father lived nearby.
“Payne Family gave us the most home for the money,” Ben maintains, “and unlike many other builders, they were extremely flexible.” In fact, the couple laughingly describe their home as a “guinea pig project,” explaining that this was the first time Payne had built the Breckenridge II with the modifications they requested.
Assisted by Payne’s community sales manager, the Siders’ adapted the plan to include six bedrooms, 3-1/2 baths, a loft, and a home office. “It’s hard to put your dream together on paper,” Mackenzie noted. “We’re reasonable but particular, and we wouldn’t have the same house if it weren’t for her.”
Construction began the first week of January, with continual site inspections by one or both of the new homeowners. “We rarely found anything amiss,” Ben recalls, “and anything we did find was addressed quickly.”
Both attribute the smooth construction process to builder Bruce Wilson, and their assessment of his performance can only be described as glowing: [He] “inspired tremendous confidence”; “was in charge”; “knew what he was talking about”; “got things done”; “definitely above and beyond.” “The subs Payne works with are excellent, too – consultative and helpful,” Mackenzie added.
Comfortably settled in their new home, the family celebrated with an open house in earlier this summer, proudly accepting enthusiastic compliments on the quality and styling from their guests. But this excerpt from Mackenzie’s thank-you note to company headquarters may be the best summary of the Siders’ experience with Payne Family Homes:
”We’re trying to get all of our friends and family to move here!… We’re extremely pleased… It didn’t matter what I asked for, you guys always tried to make it happen!… Service was great. House is even better!”
Open daily, Ohmes Farm fronts Ohmes Road in St. Peters and showcases two of Payne Family Homes’ most popular single-family collections – a grand total of 20 home designs. Pricing starts from $189,900, and details may be obtained by simply clicking here or by contacting Ashley, Payne Family Homes’ Online Sales Consultant. (click here)
