"I
use 5000 lights on my Christmas tree every year" said Mary Ann Storm.
"That's close to fifty strands of lights on a nine foot tree. One year,
balancing on my ladder and stringing all those lights, I began to imagine
a big closet where I could keep the tree after Christmas, still decorated
with lights and ornaments, and just pull it out the next year at Christmas
time..."Mary Ann told us about her idea and we made her dream come true with a 7' x 10' closet off of her great room. Today, she and her husband Phil own a beautiful home, designed and built by Stanley Builders, and the whole house truly started with her dream of a Christmas tree closet.
"It saves her time and anxious moments preparing for Christmas," says Bruce Stanley. "That's what we're all about."
The Storms' house also takes advantage of a southern exposure for passive solar heat gain to save on bills and use less energy. Mary Ann and Phil had clipped photos and recorded ideas for years in hopes of someday building their dream home. When they showed the scrapbook of concepts to Carolyn in their initial design meeting, there was a surpise in the mix: two old Stanley Builders advertisements showing residential home ideas which the Storms had clipped before they even met the Stanleys!
"The Christmas tree closet house exemplifies what we try to accomplish," says Carolyn. "We were able to give Mary Ann and Phil exactly what they wanted."
