Blending Home, Gardens and a Relaxed Lifestyle

In case you missed this article when it first ran:
http://countylivingmag.com/county-living/blending-home-gardens-and-a-relaxed-lifestyle

Town & Country homeowners connect indoors and out with a great outdoor room.


John and Cassandra McKearn have lived and traveled all over the world, but have chosen to make Town & Country their home. They originally came to the St. Louis area when John received a fellowship at Washington University, and fell in love with the St. Louis area with its abundance of arts, particularly the Missouri Botanical Garden.
When they moved to San Diego, the McKearns enjoyed the southern California lifestyle afforded by the temperate weather and ocean breezes, allowing them to open their home to enjoy the outdoors. By 2007, the McKearns were empty nesters and ready to return to the St. Louis area. Their yard here is a blend of nature and gardens, prompting San Diego friends to comment that they must have bought a national park. They built a beautiful pool, patio and spa soon after moving in, but what they really wanted was a multi-season room that would really tie their home to their yard.
Their challenge was finding a builder with the creative vision to design and build just what they wanted. According to John, a number of builders either shrugged their shoulders or said their ideas couldn’t be done in the St. Louis climate. Then, they read in County Living Magazine about Heartlands Building Company. Their approach is to design and build truly custom outdoor living spaces specifically for their clients’ lifestyles.
John commented, “Larry Brost came out and listened to what we wanted, he measured, we discussed design possibilities and he and his architect solved a critical structure/design feature that made the whole concept work.” They had a plan and added details like a fireplace and retractable solar screens that would extend the room’s use to all but a few months of the year. These features, along with custom lighting, audio and video make it an enjoyable space for any time of day or night.
To truly open their home to the outdoors, the McKearns had an idea straight from their time in San Diego, a Weiland folding glass door. They come in many styles and are designed and built one at a time for the particular needs of each customer. The McKearns settled on a “bi-fold door system”, a moveable glass wall that that opens an entire wall of their home to their beautiful outdoor room and neatly folds away in one corner. “This room really opens our house to our gardens, our pool and our spa.” says Cassandra. Heartlands made it happen by actually becoming the Midwest resource for Weiland door products.

The McKearns are enjoying the new room that is the centerpiece of their outdoor living. John says, “It’s the perfect meeting place to relax and enjoy a sports event in HDTV or relax with a glass of California wine while listening to songbirds or our favorite music streamed from iTunes.” Now, all that’s missing are the sea breezes and fresh ocean fish tacos.
Choosing a contractor that understands what you want and will go the extra mile makes all the difference. According to the McKearns, “We are so impressed with the Heartlands team’s emphasis on quality, finish and respect. The customer is the focus and every aspect of the job has to be done right.”
You can see more of Heartlands completed projects at www.heartlandshome.com. Their gallery includes outdoor rooms, custom homes, home additions and remodels. You can call Heartlands for a free in-home consultation or an appointment at their showroom in Chesterfield Valley at 636-728-0003.

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