Payne Family Homes - Blog

Payne Family Homes seems to have found the key to success, gaining prominence in the regional St. Louis market in just a few short years.  Already recognized with numerous awards for construction excellence, Payne Family currently offers 10 residential communities in St. Charles, St. Peters, Cottleville, Wentzville, Fenton, and Eureka – and is about to make its initial entry into O’Fallon (MO).

 The company’s newest acquisition consists of 44 attached villa sites in Walden Pond, an established, multi-product development located off Elaine Drive, north of Interstate 70, in North O’Fallon.  The community portfolio will feature three villa designs that have been wildly popular with the full spectrum of homebuyers in The Pointe at Heritage Crossing, a Payne Family neighborhood in St. Peters, plus two new plans that have recently made their debut.

Grouped in pairs, the various models are offered in ranch, story-&-a-half, and two-story styles, with 1338 to 2424 square feet on the main levels.  All include a 2-car garage and full basement, which can be finished for additional living space.  Several attractive new elevations will also be unveiled at Walden Pond, showcasing assorted combinations of brick, stone, stucco, shake, and siding.

A sneak peak of one of the exterior elevation options of the villa homes offered at Walden Pond!

 According to Shawn Arterburn, vice president of operations, “It’s the pricing structure for these quality-built villa homes that is most likely to impress our customers.  The collection is based from the $130’s, which is an amazing price point for this product line.” 

 The Agenda

Walden Pond’s temporary onsite sales center opened to the public last weekend and Grand Opening is projected for spring.  Construction of Walden Pond’s “Earhart” display, a 1444-square-foot ranch with two bedrooms and two full baths, is expected to begin shortly.  Shoppers can also experience one of the models offered at Walden Pond, the “Keller“, which is now on display in The Pointe. 

Wonderfully livable and ideal for entertaining, the Earhart’s activity areas – living room, dining room, and kitchen – are completely open and extend the full depth of the home.  Flexibility, is another feature Payne will be showcasing at Walden Pond.  Two of the floorplans offered provide buyers with the ability to build up, or down, or both!  Payne’s “Earhart” display will be highlighting the optional 2nd floor plan offered in a loft or 3rd bed/3rd bath configuration–providing buyers with ample flexibility to have guest quarters, space for grandkids, holiday quarters for a child returning from college, crafting room, reading nook, 2nd office, and much more!

Although all of the walk-out and ingrade sites are available for purchase, prime site selection isn’t the only good reason to be among the early villa owners at Walden Pond.  Payne Family Homes is offering a valuable Preview Special – one year of free Homeowner Association dues (including provided exterior maintenance services) plus $2,500 toward closings – to pre-grand opening buyers.

 A Great Place to Live

Highly selective in its choice of geographic locations, Payne Family Homes carefully evaluates the anticipated “lifestyle considerations” of each community’s future residents – commuter access, quality schools, and nearby commercial, recreational, and entertainment amenities.  And the City of O’Fallon certainly meets – and exceeds – those standards.

Twice ranked among America’s “100 Best Places to Live” by Money magazine, O’Fallon offers a wealth of shopping, dining, and recreational opportunities, including 475 acres of city parks and Renaud Spirit Center, with its state-of-the-art fitness, sports, and aquatic facilities.  Public education is provided by the top-rated Fort Zumwalt School District.

Affordable pricing.  Award-winning quality.  Easy-maintenance living.  A fabulous location.  And outstanding customer service.  Walden Pond is destined to be a winner!

Interested villa buyers can inquire about Walden Pond with Community Sales Manager, Jane Peacock, by simply calling (314)-996-9909, clicking www.PayneFamilyHomes.com, or stopping by!  You can also request more information by clicking here and directions to Walden Pond can be found here.

Disclaimer: Payne Family Homes reserves the right to make changes or improvements to prices, specifications and incentives without notice to maintain our continuous improvement policy. Select plans may be restricted to certain sites. Select elevations, colors, landscaping, lighting, and other selections represented above are an artist’s interpretation and may carry premiums. See Community Sales Manager for details.

Payne Family Homes has announced the acquisition of 157 additional homesites in two villages at Ohmes Farm, a 250-acre, master-planned community on Ohmes Road in St. Peters.

According to community sales manager Brooke Mayer, the decision was based on Payne’s brisk sales tempo in The Meadows at Ohmes Farm.  Featuring the builder’s newest and most popular single-family design collections, the 59-homesite village is already nearly half-sold.

