Sara Miller proudly states that she is a homebody.
Now, for a bright, 30-something professional event planner, one might think that self-description a bit unusual.
However, when one sees the beauty and expanse of the home environment Sara and her husband, Kevin, have created in Wyomissing, it’s pretty clear why she owns the moniker “homebody.”
The Millers, both natives of the borough and graduates of Wyomissing Area High School, agreed they wanted to raise their children, Hudson, 3, and Cecelia, 1, in the safe, leafy suburb in which they both came of age.
Sara and Kevin, a financial advisor, pretty much knew what they wanted in a home. Most critical was a house in which they could do a lot of entertaining. A big basement was among the must-haves.
During the house hunt a couple of years back, Kevin sent Sara the link for a house that had just come on the market. The amenities listed included a sizeable basement and a generous backyard.
A Familiar Place
Photos Courtesy Hugo Cardona, New Castle Lawn And Landscape
“I was at work and I just gasped,” remembers Sara. “When I was a kid, I knew the folks who lived here and I knew the house pretty well.”
In addition to the quality, size and beauty of the house was its nearly perfect location. Both sets of parents lived just two blocks away in either direction, and many of their collective 15 cousins and their families reside within the borough as well.
“This house just seemed to check all the boxes,” she says.
After acquiring the property, the couple undertook some cosmetic changes to the interior, including modernizing the basement. They also added a new, impressive front porch area to the traditional two-story house. The work was done by D&B Elite Custom of Wyomissing.
A pool was an integral part of the reinvented backyard along with an expansive covered entertainment area, including an outdoor kitchen with a grill, bar, fireplace and lots of seating.
The couple focused on the heated pool first but soon pulled in New Castle Lawn and Landscape of Birdsboro to create the design and become the de facto construction manager for the multifaceted project.
“They took what we wanted and put it to task,” says Kevin.
“I wanted it to feel very organic and calming and I wanted enough room for everyone to be able to take in the whole area and have conversations,” adds Sara.
The New Castle team, led by designer Phil Neri, was on-site to do “the walk and the talk” as Sara noted.
A Time to Plan
Photos Courtesy Hugo Cardona, New Castle Lawn And Landscape
The whole planning process, begun in the late winter of 2023, took six to eight months. Neri and his team created a 3D model of their proposal, which allowed the Millers to visually walk through their reinvented backyard.
“There were a lot of moving parts, and they literally pieced together everything,” says Kevin. “The mock-up was almost exact to what we have. The YouTube video was amazing. We did make some additions and we ended up decorating it all a bit differently.”
New Castle folks were also on-site to prevent a major faux pas — the first workers who started excavating for the pool were actually on the wrong side of the yard. A major problem was averted with their intervention.
“New Castle really took the lead, including the pool incident,” says Kevin. “They are really handson, and I’ve been impressed with the workers, who always seem happy. I think that speaks to the company that it is very employee-oriented. It’s clear they go beyond what typical companies do.”
Once the design and budget were approved and papers signed, New Castle took the lead in securing borough permits (zoning, land use, storm water management), engaging subcontractors and scheduling the various projects.
D&B, which had designed and built the new front porch and other upgrades, configured an attached pool house and storage off the back of the garage.
A Dip Indeed
Photos Courtesy Hugo Cardona, New Castle Lawn And Landscape
The heated pool and hot tub were completed in late July of 2023, giving the Millers and their extended family a good two months to enjoy it. The depth configuration of the pool goes from six inches (a child-friendly “sun shelf” section) to deep enough for a dive off the far end. Two S-shaped Ledge Loungers are placed in the shallow end, encouraging foot-dipping as well as a place to relax while watching the little ones.
Across from the pool are the newly constructed structures that make the Millers’ property such a haven through a good three-plus seasons of the year.
Just a few feet outside the kitchen are the new 26-by-15-foot raised patio and pergola. The latter provides an ever-changing shadow play show while never encroaching on the natural light that makes the house especially appealing to Sara. The large table under it makes for convenient outdoor dining. This summer, wisteria plantings will add greenery and blossoms to soften the look and make the area even more enticing.
The biggest project was, of course, the sizeable open-sided pavilion, which measures 27 feet by 24 feet, says Phil. The attached grilling area/kitchen/ bar area roof is 17 feet by 12 feet. The combined structure is sited about 35 feet from the house.
After concurring on the style, next up was agreeing on materials. Country Lane Structures of Lititz, Lancaster County, built the structures. Stonework and flooring materials were sourced from Sauders Hardscape Supply, also of Lititz.
The basic color plays are brown, beige and grey, from the fireplace to the flooring to the columns supporting the pavilion. The hemlock wood that makes up the ceiling and framing is a dark brown. Both Kevin and Phil cite the affordability of the wood as well as its flexibility to be stained, painted or allowed to weather naturally.
Kevin praised the efficiency of the Country Lane workers, noting the entire frame was completed in one day.
Stepping It Up
Photos Courtesy Hugo Cardona, New Castle Lawn And Landscape
The Techno BLOC flooring suggested by Phil and selected by the Millers offers a lesson in complementary contrasts.
The larger tiles between the pool and into the pavilion have a bit of texture to them, offering some traction to wet soles.
A herringbone pattern of tiles of the same hues defines the grilling/kitchen/bar area as well as under and around the pergola.
The final flooring finish near the pool was a surprise addition suggested by Phil.
