Many people dream about building a house. The choices seem so fun and exciting, and they truly are. Building a house is such an exciting time, chock full of emotions, from the first moments of excavation to the final faucet installed. The Gabriel family has now experienced building a home three times. Two times by choice; one time at the hands of Mother Nature. This family has a story which has evolved over the years as their family has grown into what it is today: two loving parents, three beautiful children, and a happy-go-lucky dog.
In 2003, Chris and Carrie Gabriel embarked on the journey of building a new home in a growing subdivision in Kansas City, while still being in the Liberty Public School district. This was important to Chris and Carrie, as they had been long-time employees of the district since beginning their teaching careers in Liberty. With this process of building a home, the two of them realized they liked the decision-making which comes along with a build job. They knew they would always build a home from scratch instead of buying a pre-owned home.
As the Gabriels’ time in their house passed, they added a dog into their family, and then they had their first child, one of their greatest joys in life. In May of 2008, having been in their home for a little over four years, Chris, Carrie, Grant, and Cassius (their dog) experienced, first-hand, a tornado which caused utter destruction to their home….their pride and joy….their place to be a family together. How that must have felt to them is a feeling few others can share, and a feeling no others want to share.
After many months, and realizing their house would need to be taken down to its foundation and rebuilt, Chris and Carrie found Chris Ragland of Homes by Chris. They had seen a model home of Chris’s and were amazed by the impeccable attention to detail and in the finishings. They knew at that point that Chris would be the one to rebuild their home on its existing foundation. Chris would build their story.
What they realized in this process with Homes by Chris, is that building a home is so very personal that you can’t entrust it to just anyone. Carrie continually noted how interactive Chris was with Grant and was willing to go the extra mile to make sure the Gabriels were happy with the decisions they were making. Chris Ragland often says, “Home building is a very emotional time,” and boy, is it ever. The Gabriels were struggling with the emotions which came from the tornado, but those emotions helped them have a better home-building experience than the first time, and they truly felt ownership this time. They were building their story.
Years passed in their rebuilt home, and the Gabriels had another child, making their lives even more complete. Life continued on, and their home continued to be a place of comfort and family. As time passes, as it always does, Chris and Carrie knew it was time for their family to move to a larger home; one they had been planning to build for years. They placed their house on the market, were expecting their third child, and knew Homes by Chris would be the only builder they would use to build this third home of theirs.
The Gabriels were going to place their “story” in Chris’s hands again…..