McComb Window & Door Co. | Old Town Design Group: The Beauty of Light & Bright

by Christy Heitger-Ewing | photos by Adam Gibson

Oftentimes when constructing a custom home, a homeowner works with just one or two people throughout the building process. Old Town Design Group, however, embraces a team approach, incorporating experienced construction managers, top-of-the-line salespeople, seasoned designers, and a talented in-house CAD and architectural group.

“We have professionals in every step of the process so you’re always working with a team of experts,” says Matt Huffman, President of Old Town Design Group. “We are not just a single guy swinging the hammer, doing the pricing, and taking care of everything else. We have professionals in each facet working with our clients to get to that completion point.”

Old Town Design Group is a boutique builder that designs and builds custom homes, semi-custom homes, and townhomes.

“Some people can’t afford to build a full custom home. Those people can still get a great, high-quality experience with our semi-custom product and our townhomes,” says Huffman. “We want to find opportunities for all people to be able to build a really beautiful home.”

Old Town Design Group initially started in the craftsman-style niche but recently has been doing more contemporary builds, French country, and other styles.

“We love to step out of our comfort zone when it comes to design,” says Huffman. “There isn’t anything we have said no to when designing and building for a client.”

Numerous times over the past several years, Old Town Design Group has been named Builder of the Year by Houzz. This award comes from Houzz gathering reviews from customers and then comparing them to national builders in other areas.

“That’s nice to hear because that’s our customers’ voice that’s being heard,” says Huffman.

Old Town Design Group has also been distinguished by BAGI and throughout the Indianapolis area.

“It’s definitely something special to be recognized by your peers and vendors,” says Huffman, who notes that some of their current projects include working in West Lafayette building the Provenance community where they are erecting semi-custom single-family homes and townhomes.

Old Town Design Group is also finishing up a community in Carmel called Sunrise on the Monon. The last phase, which just opened up, includes roughly 35 sites that are available for purchase. In addition, they are building in North End, an innovative community located in downtown Carmel that includes multi-family living (townhomes, apartments, condos) and custom single-family homes. Plus, new communities are coming soon in Westfield and Zionsville.

For more than 20 years, Old Town Design Group has partnered with McComb Pella Windows as their primary preferred window provider. They love working with McComb Pella for a number of reasons.

All custom homes start off with the basic Pella Lifestyle series. Then, depending on the homeowner’s preferences as well as their preferred price point, they may upgrade.

“What I love about Pella is that they have a ton of options,” says Huffman. “For example, if a homeowner has more of a contemporary style, they may opt to go with Pella’s fiberglass brand, Impervia, a product that has contemporary clean lines.”

For clients who may be looking to reduce cost but still have a quality product, they may choose an Encompass vinyl brand.

“Pella’s vast offerings are great for a boutique builder because we are really diversified in product lines that we touch and can be diversified in window lines that they offer,” says Huffman.

Pella’s team of experts also provides phenomenal customer service.

“They’re always there for us no matter what we need,” says Huffman. “They take the partner part really seriously.”

Pella Windows is a well-known name so customers trust the product, as they should.

“Windows are often the leaking point for noise, but Pella has maintained a quality where there is less sound,” says Huffman. “When people do the touch, listen, and feel test, they can tell that Pella is a higher-quality product.”

On top of it all, Pella has a phenomenal warranty program.

“Not that you’ll need it, but that’s a good feeling to have as a homeowner,” says Huffman.

Old Town Design Group recently built a 5-bedroom, 4.5-bath modern prairie style mode home in Westfield’s beautiful Chatham Hills. The home includes a large front porch, an upper-level loft, large basement and gaming area, and an outdoor living space off of the great room with a fire table. It’s the windows, however, that really make this home shine because upon entering the 5,755-sq. ft. home, you can see straight through the house, from front to back.

“The architecture did not just respond to but actually accentuated the views of the golf course, which is one of the reasons you’d move here,” says Mark Einselen, CAD Manager with Old Town Design Group. “The entry sequence goes porch, foyer, great room, outdoor living space, and that leads to the stairs that go out to the backyard.”

To take advantage of the breathtaking views, they installed a triple sliding door in the back that’s 15-ft. wide and 10-ft. tall. It not only lets in light but it also is a collapsing door so there are two operable panels, which means you can slide them on top of each other to allow for greater connectivity between the indoors and outdoors.

The dining room, primary suite, secondary bedrooms, and study all, too, have amazing light thanks to the windows.

“That study feels like you’re in an observation tower because you have views in three different directions – down the hill, down the street, and out the back,” says Einselen. “It’s such a phenomenal space that I think I’d be too distracted to actually get work done in there!”

Each wall of the home has high transom windows, which allows the placement of furniture on those walls while still letting in daylight on two sides.

“That’s one of the things you’ll notice in this design,” Einselen. “They all have those big windows on the back capturing the view and then they have the high transom windows on the side to make the smaller bedrooms feel larger while also providing a good sense of privacy.”

Einselen’s favorite room of the house isn’t even technically a room. He loves the stairwell because it includes windows leading into the basement. The corner of the home faces south, allowing daylight to flow in.

“It doesn’t even feel like a basement because of those windows,” says Einselen. “That’s such an overlooked design opportunity that I wish more custom homeowners would do.”

If you’re looking for a seamless approach to brightening up your home, schedule an appointment at the McComb Pella Window & Door showroom off 96th Street in Indianapolis. To tour Old Town Design Group’s new model home, visit 20891 Chatham Ridge Blvd., Westfield, IN 46074.