Creating a custom, dream home begins with a vision and hopefully ends with the reality of the perfect home. Christopher Burton Luxury Homes is in the business of making those dreams a reality. Since 1998, Christopher Burton Luxury Homes has been recognized as a premier custom homebuilder in Brevard County.
That’s exactly what happened when Tom Davis, Burton’s vice president, director of business development and residential design, and his wife Karen decided it was time to build after honing a particular vision for their home since 2008. While Tom had the dream in his mind, Karen was happy to trust his taste and years of experience in the industry.
“I trusted in him because he’s so good at what he does,” Karen commented. And naturally she wasn’t disappointed. The home’s overall theme is centered on natural wood, stone and glass, and the entire home is a study of these materials. Stone columns, natural walnut floors and glass details are evident throughout the house. The home’s furnishings reflect the materials and natural color scheme which is contemporary modern, yet warm and welcoming for guests and family.
Building A Lifestyle
Since 1998, Christopher Burton Homes has been recognized as a premier custom homebuilder in Brevard County. What is described as the “Burton” difference is the ability of Christopher Burton Luxury Homes to build a home around a family’s lifestyle. Homes are created based on how families live and what budget the homeowners are comfortable with. Potential homeowners are encouraged to bring photos, drawings and ideas to the builder.
“There are no floor plans,” Tom said. “Burton is truly a white paper builder.”
Besides the theme of natural materials, Tom’s vision included a guest wing with several private bedrooms and a separate courtyard area for their grown children and their expanding families. The private space allows their children the comforts of staying at a fine hotel but with the convenience of being at home with their parents.
But each homeowner’s lifestyle is different and so the team at Christopher Burton Luxury Homes strives to know the people and not the plan.
When Darren and Yong Moore first moved to Cocoa Beach from Oklahoma, they knew just what they wanted in their home but were unable to find it in the area. At a realtor’s suggestion, they met with Tom Davis and Christopher Burton who were able to create a custom home that met the open floor plan concept they were searching for within the couple’s budget.
“Until you’ve built a custom home, you can’t truly appreciate how much trust you have to have in your builder and how many choices and decisions you have to make,” Darren said. “Probably the most important thing that Christopher Burton’s team did was to listen to what we said we wanted.”
The Team
It takes a village to raise a child and it takes a team to build an incredible home. The team at Christopher Burton Luxury Homes includes President Christopher Burton, who is personally involved in every build and regularly visits each job site. Tom Davis is involved in each home’s design as well, with 30 years of real estate and building experience. Senior construction superintendent Ed Walker brings 35 years of experience and knowledge to assure homeowners every step of the way.
“Building a home is not always a pure joy,” said Cathy Johnson. “But Ed Walker kept everything together. He was like the magic man.”
With over a century of combined experience and education, the entire team is dedicated to creating a relationship with each client that makes them feel comfortable and important.
Bringing a Home to Life
Another distinguishing aspect of the Burton experience is the Inspirations Design Center. The Design Center assists homeowners in choosing custom finishes – customers can see the exact colors, textures and materials that will make up their own home including flooring, plumbing, tile, pavers, cabinetry, hardware, appliances, lighting and fans. Amy and Matt Daniels had never built a home before and felt the team’s experience would deliver the best home for their family.
“It was incredible to see the materials that Chris Burton selected transform into our home,” said Amy Daniels. “As it was our first experience building a home; it was nice to have their opinions and years of experience when selecting materials.”
The award-winning team, including interior designers, forms personal relationships with each client in order to interpret their vision, understand their dream,
and produce it.
Favorite Places and Spaces
From a cozy but large master bedroom, a spacious kitchen, or fabulous outdoor entertaining area, each homeowner has a feature or room that was an important aspect of creating their dream home.
For Amy and Matt Daniels, it is wherever the entire family can spend time together – for Amy it is the pool where she can play with the kids and see the sunset over the lake. For her husband Matt, it is the theatre room where the family can enjoy movie night.
For Cathy Johnson, who built a home in Wyndham with her husband, it was the master bedroom and bathroom. “Being from the Midwest I am used to a more traditional space. The room is big yet cozy.”
Darren and Yong’s favorite is the central great room. “Everyone seems to gather in and around the central kitchen to eat and talk,” Darren explains. “When we open all four sliding glass doors, the great room literally doubles in size.”
Endless Options
“We begin the process by identifying with the homeowner as to how they will live in their home, how they see their family in their individual spaces and how they will use their home for entertaining,” said Chris.
Features are created custom to fit each homeowner’s passion. For Tom and Karen Davis this included a floor to ceiling wine display so they can enjoy seeing their collection. “The entire home flows together,” Karen commented. “But there are distinct and separate spaces.”
During the holiday season, Tom and Karen graciously donated the use of their home for the South Brevard Symphony Guild’s Symphony Holiday House. Each room was decked in holiday splendor and featured personal Christmas trees of Brevard Symphony Orchestra South Guild members.
“We live in a town with such a community spirit and we are strong advocates for supporting local causes,” Karen explained. “The arts need a lot of support and we are big believers in the spirit of what our community is like.”
The couple’s commitment to the community parallels the commitment of Burton to building excellence. “We are ever mindful of the experience and want it to be as wonderful as the house we build,” Tom explains.
The homeowners couldn’t agree more. “Everyone we came in contact with at Burton Homes was professional and had great ideas,” said Amy. “We were involved with the process, but at times we were able to sit back and let the team do what they do best, and we could not be happier with the results.”