Building a Neighborhood to Call Home
Burger Homes and Development, inc

In this new quiet neighborhood in North Marion, Deb and Bob Burger of Burger Homes and Development are building a neighborhood, home by home. Each home they build is inviting and spacious, and each has a flexible floor plan, attractive design, and quality custom construction.

“All our houses are high-performing homes,” says Deb Burger. “We maximize the curb appeal, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, ease of maintenance, and water use.” Excellent materials, quality construction, and a flexible design plan are top priorities for Burger Homes. “You should be able to live in this home a long time,” says Burger.

With its peaked roofline, stone front, and inviting front porch, this home is an appealing example of the company’s custom home-building expertise. Not only is the home beautiful, the yard is fully landscaped with a lush green lawn, foundation plantings, irrigation, and several large trees. “We’ve been bringing in eight large trees for each of these homes,” says Burger. All of these special touches make moving in easier for homeowners.

The front entry of this home is designed to be inviting and welcoming. Dark-stained walnut floors and lots of beautiful wood trim give a warm feeling, and a coffered entryway provides a grand entrance to the great room and kitchen. Designed to make entertaining easier, this open area has plenty of space for a large gathering. Friends and family can eat at a ten-foot long granite countertop and a table in the separate eating area. For bigger gatherings, expand your living onto the covered porch that can be reached through the eight-foot sliding doors. There’s even a formal dining room with a butler’s pantry at the front of the home, just steps away from the kitchen.

Besides lots of room for dining and food prep, the kitchen features custom cabinets with all-wood soft-closing drawers and doors, Bosch appliances, and a walk in pantry.

The great room features a fireplace at one end and large windows along the wall that let in light and a view of the yard. The room is wired for media: it has speakers, a large-screen television over the fireplace, and an iPod dock. The Burgers anticipated new technology by including extra tubes for additional wiring—no need to tear up the walls in the future.

The flexibility of this home’s floor plan can be seen in two additional rooms on this floor. This family is using them as a sitting room and office, but they could be used as bedrooms--and the formal dining room could also be used as an office. Adjacent to these rooms is a full bathroom with a dual sink vanity and tile floor.

The large master bedroom, with twelve-foot ceilings, is just down the hall. Not one but two closets help keep things tidy, and big windows look out over the peaceful backyard. The master bath has tile floors and dual sinks, a Jacuzzi, and separate walk-in shower. The peaceful earth tones noted elsewhere in the home are evident here, and other design touches fit the theme. “The lights above the custom mirror have raindrop glass, and the tiles in the shower are made to look like falling rain,” says Burger.

Rather than having an open staircase, the floor plan for this home has the staircase to the lower level tucked away just beyond the kitchen. “That way we could focus our attention on the inviting entryway,” says Burger. But the lower level is certainly an inviting part of the home. “We put in a full kitchen down here,” says Burger. There’s space for a refrigerator and microwave behind the ten-foot bar countertop; a dishwasher, and sink have already been installed. Another built-in fireplace creates a focal point in this spacious room, near the three-door French doors that lead out to the patio.

Also on this floor are a few bonus rooms: two bedrooms, including one that’s large enough to be called a second master suite. There’s a theatre room complete with built-in speakers and wiring for a projector. “The theatre room could also be a toy room or an exercise room,” says Burger.

Besides the many closets and storage throughout the home, there’s also some storage space in with the high-efficiency furnace and water-heater. Being highly energy-efficient is an important goal for the Burgers. “Our homeowners save about $85 per month on their utilities,” says Burger. “The utility bills are lower in our houses than they are in houses that are smaller but built a few years ago.”

Homeowners seeking a custom home that has a floor plan flexible enough to be appealing for many years and quality construction to last can find both of those in a Burger Home—either in this neighborhood or on your own property. “There isn’t anything we don’t love about this home,” says the owner of this Burger Home.