When landscape designer Evonne Peryea and her husband Mark first began the hunt for their new home, they had only one builder in mind.

“We were seeking out a Rob Rice home,” says Evonne, who now resides in the Black Lake Palisades community in Tumwater, Washington.

Evonne and Mark spent over a year seeking pre-owned Rob Rice properties and working with different realtors before local Coldwell Banker, Agent Mitch Dietz, connected them with Rob and Helena Rice and the Rob Rice Homes pre-sale program. Given the opportunity to design her dream home from the ground up, Evonne had one non-negotiable: a kitchen that would suit the needs of herself and her family.

“I told Mitch, as this house was just starting to be built, that I’ve got to have the kitchen I want,” she says. “I’m a vegan, my husband has health issues, and the big stop sign-style island in the Redwood design at the time wouldn’t work for us. We needed something that flowed better.”

The Redwood’s original kitchen.

Evonne’s modification.

Evonne, who owns Plantasia Design Center, decided to draw on her extensive experience in landscape and architectural design to illustrate her point. Her husband and aging mother would be unable to get around comfortably in the kitchen as it was, and she knew from experience that she needed extra storage and prep space. She began sketching and outlining her ideal kitchen in the hopes that she could convince Rob to modify the layout.

“I took the paper and said to Mitch, ‘Mitch, this is what I need this kitchen to do and to be. And I’m positive that once Rob and his wife get the chance to see this, if we can implement this, their customers would love it.’”

Right, she was.

“Prior to Evonne’s home, we built the Redwood with a separate island and she made the change to the L-shaped island,” explains Helena Rice. “We all loved it and made the change permanently. Moving forward, all of our Redwood plans will have an L-shaped counter instead of an island. We’ve built them in Bradbury and Steilacoom Ridge like this, and they’re a hit.”

“It’s a grand home,” Evonne says of the Redwood. “It has a grand feel to it: it’s airy, it has light. I can sit in my TV chair and see the sky through the windows. It’s got all the things that people seek out in the state of Washington, to keep our homes from feeling dreary.”

The Local Builder Advantage

Evonne credits the results of these custom changes and others (including replacing the soaking tub in the master suite with gorgeous floor-to-ceiling cabinetry) not only to the flexibility of the pre-sale program, but to Rob’s personal involvement as a local builder.

“Rob services his homes,” she says. “Rob really takes pride, and so does his staff, in helping people. We’re very pleased and if we’re ever to have another home, it will be a Rob Rice home. I just wish I’d discovered him earlier! I would have had him build a home long before now.”

Evonne’s completed custom kitchen, with rich hickory cabinetry and flooring.

Of course, it’s not just Rob, but also the subcontractors with whom he maintains long-term partnerships, that make the pre-sale program a success. The beautiful custom cabinetry in Evonne’s kitchen and master bath comes from Canyon Creek Cabinet Company in Woodinville, Washington, while other elements are from Signature Floors and Interiors in Kent. Olympia Lighting Center helped Evonne and her husband procure the chandelier of their dreams, and customize fixtures with Edison bulbs for a rustic look. When Signature Floors & Interiors had an error with their manufacturer, rather than make Evonne and her husband wait for backorder, they waived the usual upgrade fee, charging them only for the cost of materials so their home could be finished on schedule. Her favorite part, particularly in the time of social distancing, is the internal HVAC system. She and her husband opted to upgrade to an air conditioning/heat pump unit that switches back and forth between the heat pump and gas to remain energy efficient, courtesy of Sunset Air.

“I’ve talked with other people in our neighborhood, and some have owned two or three Rob Rice homes and they seek them out,” says Evonne. “People like the lifestyle — he sets his neighborhoods up to be friendly, people say hello to each other in the morning. We like that people take pride in their homes here.”

When asked to sum it all up, Evonne doesn’t hesitate.

“It’s luxury at a very affordable price for people,” she says. “We love our Rob Rice Home.”

Olympia Lighting Center helped Mark and Evonne pick out their ideal fixtures.

Are You Interested In Our Pre-Sale Program?

Evonne’s custom kitchen can be found in Redwood models in Bradbury and Steilacoom Ridge. If you’re interested in customizing your dream home through our pre-sale program, we would love to have a conversation and put you on our “interest list.” Epic Realty brokers Christina Janis and Lucia Arroyo represent the Steilacoom Ridge community in Lacey, and are here to guide you through the process with the same level of personal care Evonne and Mark experienced. If Tumwater is your ideal location, Heather Keating can personally assist you with our Bradbury community. Who knows, maybe you’ll have the next great idea for our homes! Contact us to learn more.