Building a legacy on a budget: How one family built their “fantasy farmhouse” with $350K

It was spring 2020 and Carrie Valentine and Travis Stearns were quickly outgrowing their St. Paul, Minnesota condo. With the addition of their first child and the restrictions put in place by the burgeoning pandemic, the couple was ready to make a change. The problem? Everything in their price range was downright depressing. When their frustration came up in conversation with Travis’ father, Ted Stearns, he had a solution: I could build you a house, he told them, half in jest. But Valentine, who is an interior designer, had seen enough of Zillow to know that if the “beautiful, romantic” home she had in mind was to become a reality, they’d have to make it for themselves.

This is the story of how two generations came together to build a “fantasy farmhouse” they hope will someday be passed down to a third generation.

Valentine and Stearns started their home-building process by searching for land. They knew they wanted to be close to water, and they knew they wanted enough acreage to raise animals. It was a big change going from a St. Paul brownstone to a rural setting, especially for two “city kids,” as Valentine describes herself and her husband. But the arrival of their first child had caused them to reconsider their lifestyle. “When I thought about how I wanted to raise my kids, it was set to the tune of the country,” Valentine said. And so, the couple spent every weekend for months road tripping around the countryside surrounding the Twin Cities metropolitan area. When they found five acres of land bordering the Snake River with a magical mix of woodland and sunny pasture, they knew it was home.

Although she had plenty of experience designing within existing homes, this was Valentine’s first time creating a whole house completely from scratch. A challenge to be sure, but one she embraced. “When we decided to build, the first thing I thought of was tall, elegant windows. They were a must, along with flat ceilings,” Valentine said. Coming from a home she lovingly described as “a bit of a cave,” she knew natural light would be key. A clear understanding of her priorities and an inclination toward simplicity helped her not only develop a clear vision, it also helped her stick to a budget of $350K. While looking through a book, she came upon a historic Georgian-style home. The symmetry and proportions of the design spoke to her, and the historic plan became the inspiration for her home’s blueprint.