“Twinkle lights” were embedded in the tiling. At night, the play of the lights on the water creates a captivating effect. A model of the lighting was shown to the couple before installation.
Before kids, we liked to go out to a bar, eat pizza and watch sports. Now, we can just go out the back door.”
“I was just stunned and said, ‘Yes, we want those!’” Sara recalls.
The granite top in the kitchen/bar area, as well as the cabinetry, was selected to blend with the grille top Kevin chose.
“We matched the stone,” he says, “and along with the general idea of everything else, we wanted it not to look overly rustic or modern.”
Setting the Bar
Photos Courtesy Hugo Cardona, New Castle Lawn And Landscape
The wraparound bar easily accommodates a dozen stools, all positioned to watch television, another important factor to the couple.
“Before kids, we liked to go out to a bar, eat pizza and watch sports,” says Sara. “Now, we can just go out the back door.”
For more comfortable seating and those longer conversations and sports events, there are couches and chairs fronting the fireplace above, which is placed beneath a large screen television.
The outdoor spaces, especially the pavilion, are in use from early spring to past Thanksgiving — and beyond if temperatures stay mild.
The couple opened the pool this year on a sunny, warm mid-April weekend, hosting excited family and friends.
Tent City
Photos Courtesy Hugo Cardona, New Castle Lawn And Landscape
When more seating/entertaining space is needed, the still-large grass backyard can hold several tents.
Kevin, an assistant Wyomissing High football coach, and Sara hosted a party for legendary longtime head coach Bob Wolfrum following the dedication of the high school field in his name last October.
Despite chilly and wet weather, some 75 guests were easily entertained, enjoying refreshments and entertainment and protected from the cold and rain by heaters in the tents as well as heaters built into the pavilion structure (a post-design/construction addition).
The Millers give a lot of credit to Chad of New Castle, who served as foreman on the entire project. So frequently was he on-site that little Hudson grew attached to him, and Chad offered the little tyke building tips as well as friendship, endearing to Sara and Kevin.
It felt like he was family,” says Kevin. “Chad worked on this like it was his own backyard.”
The pool required protective fencing around the yard’s perimeter as well as a gate to allow folks to enter from the front of the house. Kevin says he was at first apprehensive the metal fencing would clash or stand out too harshly with a neighbor’s rail fence, but the lay of the land and appropriate plantings allayed those fears. AKA The Fence Company of Robesonia constructed the fence.
Lush Landscape
Photos Courtesy Hugo Cardona, New Castle Lawn And Landscape
The placement and selection of the plantings, linking effortlessly the design of the newly configured front of the house with the repurposed rear, are the work of Tricia Voss, planting designer for the Miller project.
Tricia says the goal was to provide a dynamic landscape with year-round interest. Plants were chosen to be interesting, yet functional, for a garden that is both private and not in need of constant maintenance.
“With over 50 different types of plants, there is always something blooming or changing colors with layers of color and texture,” she says.
Tricia highlighted some of the key plants:
• A weeping white pine of the back corner of the pergola is a complement to the rustic architecture of the pergola while providing evergreen interest that can be viewed from inside the house.
• A coral bark Japanese maple balances out the opposite corner to provide lush greenery in the summer while showing off the bold red branches in the winter, viewable during winter fireplace nights. This small, slow-growing ornamental will also provide privacy to the pavilionspace during the warmer months without becoming too large that it becomes a maintenance issue.
• A Daphne is planted off the corner of the dining patio, which has fragrant spring blooms that will welcome the owners to begin al fresco dining for the season.
• Ninebarks are grouped along the fence line, providing changes in foliage color in the mixed, meandering hedgerow. Their light pink summer flower and burgundy foliage stand out from the surrounding greenery, especially in the fall when the leaves turn red.
• Carpet roses will fill the space between the dining patio and basement access. The repeat blooms will provide a pop of color between the home and surrounding hardscape.
True Partners
Photos Courtesy Hugo Cardona, New Castle Lawn And Landscape
The overall working partnership between client and company was a positive experience for both the Millers and New Castle.
On occasion, Sara notes, there would be small concerns, but open communication and respect made expressing them non-problematic.
“We really rolled with the punches when any setback occurred, to adapt and make the best of any roadblocks,” she says. “We were spending a lot of money on the backyard of our dreams, and we developed a great relationship of give-and-take.”
Both Kevin and Phil suggest there be flexibility going into such a large project, but two things are critical: setting a realistic budget and knowing the key components of a project.
Phil advised checking out gardening and style magazines and online entities, presenting favorite photos to the designer.
“Come to the table with some ideas to start,” says Phil, “so there are clear expectations on both sides. And know how you want to use the space…is it for dining, entertaining? Also, plan on six to nine months for design and execution of your project.”
A projected budget is critical to the scope of the project as well as materials. Flexibility in understanding unexpected costs may arise is important. Phil notes rising prices continue to be an issue in the post-COVID years.
Most important is researching the company before signing any papers. Phil stresses that potential clients need to look past dollar signs. The best fit may not be the cheapest or the most expensive company but one with a solid reputation. For a multifaceted project like the Millers’, a company that can fill the role of accomplished general contractor is critical.
“Manage your expectations and over prepare for a large project,” says Kevin. “It’s an ever-evolving process and it never goes 100 percent to plan. But we’re so excited to have our project done and completed. We’re definitely going to be making years of memories here.”
