The American Dream Comes to Life
By Norma Lugar, Photos by Doug Miller

New slant. First-floor garage was repositioned to lower level and fill dirt added to elevate sloping building site.

For years, Janet Lampman planned her home. Smart and organized, she clipped magazine ideas. Compiled a file of favorite things. Scanned dozens of house plans. And waited for the perfect location. Finally, she found the right lot. Then, the right builder. After nearly a decade of preparation, she soon was up to her ears in a process she found nothing short of wonderful.

The Homeowners

Janet and Pete Lampman, chosen with their Southwest Roanoke County home by Peter Fields, immediate past president of Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association, and winner of a free RRHBA publicity drawing. By coincidence, Janet is a sales executive with The Roanoker, while Pete is president of Virginia Amateur Sports, organizers of The Commonwealth Games of Virginia. Together, the couple has six children and five grandchildren.

The Builder

Peter Fields, a Virginia Tech graduate in building construction who served as project manager for Branch & Associates for seven years before starting his own construction company, Fields Construction Inc., in spring 1992. The father of two – then 11 and 2 – his desire to run his own business overcame his need for security and he left the safety of a full-time position with only one job in his pocket.

The Lot

Situated in the Homewood community, the land spans a complete acre, and is set off on one side by a stunning brick-pillared iron fence, which was already onsite. As an interesting note, the property abuts Janet’s family’s former farm.

The Situation

Janet: “The hardest thing for me was finding the lot. I looked about 10 years. I knew this was the area of the county where I wanted to live. I’d been in a condominium community for 12 years and I’d had enough. I knew that some subdivision lots came with restrictions and home-owners’ fees, and I didn’t want that. In our location, we could do whatever we wanted, and since there are only three lots around us, nobody can come in and build right behind us. Besides, we love the views.

Glamorous foyer. Its punch comes from double columned arches and dramatic ceiling heights.

“To top it off, when this lot came on the market, the timing was right. I put a contract on the property right away, then held it for a year before we began construction.

“Building a home has always been my dream, and when I married Pete in July 1999, I already had the land and was planning our home. Fortunately, he allowed me to have a free hand in the building process, although he offered advice and suggestions at crucial points.

“Our first agreement was on the house plan, originally a Southern Living one-floor brick-and-siding design by Frank Betz Associates, which Pete and I had modified to fit the building site. I found the house at a Lynchburg developer’s office, then went on the Internet to get details and more information before we had the company’s architect make changes. All in all, the house had every feature we wanted: an open floor plan, a large kitchen, a great room or family room without formal spaces, a nice entryway or foyer to set the mood, and plenty of light and windows to bring the outside indoors. It was important, too, that we had enough space for the kids when they came to stay, in addition to the three who are still at home: Tyler, 15, and Lindsey (York), 20, a Virginia Tech student, and Chad (Lampman), 19, a Clemson sophomore.”

The Next Step

With land ready and a building plan selected, the couple was ready to go except for a major decision: picking the builder.

Janet Lampman: “I had met Peter Fields through a Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association committee. We’d had several conversations and I’d asked him a lot of questions. We liked his personality and I invited him to bid the job. As it turned out, he’d built our neighbors’ home so we called them for a reference. They told us they’d hired Peter after talking to another reference who said, ‘He walks on water.’ And the neighbor added: ‘He does. He does what he says he’ll do and he does it on time and on budget.’ We knew we would work well together.”

Formal dining. This elegant area features floor-to-ceiling windows and kitchen access for easy entertaining.

Peter Fields: “The main piece of advice I can give people when they’re planning on building is: ‘You need to be comfortable with your builder.’ Of course that works two ways. The builder should have the same comfort level with the client. Generally, that takes a good blend of personalities between the people.”

Tackling the Problems

Lampman: “Our objective was to build a home that was the right size, nothing too large. We settled on around 2,200 square feet on the upper level, with three bedrooms, a full bath and powder room in front, a double entry hall and foyer, great room, dining room, eat-in kitchen and master suite to the rear. Underneath, there’s a full bath and a double car garage, though the rest of the level is unfinished space.” To finalize their floor plan, Fields accompanied Lampman to Lynchburg for one last session with the architect.

Then came more decisions.

Fields: “It’s largely true that the drain field determined the location of the house. The only part of the lot that perked for the septic system went up the hill. That meant the house had to go on the lower side, and that complicated the driveway entrance, which became steep.”

Lampman: “The location of the garage was one of the major changes we made to the plan. Originally, it was attached on the main level. We decided to put it on the lower level instead, which was less expensive.”

Charm aplenty. Granite countertops and stainless steel appliances play against whimsical accessories in the sunny kitchen.

Fields: “The next thing we had to do was determine the elevation of the house. That was a major hurdle. The elevation can’t be so high that you spend too much money on dirt, but it can’t be so low that it creates a drainage problem. To make sure we’ve got the right height, we use an instrument to measure.

“In the meantime, we had to bring in fill dirt for the turn-around area behind the garage and we had to get the house narrower to minimize the slope issue.

“Dirt is a problem because it makes the foundation more expensive. We settled on a compromise that gives us a reasonable presentation from the street and the ability to navigate the driveway without spending a tremendous amount on fill material. In total, we brought in between 50 and 60 loads.

