ANDERSON, Ind. —
Eyeing a piece of property for years, Toby Buck always admired the land that comprised the Cromer Dairy Farm.
Passing by as he visited his grandparents, he enjoyed hearing that his grandmother bought her milk from the local farmer.
As time marched on, a good deal of the cows’ pasture was developed into the New Emerald Glen addition. After the Cromer house burned in 1988, Toby noticed a “for sale” sign on the 12 acres of wooded land that stretched down to the White River.
“I called but I was too late,” said Buck, a local businessman. “He had already sold it on contract. But two years later, the person defaulted and he called me.”
Although originally slated for the construction of more homes by Billie Schuyler, developer of Emerald Glen and New Emerald Glen, Buck was pleased that he was able to instead purchase it as a whole. He enjoyed the woods and river for four years before building his own home on the acreage in 1996.
A reversal in plans
After searching through countless floor plans, Toby and Amy, his wife of 23 years, found the ideal one, but it just wouldn’t sit right on the property. One day as he was holding the plans up to the parcel designated for the house, he realized the reversed design would suit the land perfectly.
While digging the basement, the Bucks came across gray clay deposited by the flowing well. Inspiration hit and they used it to build a pond just behind the house as a water feature they could enjoy without tracking down to the river.
“Everything kept evolving,” said Toby. “We snaked the driveway back and built two bridges so we could enjoy the creek. But it’s one of those things, if I knew how much work it was going to be, I wouldn’t have done it.” He laughed. “But my dad was retired and we worked on it together.”
Seasons change decor
Somehow the inside of the home has almost as much space as the outside. Full of vaulted ceilings, picture windows and rooms with missing walls, the house feels airy and wide open. With nature as a backdrop to every room, the changing seasons bring new décor along with them.
“I wanted a big kitchen,” said Amy. “And I had never lived in a home with an upstairs so I wanted to have that second floor. It’s funny how life switches around, now I’m looking for a ranch.”
“Big kitchen” is an understatement, and by being one with a family room full of windows, it is a chef’s dream.
The most significant change to the floor plans (other than the complete reversal) was shrinking the fireplace that was meant to fill an entire wall of the family room. While the home was being constructed and Toby was digging the pond, all of the workers would eat lunch together as they enjoyed the view into the woods.
As the lunches continued, Toby grew so attached to the vista, he couldn’t bear to block it off from the house. Abandoning the full fireplace in favor of an expansive deck and picture windows, the Bucks created a family room that boasts a breathtaking scene of the woods and pond.
A great place to raise their four children, the house boasts plenty of space as the girls took up residence in the apartment-sized basement and the boys made themselves comfortable upstairs.
Despite their love of the home and land, the Bucks have recently put their property on the market.
“We see the writing on the wall,” said Toby. “Our family is getting smaller — we only have two kids at home now. In the summer we can almost shut the door and not use the basement because the boys are always outside.”
“We love our house,” said Amy. “But the kids are going to Pendleton schools now and we want to be part of the community where they go to school.”
Each week, Emma Bowen Meyer features a Madison County home. If you know of a home that should be showcased, send an e-mail to emmagoldiemeyer @yahoo.com.
Homes
Related Photos
-
Originally designed to host a fireplace as big as one wall, the family room instead shows off the woods and pond outside with large picture windows. Emma Bowen Meyer
-
This home was built by Toby and Amy Buck in 1996 on 12 acres that was once Cromer's Dairy Farm. Emma Bowen Meyer
-
Toby and Amy Buck are surrounded by their children, Levi, 15, Makentoch, 14 (adopted from Haiti) and Sarah, 20. Not pictured is Rachel, 18. Emma Bowen Meyer
Discussion
An ever-evolving dream
Buck family puts love, hard work into home, acreage
- Homes
-
-
A dream cabin in the woods
Phil Hatter regularly told his children that once they were all grown, he would build a log cabin in the country. They didn’t believe him. “I think log homes are really neat, but they have to be put in the right place,” he said.
-
Love lost and found again
With a storybook tale of love lost and found again, Forrest “Press” and Barbara Higginbotham are appropriately surrounded by a romantic setting.
-
Whetsel Funeral Service operators' work, home lives converge
Combining their business and home in one location, Bud and Susan Whetsel created convenience in a demanding service industry that keeps them on call 24/7.
Often receiving requests at odd hours, they have found the commute of a single door to be a blessing. -
Home restoration work gets down and dirty
When a woman presses her face up against the window of a home on the Madison County tax sale in an effort to decide whether to bid on the diamond in the rough, she is thinking about stripping wallpaper, painting and replacing the floors.
-
Slow, steady build
When Dallas and Cássie Conrad purchased their home on 20 acres, it was in such poor condition that the pole barn was insured for more than the house.
-
Dream home comes as surprise to bride
When Tiana Rhodes received a text message from her fiancé, Clint Mathes, announcing that he had found their dream home, she was taken aback. She didn’t realize they were in the market.
-
Returning home
Even though Kevin Idlewine has lived in Chicago most of his adult life, he has not forgotten his roots. Remembering happy days as he grew up in a small home near Shadyside Memorial Park, he is planning his retirement in the same residence.
-
Restoration begins with floors
Once people find out I purchased a home from the Madison County tax sale, I am peppered with questions about the process. Apparently I was not the only one intrigued by the 2,800 homes that were listed as part of the sale last year.
-
Making an old school house livable
When Jane Cornelious was finished renting and ready to step into home ownership in 1981, she knew she wanted one of two things: a round barn or a one-room schoolhouse.
-
'What have you done?'
Emma Bowen Meyer's newest project has overshadowed anything she's have ever conceived before. It has the potential to be her greatest triumph or the biggest mistake of her life. So she figured, with such high stakes, why not share the ride with the entire community?
- More Homes Headlines
-
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
