Homes By Taber Is Building For One of Its Own

Although Lindsay Haltom spends her days promoting the value of building and buying a new home, she wasn’t exactly in the market for one herself. She hadn’t put much thought into a bigger home because her home was ‘good enough for now’. Then, one day, she was driving with her boss and owner of Homes by Taber, Taber LeBlanc. They were discussing some of the neighborhoods where they were building and she talked with Taber about her “someday” home. Taber drove to a neighborhood and steered directly to a site. The streets were not in this new phase yet and it was mostly red dirt, but he told her, “This is it.” And Lindsay says he was right. Homes By Taber is now building for one of its own.

This particular homesite sat on a small hill and overlooked a 17-acre lake that took Lindsay’s breath away. Lindsay, Homes By Taber’s Director of Marketing, was thrilled by the property Taber showed her. “How could I ever pick anything but this?” As most homeowners know, when you find the one, the rest is history. 

She says she has always been in awe of the homes the company builds and the quality and value they include, so it wasn’t a tough choice to make. She talked it over with her husband, Chris, who was equally on board with making the move. It wasn’t long before Lindsay transformed from employee to customer. 

“I already knew so much about the process. The biggest ‘aha’ moment was picking out the homesite and having that emotional experience that our buyers get to go through,” says Lindsay, who joined Homes By Taber in 2015. 

Poppey—the perfect pick

They chose the Poppey Bonus Room floor plan, one of the newest designs. She was able to walk through this particular home, which is the model for both Timbercrest in Edmond and Highland Village in Norman, two of Homes By Taber’s communities of single-family homes in the OKC metro area. The Poppey, named after Taber’s newest baby girl, offers 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, plus the 3-car garage, which is the only item on Chris’s wish list. The second floor’s bedroom will likely be a guest room for the Haltom family’s guests, and the bonus room will be used as an extra family room.

With the home selection made, Lindsay gathered her ideas and shared them with one of Homes By Taber’s designer, Elizabeth Tucker. “It was mesmerizing to see how Elizabeth guided me. I would show her my inspirations and she had the insight to really understand where I was going with it. She would show me selections that she felt I would like and it would be exactly what I was dreaming of.”

As Lindsay was working through her choices with Elizabeth, the flooring supplier was bringing in new samples. The designer explained that they are constantly updating their selections, to make sure customers have a choice of the latest and greatest materials, styles, and colors. “It is a testament to how in-tune our designers are to our customers and how they work with our vendors each day to provide the best new home designs for them.” 

Reaping the Proudly Overbuilt rewards

Homes By Taber’s “Proudly Overbuilt” philosophy also hit home with Lindsay and Chris. She knows all about the many features that are included with every home, and was excited to be on the receiving end of it.

“This might sound crazy but when our family is getting ready in the morning at the same time, I daydream about having endless hot water.” The Rinnai tankless water heater—a standard feature—provides endless hot water. There’s a steady supply of it, so no one is left with a cold shower. That’s important for Lindsay’s busy family of four, which includes her two sons. “Imagine taking a hot bath, while washing a load of laundry and running the dishwasher, while someone else is taking a hot shower. It’s a dream come true.”

The open floor plan of the Poppey Bonus Room blends the kitchen, living room, breakfast nook, and formal dining room into one space. Lindsay admits that, if she were so inclined, the kitchen’s center island is large enough that someone could get up and dance around on the countertop there. She won’t say whether that idea is based on experience but, knowing Lindsay, we suspect it is.

“I also can’t wait to have that bigger patio with the wood-burning fireplace that lets us use this space year-round.” Combined with the view of the 17 acre stocked lake from the backyard, Lindsay imagines spending many hours either entertaining or just quietly enjoying her new home. With 235 square feet of outdoor living space in the backyard, she can also do plenty of entertaining here.

The Haltom family residence will be finished this summer. The experience has been exhilarating, she says, and this home is beyond anything she ever expected. For her, owning a Taber home and all that is included with it, exceeds any expectation she ever had with her modest upbringing.  

“We’re building our forever home. It’s a dream. It really is. I am on a mission, more than ever, to make sure homebuyers around the OKC know the value Taber includes.”