“This is a great neighborhood in an outstanding location,” Mayer stated.  “St. Peters is ranked among MONEY Magazine’s Best Places to Live in America.  People want to live here – and we’re ready to accommodate them!”

In The Meadows, Payne Family Homes will continue to offer the Vision Series, starting from $179,900, and the Lifestyle Series, based from $204,900.  Both hot-selling portfolios were designed in response to customer requests and emphasize highly functional, adaptable living spaces, as represented by the “Meridian” display, a spacious split-bedroom ranch that is open for touring daily.

Now, however, buyers have the choice of 125 newly-added single-family homesites in The Crossings at Ohmes Farm.  Grouped around nine cul-de-sacs and ranging in size from 10,000 to 27,000 square feet, the lots have 80-foot frontages, and some are wooded or back to trees.

The Crossings showcases all 12 Lifestyle plans, plus the “San Marino,” an upscale ranch with enduring customer appeal.   Pricing starts from $229,900, and several characteristics will distinguish the homes in this fashionable village, including all-premium elevations and a standard 3-car front-entry garage.

The Crossings’ generous homesites also allow for a variety of unique garage configurations.  Purchasers can opt for a 3-car garage with one front entry and two side entries, and 4-car tandem garages are available, as well.

“Keeping up with demand for inventory homes has been a real challenge in this neighborhood,” Mayer remarked, “so we already have our first inventory home under construction.”  The wildly popular “Breckenridge II“, with four bedrooms and nearly 3,400 square feet of living space will be available for a Spring 2012 move-in.

There’s exciting news for buyers hoping to enjoy easy-maintenance living at Ohmes Farm, too!  Payne Family Homes is introducing detached villas in The Chateaux, a private, 42-site enclave located at the development’s northern perimeter.

“We’ve had tremendous success with villas elsewhere in St. Charles County, and buyers are going to be thrilled to find this lifestyle option now available here at Ohmes Farm,” said Mayer.

Payne’s all-new Chateaux collection is comprised of four free-standing ranches with wonderfully innovative floorplans with 2-3 bedrooms and 1300 to 1750 square feet on the main level.  Notable standard amenities include 2-car garages, handsome brick-&-stone elevations, architectural shingles, aggregate driveways and 4-foot-wide walks, and lawn irrigation systems.

Full basements allow for finished lower levels, and villa customers also have the unique option of adding an upper-level “eagle’s nest” on select plans.

The newly-designed “Hamilton” is under construction as The Chateaux’s display model and is projected to be open for viewing in early Spring 2012.

Here's a sneak peak of what the Hamilton Display at The Chateaux at Ohmes Farm is going to look like!

Payne Family Homes’ expanded offering is clearly the “pick of the crop” at Ohmes Farm, and Mayer encourages homebuyers to ask about special incentives currently in effect in all three villages.

For more information you can call Brooke Mayer at 314-713-0838, stop into our Sales Center located at 712 Magnolia Trails Lane, St. Peters, MO 63376, or visit us online anytime at www.PayneFamilyHomes.com.  You can also simply request more information by clicking here!

Wedding bells will be ringing for Joel Lester and Saretta Wade at the Jewel Box in Forest Park on October 7, with Saretta’s 9-year-old daughter Alexis proudly serving as junior bridesmaid.  (Correction! – that’s nine-and-a-half, according to this vivacious, articulate 4th-grader.) Joel is a native St. Louisan.  Saretta was born and raised in Tupelo, Mississippi.  So, how did this stunning young couple meet back in 2008?  Silly question in today’s cyber-world! – on the Internet, of course.  And how did they find their gorgeous new Payne Family Home in The Pointe at Heritage Crossing?  Well, that story is a bit more complicated…

Saretta had already moved to the St. Louis area, where she’s employed as a labor and delivery nurse for St. John’s Hospital.  Joel is a Web and graphic designer for AT&T and a talented part-time photographer.  Once “matched,” the two found themselves going in opposite directions, each relocating to and from Atlanta at different times.  Eventually, though, they decided to marry and put down roots in St. Louis. Finding the right home for their family-to-be was at the top of the priority list.  But Joel was still in Atlanta, and Saretta was living in St. Charles.  So, Joel arranged for a local Realtor to do the legwork, then Saretta would tour the suggested homes.  Staying in the Francis Howell School District was important to mom, and easy commuter access was a must for this busy professional couple.

