In April 2002, we bought a lot in a unique new development in Georgetown, Massachusetts. This site was originally intended to allow family, friends and any other interested parties to track the progress of the home's construction. Now that we've moved in (December 2002), it's available as a resource to others building a custom home. Be sure to read "What We Learned" for a summary of the experience.

It's probably far more detail than anyone except us would be interested in, but for what it's worth, here you go. Enjoy browsing the site!
   -- Bill and Laurie Bryce

Location, location, location
Our home is located in the new Littles Hill subdivision in Georgetown, Massachusetts. If you're saying to yourself, "Georgetown sounds like the sticks" ... it is! It's a very small, very rural town, increasingly rare this close to Boston. We're about two miles from Highway 95, and about 28 miles north of Boston. We think the rural-ness is a big benefit, although yes, we're going to miss having a Starbucks within walking distance.

More about Georgetown

Who's who?
We're the home-buyers, Bill and Laurie Bryce. The builder is Shep Spear of Londonderry Homecrafters. You'll hear a lot about him in these pages because with a custom home, we're in almost constant contact with the builder right through the process.

I'm not shy about saying that I came into this process ready to spar with everyone -- our first home-building experience was a frustrating and painful experience that still resonates seven years later. This time around I was determined that we weren't going to be shuttled along without a chance to fully participate. With that mindset, it was a pleasant suprise that we liked and trusted Shep immediately, and our subsequent experiences have only reinforced it. Having a strong relationship with the builder makes the home-building process a thousand times more enjoyable.

What's unique about Littles Hill?
When complete, Littles Hill will include 45 homes on 129 acres, with most of the lots averaging around an acre in size. That leaves 72 acres of woodland, which is being donated to the Georgetown Conservation Commission and will be maintained as open space forever. That open space is forested with birch, beech and pine trees, includes several wetland areas and is criss-crossed with trails.

In addition, Shep is conserving trees within the lots as well, as much as practicable. When we were house-hunting, we were dismayed by developments with big boxy houses nudged up against one another, with no trees for miles around. That seems to be the standard development plan, even in neighborhoods far out of our price range, but this environmentally-conscious builder is going against the grain.

To us, it represented the best of both worlds -- acres and acres of trees and privacy, but the chance to be in a community-oriented neighborhood with sidewalks and quiet streets as well. There's even a soccer field on site!

contact Laurie