BY KATE MCCLENDON PHOTOS BY AMI TRULL
REBUILDING A NEST )RU 0DUYLQ DQG 0DU\ $QQ 7URMDFHN RI (QQLV IDPLO\ URRWV WLH WKHP WR WKH ODQG :KLFK LV ZK\ ZKHQ LW FDPH WLPH WR XSGDWH RU PRYH RXW WKH\ GHFLGHG WR JLYH WKHLU ORQJ WLPH KRPH D FRPSOHWH WUDQVIRUPDWLRQ Marvin and Mary Ann, along with their two children, moved to an empty farmhouse on the outskirts of Ennis in August of 1980. Both Marvin and Mary Ann grew up in the area and thought about coming back many times. “We’d always talked about moving back to Ennis at one point in time, maybe to retire, because this is kind of where our roots are,� Marvin said. The Trojaceks used to make weekend trips to Ennis from their home in Mesquite to visit family members, most of whom live in and around Ennis. During one such visit, Marvin’s father mentioned that the farm next door to their home was for sale. Marvin quickly made a decision to buy the 113-acre farm and move the family to his and Mary Ann’s hometown. “I moved Mary Ann and the kids from a very nice house in Mesquite
that was up to date and right around the corner was a big grocery store‌ to the country in an old, old farmhouse that had no air conditioning,â€? Marvin recalled. Mary Ann put her foot down after a few weeks in the Texas summer with only the attic fan to ventilate the house, and Marvin promised to build their dream house in six months. “It was a long six months,â€? Mary Ann said, as eight years went by before the Trojaceks used Wesley Betik to build their initial dream house. A DREAM HOUSE? The 2,900-square-foot home provided a nice and comfortable house for the family of four for 22 years. But, as time went by, the original 1988 home became a little out of date, needing updating to bring it into the present. Remodeling became the main topic of discussion. “Mary Ann was giving her ideas of
what she wanted to do, and my head kind of started spinning,� Marvin said. “We always talked about totally remodeling and doing an addition.� These discussions happened right before the economy took a downturn, which put the Trojaceks’ plans on hold. However, the economy didn’t look like it was going to pick up, so Marvin decided to bite the bullet and start making plans. But instead of a simple remodel or add-on, Marvin started sketching what he thought their dream house could be—doubling the size of the existing house. “So I had on one occasion kind of sketched out a plan of the house and modifications I was interested in doing,� Marvin said. “Mary Ann bought on to that as well; she was kind of excited about it.� They chose one of Marvin’s sketches and decided to move forward. Marvin contacted Steve Shuert, of Steve Shuert Residential Design in Waxahachie, to discuss the possibilities. “We met him and took him my tablet scratch that I wanted and the existing
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012
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