 From her first visit to the sales center at The Pointe, Saretta was impressed by the warm welcome she received from community sales manager Julie Jones and her staff.  And the two-story Breckenridge display was love at first sight!  “It was exactly what we wanted – big, open, and free-flowing,” Saretta recalls.  “From that moment on, nothing else measured up.”

 The couple made relatively few alterations to the basic floorplan, but were amazed by Payne Family’s willingness to personalize, saying, “Most other builders wouldn’t let us make any changes.” Joel flew in to finalize the contract on Valentine’s Day (symbolic?), and construction began under the meticulous supervision of builder Dave Wilcockson.  Once reestablished back in St. Louis, Joel visited the site every day.  Both he and Saretta appreciated the friendliness of Payne’s field personnel, who always invited them to inspect the home’s progress and quality, insisting, “This is your house!”

 When asked to describe the best aspects of their homebuilding experience, the pair chime, “The company’s timeliness, flexibility, and the personable treatment we received.  Even our Realtor was singing Payne’s praises!”

 ”We were very happy with Dave,” Saretta added.  “At the beginning, all we worried about was getting moved in before the wedding, but the house was actually completed ahead of schedule.”  And all three are delighted with every facet of their new home. One of the Breckenridge’s four spacious bedrooms serves as Joel’s office, the other as guest accommodations.  Saretta loves her second-floor laundry, and the unique kitchen flooring is a highlight for Joel.  Alexis has started school, found several neighborhood playmates, and is thrilled with the color of her room (a yummy shade of her favorite blue called “Dazzle”).

Just glowing in front of their new Breckenridge at The Pointe!

What amazing work Joel does!

So, all that’s left is to wish this lovely family a joyous wedding and every blessing as they begin their new life together.

Just two minutes from the juncture of Highway 94 and the Page Extension, The Pointe at Heritage Crossing is one of our most successful residential communities, featuring single family homes from $177,900 and attached & detached villas from the mid-$160s.  For more informatio

n on plans offered at The Pointe, please click here or connect with our Online Sales Consultant by clicking here.

Payne Family Homes is proud to annouce that we are 2011 Professional’s Choice Award Winners!  The Professional’s Choice Awards Program is sponsored by the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri and the homes are judged on construction quality by professional building inspectors.  Each year, homes entered into the awards program are judged in 10 specific areas including foundation, framing, exterior finishing, flatwork, finish carpentry, drywall, woodwork, floor coverings, and hard surface materials.  This ensures a comprehensive review of many of the major components of a new home.

This is the third year we have received this award from the HBA and we are aboslutely thrilled to have a 3rd party testiment to our commitment to construction quality standards.  A big thanks goes to our community builders, sales managers, and subcontractors who all play a crucial part in constructing quality built homes for our customers!

Feel free to stop by to tour our two winners:  The Bristol Display at Ashton Woods in Eureka, MO and The Meridian Display at Ohmes Farm in St. Peters, MO!  Again, a big hats off to the many people who have made this possible!

Payne Family Homes 1st ever Summer Signing Sale has been underway for just over 3 weeks, and what a success it has been!  Over 20 buyers have chosen a Payne Family Home as their new place to call home in the past three weeks across the St. Louis Metro Area.  The best incentives ever offered at Payne Family Homes are still available for the next six days for anyone looking to purchase an inventory home or build their dream home! 

For specific incentive details, please contact Online Sales Consultant, Ashley, at 314.477.1218 or click here to request more information.  You may also click the below links for incentives per community.

Ashton Woods, Eureka, MO

Bella Vista, St. Peters, MO

Belleau Creek, St. Peters, MO

Bordeaux Condominiums, Cottleville, MO

Boulder Ridge, Wentzville, MO

The Enclave at Heritage, St. Charles, MO

Ohmes Farm, St. Peters, MO

The Pointe at Heritage Crossing-Single Family Homes, St. Peters, MO

The Pointe at Heritage Crossing-Villas, St. Peters, MO

Tuscany, St. Charles, MO

The Estates of Uthoff Valley, Fenton, MO

Hurry!  Time is running out!  If you’re looking in Eureka, Fenton, St. Charles, St. Peters, Cottleville, or Wentzville-Now is the Time!

