The Patel's new custom built home.

Chandu and Vijaya Patel are incredibly excited first time homeowners. On June 25, the Patels along with their two sons, Vishwas and Aniket, moved into their new custom designed and built home. Location was a very important factor the Patels used in determining where the family would live. Desiring a home in Manheim Township drove the Patels to research Landis Crossing. “Customization and Your Towne Builders’ experience in custom building were also very important,” said Chandu.

            The entire Patel family was born in India. Through Chandu’s education and training in Information Technologies the family had the opportunity to live in many different places both in the United States and around the world including Switzerland, Connecticut, Utah, and Massachusetts.  Nine years ago the family arrived in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and finding Lancaster to be warm and friendly and an excellent place to raise a family, have lived here ever since.   

 Living the American Dream

            “We have fulfilled the American Dream,” said Patel. Even though Chandu did not set out to leave his native India to live in the United States he stated that there are less hurdles to overcome. Because the United States has a good communication and transportation system with excellent infrastructure, it lessens the day-to-day struggles many face in other developing parts of the world. “It makes it easier to achieve your goals both professionally and spiritually,” he added.

            Chandu, who works for Spectra Marketing Systems, has found his new first floor study to be among his favorite rooms in the new home. The study features a large window overlooking the front yard and a separate entrance, which make it an ideal spot for a future home office. Vijaya, who according to Chandu “makes our house a home,” enjoys the new spacious kitchen complete with an island, plenty of cabinet space and state of the art stainless steel appliances. Vishwas, an 8^th grader and Aniket, a 7^th grader, both at Manheim Township Junior High School, love having their own room each of which feature a custom built-in study desk. Both young men enjoy playing soccer and basketball and like the community because a lot of their friends live in neighboring Settlements of Landis Valley.

            The Patel’s new guest bedroom will come in handy when family visit from India. They anticipate hosting some of their family in the near future. At that time they plan to have a house warming ceremony as well as a party for friends, family and co-workers.

            Other custom features of the Patel’s new home include a two-story dinette with skylight; second set of basement stairs in garage; second floor owner’s suite featuring a loft library area; and custom columns complete with crown molding.

New Home Ownership

            The Patel’s found the home building process to be very smooth. However since it was their first foray into home ownership and they were custom building a new home it was not without a few challenges.  “We spent a lot of time educating ourselves on the process,” said Chandu. “The process could have been a lot smoother with more education for a first time home buyer/builder,” he added.  Your Towne Builders took that suggestion very seriously and agreed that more education for the first time buyer/builder would make the process better not only for the customer, but also for the trades people working on the home and the various suppliers the Patels worked with on details such as flooring and appliances. A detailed custom building timeline is in the works for future new customers.       

            While the rewards of new home ownership are many there are a few challenges to overcome such as lawn care and yard work. Having moved from an apartment complex Chandu admitted that he still has a lot to learn when it comes to caring for his new lawn, trees and shrubs. “It’s good exercise,” he admitted. “It gets me outside and is something the whole family can take part in.”  H