Built to Last
A Bucks County family finds “the home of our dreams” in one of the Greater Philadelphia Area’s most sought-after ZIP codes.
Mindy Chesner likes to say she received “the best birthday present ever” on Dec. 12, 2018.
Not only was it her birthday, but it was also the day she and her family moved from their longtime home in Langhorne to a newly built custom home in one of Bucks County’s most desirable ZIP codes. Their destination: the Towering Oaks at Yardley, an enclave of custom and semi-custom single-family homes in a secluded development curated by Newtown-based Triumph Building Group.
“We always wanted to live in Yardley,” says David Chesner, D.O., a rheumatologist who treats patients at offices in Bucks and Montgomery counties, and also Mindy’s husband. “We had renovated our existing home [in Langhorne] to the max, and years ago we agreed that with our next move we would try to find something in Yardley. The opportunity came around, and then we saw the Triumph sign.”
Highlights of the Chesners’ new 5,500-square-foot “home of our dreams” include a custom gourmet kitchen, a three-car garage, and a lovely sunroom, among other personalized touches. In addition, a finished basement doubles as a room where Mindy, David, and their daughter, Brandi, can indulge in their shared appreciation of music; David has been playing guitar since the age of 16, Mindy recently joined the choir of her synagogue, and Brandi has performed in musicals put on by Acting Naturally Inc., a Bucks County-based performing-arts nonprofit company, with roles in the “junior” versions of Annie, Frozen, and Shrek.
The Chesners chose the so-called Buckingham model from Triumph, with some enhancements to make it their own. From the impressiveness of the façade, to the grand staircase that serves as one of home’s true signatures, to the small touches such as the trim work throughout and the designer fixtures in the master bathroom, the Chesners have fallen in love with their new address.
It’s not just the home’s interior that the Chesners’ adore. The enclave abuts preserved farmland, which offers privacy and reinforces the feeling of seclusion. While the home may be a sanctuary of sorts for the family, it’s also tailor made for hosting get-togethers with friends and family. Their first summer in the home was “magical,” according to David, thanks in part to the in-ground pool they had installed by Anthony & Sylvan Pools.
“We like to entertain,” he says. “The kitchen opens up into the family room, where we have a lot of seating. It’s an open concept, but it still feels cozy. The rooms are spacious and serene. Everybody who lives here has more than enough room so we’re not in each other’s space.”
This includes not only David, Mindy, and Brandi, but also Mindy’s mother, Barbara Friedland. In addition, the home offers plenty of room to roam for the Chesners’ five cats.
“We’re ‘home people,’ in that we really enjoy being home, spending time with each other,” says Mindy, who splits her time between working as a graphic artist, a volunteer, and a stay-at-home mom. “Being here makes us happy, and we also like to explore a bit. We’re always taking car rides to someplace new nearby. One of us will say, ‘Let’s get in the car and go for a drive.’ Just living in Yardley is a different experience; the sky here is just amazing.”
She’s credits the folks from Triumph Building Group for their role in helping her family move into their dream home. She describes the company as “a wonderful group to work with,” filled with individuals who “ensure that the experience, as well as the house, is the best it can be.”
“When you’re having a house built, you’re looking at all of these swatches, and you’re never quite sure how they’re going to look when everything comes together,” she adds. “We moved in, and it was amazing from the start. From the façade of the house to the layout of every room, it looked better than I even imagined.”
Photograph by Shawn May
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, January 2020.