You may have noticed some changing faces in some of our communities.  We’re proud to announce that two of our seasoned Community Sales Managers, Brooke Bailey & Kim McIver, are settling into their new communities at Ohmes Farm, Tuscany, and The Enclave.  Brooke Bailey had great success selling our Tuscany & Enclave locations and we are excited about the momentum she is already building at Ohmes Farm in St. Peters, just off of Mid Rivers Mall Drive!  Kim McIver, has had equally great success at our Belleau Creek and Bordeaux locations, and we’re looking forward to having her customer centric, upbeat attitude at Tuscany and The Enclave, both conveniently located in St. Charles County near the Page Extension.  For those of you who might be homeowners curious about the new faces you’re seeing in our displays, pop in and introduce yourself!  Both Kim and Brooke are excited to get to know all of our homeowners that have chosen to call these communities “home”.  For those of you considering purchasing a new home, there’s never been a better time to visit these communities than now!  Offering a variety of plans from our Vision Series, Lifestyle Series, and Estate Series, these three communities offer the flexibility of selection, timing and location!  New Lifestyle Series displays have been built at both Tuscany and Ohmes Farm and we have a selection of Fast Move! Inventory Homes available at various stages of construction!  For more information, visit us Mondays 12-5, Tuesday through Sunday 11-5, or click here to request more information!

“Terrie, you deserve this!” chorused Terrie DuHadway’s friends as they lifted champagne flutes and toasted her mid-November move into a stunning new detached luxury villa in The Pointe at Heritage Crossing, Payne Family Homes’ multi-product neighborhood in St. Peters.

Terrie’s response illustrates the gracious personality of this world-traveling professional and proud mother of three. “The best reward,” she replied, “is to live the way you want to.”

An executive publisher of medical journals with Elsevier, Terrie raised her children, now all in their twenties, in a large two-story home in St. Charles County. By the fall of 2009, the youngest was off to college, and Terrie was ready for a more manageably-sized home-– one that would free her from yardwork, allow her to enjoy the “empty-nester” lifestyle, and still provide plenty of space for entertaining, family gatherings, and the collegians coming home for school breaks.

Accompanied by a close friend, Terrie embarked on an exhaustive new-home search. The Pointe was one of their first stops, and Terrie found herself returning again and again. “I fell in love with the open floorplan of the Cape Cod ranch display, and nothing else ever compared,” she recalls.

Last spring, she made her purchase decision and, in spite of the slow housing market, her existing home sold quickly. Another good friend welcomed Terrie, her dog Isabelle, and cat Paco as house guests while the Cape Cod was under construction, a kindness for which Terrie is most grateful.

What followed was a picture-perfect homebuilding experience. According to Julie Jones, community sales manager for The Pointe, “Terrie is the homeowner we wish we had every time! She has great taste and a terrific sense of humor. When I stopped by with her housewarming gift, she even had gifts waiting for us!”

Terrie was equally appreciative of Jones’ expertise, saying, “The choices [with Payne Family] are endless, and Julie could visualize exactly what I wanted. It was fun!”  Superintendent Dave Wilcoxen earned similar accolades. “Dave went through every detail with me! After meeting with him, I knew my house would be built well and built right.”

Terrie personalized a few design elements, chose a contemporary décor, and finished the villa’s lower level with an optional recreation area, sewing studio, and a third bedroom suite (dubbed the “man cave”) for her son. Progress photos were sent to the kids regularly via phone (the newly-dug foundation was humorously labeled “our hole”), and future neighbors stopped by the site often, assuring Terrie that she would love living in The Pointe.

The elegant villa was completed in time for a gala Thanksgiving celebration. “My kids are thrilled,” she concludes, “and I feel like I’m living in a luxury vacation home!”

Blessed with a wonderful family, great friends, treasured pets, and a gorgeous new home, Terrie DuHadway is enjoying the “best reward”… living just the way she wants to in The Pointe.

Throughout our most recent Facebook contest, Payne Family Homes has received quite an array of answers to the following contest question: “If you could add one room to your home, what would it be?

Some said a play room for their kids. A few pushed for a music room for a baby grand piano. Still others threw out the idea of a man cave with a beer fridge and a secret compartment for their Junior Mints stash (hey, we all can dream, right?).

This contest was a fun and unique way to interact with you and listen to your insights about home design and more. We had a blast reading your creative ideas and the reasoning behind each one. That being said, we are proud to declare Katie Dimmitt as the winner of the Payne Family Homes random drawing and the recipient of a brand-new iPad!

