Building Your Dreams - B. Hancock Custom Homes

When Jerry and Joan Cochrane started making plans to build a new home, they had three main requirements: it had to have a great view with no other homes encroaching on the backyard, a lawn that could be mowed in 30 minutes, and easy access to a bike trail.

They also had sophisticated design ideas and a challenging lot on which to build. Because the lot is located on a cul-de-sac, it has a unique wedge shape and elevations that made placement of the house difficult. “Most of the builders wanted to square off the home and move it to the back of the lot,” says Jerry.

But one builder impressed them with his ability to fit their design ideas with the lot shape: Brian Hancock of B. Hancock Custom Homes. “We picked Brian because he was aggressive in preserving our design plans while also staying within our budget,” says Jerry.

“My goal is always to get clients the design they want and keep them within budget,” explains Hancock, who has been in business fifteen years. “My experience has taught me ways to get a house to look the way my clients want.” The Cochranes couldn’t be happier with their finished home, and are thrilled to show off the special features that Hancock helped them achieve.

Approaching the home, it’s easy to see that this isn’t an ordinary design. The home’s peaked roofline is matched with charming angles and offsets, making the home fit the lot perfectly. Low-maintenance siding and rustic stacked stone on the exterior suit the wooded location.

Inside, the views out the windows at the back of the home are breathtaking: the lot itself is wooded and leads down to a little creek and a protected area. “The season changes are beautiful,” says Joan, admiring the view. “In the spring, the trees get their leaves, and it’s so green out there.” Hancock made the most of the view in every room. The home’s great room has large windows topped by transoms; the transoms are echoed throughout the home above the entryways to many of the rooms.

One room, the four-seasons room off the back of the home, has windows on three walls for a feeling of being surrounded by nature. Through a door is a raised deck (“we call it the treehouse,” laughs Joan) with a grill and stairs down to the backyard and a covered patio.

Adjacent to the four-seasons room is the home’s kitchen, bright and airy with its cream-painted cabinets. Like the home’s exterior, the cabinets are offset here and there, lending depth and interest to the room. Glass-fronted doors on some of the cabinets show off Joan’s Depression glass collection. Besides the standard appliances, there’s a microwave that doubles as a convection oven, perfect for busy empty-nesters.

The layout of the kitchen isn’t quite an open design—one wall shields the kitchen from the front door and gives it a cozy feeling. Yet conversations can take place between the kitchen and the great room. In fact, the great room’s corner fireplace and those wonderful views can be seen from the kitchen. A granite-topped island provides a place for family or guests to sit and chat or eat. Just a few steps away from the kitchen is the home’s dining room, open to the great room, yet set apart by design elements—a trayed ceiling and two elegant columns.

The rooms on the opposite side of the great room show Hancock’s creativity when incorporating the Cochrane’s design ideas into the wedge shaped lot. These rooms open off an angled hallway and are part of the offset niches of the home. There’s a front office, a full bathroom, and the master suite, all cleverly fit into the home’s angles and making the most of the wooded views. The master suite features a bathroom with tiled shower, two sinks on adjacent walls, and a custom walk-in closet.

Also at an angle is the home’s open stairway that leads to the walk-out lower level. A full bar at the bottom of the stairs feels especially cozy because of the way Hancock routed the duct work in the ceiling, creating a delineation between the bar and the rest of the room. A pool table and linear fireplace are at one end of the large lower level, a television area is at the other, and tucked around behind are two bedrooms that share a Jack and Jill bathroom, the perfect place for the Cochranes’ grown children to stay when they visit.

Every home project is different, and B. Hancock Custom Homes is dedicated to putting the customer first and creating the highest quality home possible. From creation to completion, Hancock will help homeowners finish the home of their dreams.