“Besides that, we had another expense because of the lay of the lot: installing a pump system because while we had public water, there was no public sewer.”

Down to Details

As the house began to take shape, there were more decisions. And more give and take, especially in two instances.

Welcome getaway. Custom touches including low relief tiles make bath distinctive and inviting.

Lampman: “The biggest compromise Pete and I made was the location of the patio. I had wanted it right off the kitchen, which it is, but now it’s down about 16 inches because of a low spot in that location. Eventually I want to rework the area, grade and expand it to make more of a garden with trees and flowers and a low stone wall outside of French doors.

“The other compromise is the one thing I wish we’d done, install a masonry fireplace. Aesthetically, the pre-fab fireplace is perfect and it requires zero clearance as opposed to a masonry one that would have run from the basement to 15 feet above the eaves, in all about 35 feet tall and been a labor-intensive procedure that would have cost about 12 thousand dollars.”

Fields: “When we talk about labor, the average person doesn’t realize that a significant percentage of the cost of the house goes into labor. Certainly materials – shingles, studs and sheetrock – have gone up, but not as fast or as much as labor; even wood products have remained fairly steady.”

Lampman: “It was my job to make the major decisions about the house. Originally Pete wanted a white house so when it came time to pick the color of the siding, it was up to him to choose from the samples. (He picked a deep cream.) As for the rest of the project, he let me decide. I had a lot of pictures and a good idea of the colors I wanted to use so, basically, I knew what I wanted. This is my passion and he let me go with it.

“One of the areas I had trouble with, however, was the foyer. I couldn’t visualize it from the plans, so Peter made sketches to show me.

Fields: “That area is divided into two compartments, a foyer and a vestibule, with the first section rising to 18 feet with a dormer skylight. The second part has columns, goes up 12 feet and is set off with an iron domed chandelier.”

Warm beauty. Heart of the home, the living room flows from a cathedral ceiling to marble-faced fireplace and hardwood floors.

Lampman: “To highlight the dramatic effect of the straight archway in that area, we used the home’s two-toned color scheme: taupe with alabaster trim against the hardwood floors. We also used that color combination in the foyer, the kitchen, great room and dining area.”

The Final Product

Lampman: “Pete and I opted for a neutral color scheme – cream, brown and tan – that was a contrast to our dark wood pieces. This allowed us to accent the combination with color in flowers and art. We also found many of our fabrics in catalogues and had window treatments done locally or had Plantation shutters installed, as we did in the master bath. For flooring, we found carpet and tile through Surfaces, which matched our paint chips and gave us the classic neutral look we wanted.”

Special Effects

The Great Room: Cathedral ceilings rise from nine to 16 feet. Dominating the area is a beautiful synthetic marble-faced fireplace, set off by the same recessed lighting used throughout the house and matching the cream-brown-and-tan color scheme. Windows run to a near floor-to-ceiling length and French doors open onto the deck.

Dining Room: Rich furnishings and unique window treatment: covered rod valances set off with flowing panels of striped green and taupe above an Oriental carpet touched with green, gold and red tones.

Deck: Stained to match the house, it duplicates a painted effect and uses decorative posts for extra appeal. The supporting understructure was reworked to include columns and three arches for a more finished look.

Kitchen: Following the home’s open floor plan, the kitchen offers an eat-in area, floor-to-ceiling windows and a variety of the most modern amenities: a double wall oven, cook-top island, built-in refrigerator with panels, slide-out trash containers and glass-fronted and Shaker-style paneled cabinets, as well as an unobtrusive, enclosed laundry area with quiet-designed appliances. To set off the polished look of white fixtures with pewter-like nickel fixtures and chandelier, the walls here are a soft celadon green that changes according to sunlight and time of day.

Pretty retreat. Light encircles the master bedroom, finished with tray ceiling, floral patterns and touches of greenery.

Lampman: “Our biggest upgrade, along with bathroom fixtures, was our countertops,” says Janet Lampman. “They’re granite and expensive, but this was one place we didn’t want to compromise. It was worth it. We love them.”

Master Suite: Punctuated by lovely floral fabric, it boasts a handsome tray ceiling, stunning bath with Jacuzzi and walk-in shower set off with bas-relief tile trim (slightly raised decorative effect) and fully equipped dressing room/walk-in closet designed with custom shelving, double-rowed hanging bars and utility tabletop.

Exterior: Begun in October 1999 and completed in March 2000, the Lampman home’s exterior featured copper roof accents, dormers and a mix of brick and siding, an additional monetary decision.

Fields: “If you take the time to notice, the combination of brick with siding is much more interesting than brick alone,” says Peter Fields.

Final Notes

Lampman: “People who want to build a house should be looking at things they like, clipping ideas and keeping a file.

“For me, this was a wonderful experience, and much of the reason was because of our relationship with Peter. Looking back, it was all fantastic. I was here every day and I enjoyed the whole process. I loved every minute of it. I’d do it all again.”

Fields: “Like Janet and Pete, clients need to be involved. No builder can read their minds and it’s impossible to put but so many specifications on paper. That’s why we need clients to look at their job often… When there’s something they want changed, we should know about it immediately.

“One of our objectives is to maintain the client’s excitement from the first day to the last day on a job. When we do, it’s a successful project."