We were thrilled with the amount of responses we received during this giveaway. At Payne Family Homes we take pride in our ability to design homes with unique character, styles and meticulously-designed floor plans. We take the time to learn about our customers and build homes to exceed their individual expectations.

We want to thank everyone for their participation! Continue to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for our updates on everything you need to know about your home. Below are some of our participants’ responses, for your enjoyment:

“If I could add any room to my (imaginary) house I would add a pet hotel room so I could continue to rescue animals off the streets of Saint Louis and give them the loving and safe home they deserve!”

“If I could add a room, it would be a Florida room. To be able to sit looking outside at the seasons over a cup of coffee sounds perfect!”

“…A fully finished Man-Cave in the basement – readily equipped with Kegerator, pool table, and special trophy wall for the newly acquired deer head ”

Thanks again to those whom participated and congratulations to our winner, Katie Dimmitt. We really enjoyed reading everyone’s ideas and are excited about planning our next giveaway. What would you like to see in our next contest? Let us know in the comments section below!

As the winter weather slowly makes its way to St. Louis, Payne Family Homes is again supporting “Toys for Tots”, the annual campaign sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.

Here at Payne Family Homes we consider it a privilege to participate in this nationwide charitable effort.  Our vision of “community” extends far beyond the borders of our residential neighborhoods and this is a fantastic opportunity to make a difference in the lives of less fortunate children. 

We pride ourselves on building more than just houses.  We create communities where our homeowners can enjoy life, raise their families and build their futures.  The joy “Toys for Tots” brings to less fortunate children seems a particularly appropriate way for us to give back to the greater St. Louis community that has made our success possible.

This is Payne’s second consecutive year with “Toys for Tots”.  Last year we were delighted and impressed by the generosity of our homeowners, vendors, employees and visitors touring our neighborhoods.  With more locations and more owners in residence, we are very excited for this year’s campaign.  We are thrilled to support the “Toys for Tots” program knowing the donations go directly to children in the St. Louis region.

From now until December, the “Toys for Tots” drop boxes will be stationed in the sales centers of all eight of our Payne Family Homes communities in St. Charles and St. Louis Counties.  We ask that donors contribute new, unwrapped toys that will be collected, sorted by age and gender and distributed to needy children in the St. Louis area.

We’re excited to support the St. Louis children and we hope you will join us in making their holiday one to remember.  Simply check out our locations to see which is the most convenient for you!

It’s getting to be that time of the year: the leaves have changed into vibrant colors, the temperatures are going from brisk to chilly and you’re putting together your list while Santa is deciding who is naughty or nice.

If you’ve been extra nice this year, a new home in St. Charles at The Lifestyle Series of The Enclave at Heritage will assuredly be a top your holiday wish list.

Tucked away in beautiful St. Charles County near Heritage Crossing and Highway 94, The Enclave at Heritage by Payne Family Homes sets the standard for spacious floor plans and lavish options.  With just 10 new home sites remaining that sit on two private cul-de-sacs available, this charming community offers elegance and privacy amid exquisite landscapes that are hard to beat. 

One such model is The Sycamore, a three-bedroom ranch with generous 2,176-square feet of living space that fits a variety of lifestyles.  The Sycamore features a wood burning fireplace, hardwood flooring and a deluxe kitchen that is equipped with stainless steel Whirlpool® appliances – just picture yourself enjoying a nice cup of hot cider on a cool fall evening.  This tremendous value is offered at an affordable price of $325,000.  And with The Sycamore being completed, it’s ready for you to immediately enjoy the upcoming holidays and all that the the community has to offer…RIGHT NOW!

Thanks to current mortgage trends, now is the perfect time to get great value the other homes at The Enclave at Heritage.  With interest rates as low as the 4s – and near record lows – the time to buy a new home like the well-appointed homes at The Enclave at Heritage is optimal.   Couple these great rates with our reduced pricing plans, moving into one of these beautiful homes has never been easier.

The Enclave at Heritage single-family style home model can be viewed daily at our Tuscany development just off Hemsath Road and Arena Parkway near the Page Avenue Extension in St. Charles County.  Please contact Community Sales Manager Brooke Bailey at (314) 220-2861 to set up an appointment for viewing this fantastic, highly customizable floor plan.

So make it home for the holidays…make it The Enclave at Heritage from Payne Family Homes!