A Lifestyle Change to Love
Downsizing happened somewhat serendipitously for Chuck and Kelly when he ran into a friend one night at a local restaurant. Chuck had retired recently, and while he loved his shop and the acreage they owned, Kelly had been suggesting a less-encumbered lifestyle might be a good choice for them. A new home was just what they were looking for.
“A plumber friend stopped me and asked when we were going to sell him our property,” Chuck explains. “He made an offer right there that I couldn’t refuse, so we shook on it.”
He didn’t tell Kelly until there was an agreement on paper, and then gave her the news she’d been waiting to hear. She started out looking for a condo, but Faribault didn’t have a lot of options right then. That’s when she recalled a new neighborhood she had seen a few years prior. She stopped in at an open house and met the builder, Jaren Fitzke of Fitzke Construction and developer Dave Polacek.
“I instantly fell in love with the development and was very impressed with the quality of the home,” recalls Kelly.
She also knew that Chuck, like a lot of recent retirees, was a little more reticent to leave the home they’d lived in for a couple decades. But when Kelly asked him to look at Parkland Village with her, they found a framed spec-home they both could agree upon.
It was important to Kelly that they still had the space for their four children to come to visit and know that “Home is where Mom and Dad are!”
“We aggressively began sorting through the “stuff” that we had been collecting throughout the many years, knowing that we couldn’t and really didn’t want to take it with us,” Kelly continued. “It was such a great feeling to know that each of the children took a bit of the memories of childhood that they wanted to have.”
The Community
Parkland Village is located on the edge of Faribault with easy access to I-35. It’s just blocks from Roberds Lake resort area and minutes more lakes and atop golf course. Currently offering 96 home sites with additional to follow, it has a central park and planned trails to connect with a future city park. Boasting traditional single-family homes, twin-homes as well as villas like Chuck and Kelly’s, all the homes showcase modern floor plans and classic architectural styles.
“But, it’s not a cookie cutter neighborhood,” explains Kelly who likes the fact that “no two homes look exactly alike.”
Design & New Home Features
“Kelly and Jaren, the builder, just clicked on decorating,” Chuck says. She upgraded a lot of the lighting and kept the color palette light and sophisticated. In fact, “I’ve noticed Jaren using a lot of Kelly’s ideas in their other homes, now,” he says with a glint of pride.
Chuck says his favorite part is the big shower in the owners’ bath, while Kelly loves the second patio off their bedroom. “She calls it the Sunday Bloody Mary/Mimosa deck, as it’s the perfect place for a Sunday morning cocktail.”
They both love the open concept and the big windows which ensure bright, light-filled spaces, a nice change from the 60-year-old rambler they left.
Chuck is also pleasantly surprised by how much he loves the new neighborhood. “We have some pretty outstanding neighbors,” he says.
“The feeling now of less is best is so comforting at this time in our lives,” Kelly explains. “Knowing that we can just get up and go have fun with peace of mind knowing that we now have minimal maintenance at home.”
“I think this is the way to go,” Chuck concurs about their new downsized lifestyle at Parkland Village. “It’s just a matter of getting people in and seeing it. Everybody that’s been here says they love it too.”
Written by Wendy Danks | Home built by Fitzke Construction