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While driving down the long driveway to the Park home, you almost instantly feel the sense of comfort and peace radiating around you. Walking into the home is like walking straight into a Pinterest lover’s dream. The vintage, farmhouse-styled home drips with the love and hard work of a family.

Judith and Brantley Park, both Troy University graduates, planted their roots on one acre of family land, where they decided to build their dream home. The two-year process proved worth it in the end, as they crafted the perfect home for their growing family.

Brantley and his dad, Bobby, took on the project together, gutting and using the foundation of an older home to customize and create the perfect place for Brantley’s family to share.

“My dad started out as a farmer, then made the transition into carpentry,” Brantley said. “I grew up learning a lot of skills involved with that, just from working on houses together.”

With an open-floor plan in mind, the two got to work, and like with every new project, there were surprises along the way.  The beautiful shiplap that lines the walls of the home happens to be one of the happy surprises.

“A lot of the walls were already existing behind the sheetrock. I actually found a guy who had similar wood from another house project, and so we just decided to make all of the walls shiplap,” Brantley said.

Adding to the charm of the home, the ceilings tell the story of the original foundation, leaving traces of the preexisting walls that have since been torn down.

“We really wanted to try to preserve the character of the house. We’ve always liked the simple, southern style, so we wanted to keep the look of the house pretty neutral with the white walls, dark trim and exposed brick,” Judith said.

One of the hardest parts of the build for Judith and Brantley was remaining patient throughout the process.

“We didn’t have contractors like you normally would when building a house, it was all Brantley and his dad working everyday,” Judith shares.

Their work and patience paid off when they were able to move in to their very own custom home. Judith and Brantley still find humor in their decision to build a spacious master bathroom.

“In our previous home we had a really small bathroom,” Judith laughs. “We would always jokingly over exaggerate and bump into each other like they do on the show ‘House Hunters’ because we didn’t have room. So we decided to build a bigger bathroom in this house.”

The love and labor doesn’t stop with the house itself. Beautiful pieces of art created by Brantley’s grandmother find their place on the walls above the piano. From paintings to the curtains to the furniture, the Park house is filled to the brim with family touches.

The three-bedroom, two-bath house nests in the middle of Alabama pine trees. With no neighbors or traffic in sight, the family is free to explore, creating memories that will last a lifetime. The Parks say their favorite moments in their home were becoming a family and starting a new chapter in their lives.

Now, the Parks leave the chaos of building a house behind and simply enjoy sharing each day with one another. The tiptoes of little feet fill the room as their son Crosby, now 3, and 11-month-old daughter Etta wander, treats in hand. They live their lives discussing Halloween costumes and dinner plans, thanking the good Lord above they have their place to call home.

Story by Kaylee Parker

For more stories from the November/December edition of TroyLife, pick up a copy at various locations around the community or at The Messenger office.