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Wednesday, August 13, 2003 Neighborhood living up to its name Trees are top priority at The Oaks By BETH
SNIPES Have you ever wondered how subdivisions get their name? Titles like Forest Meadows and Woodlake seem to suffer an identity crisis. Who are they? One Fayetteville neighborhood leaves no question, though. The Oaks, an upscale development of custom homes, lives up to its name. Graceful homes nestled in the hardwoods made the choice obvious. The Oaks isn’t new. You’ve driven by it a hundred times. The 40-acre tract, on Ga. Highway 54 west, was first developed in the mid 1980s by Steve Krakowiak. Nearly twenty years later, the Oaks is growing again and it’s been a family project all along. This time it’s Krakowiak’s daughter Stephanie who is developing the land. She’s taken one extra giant step — she’s also the builder. Stephanie is a native Atlantan but her roots in Fayette County run deep. Her grandfather, Hoyt Phillips, bought the land where the Oaks now sits in 1958. Stephanie grew up romping and picnicking in her grandfather’s woods. She even remembers the farmhouse that was built on the land in the 1840s. The home is long gone now. It was beyond restoration and was dismantled to make way for Phase 1 of the development. Parts of it survive, though. The Atlanta History Center saved the old windows and boards. When her father
started developing the property, Stephanie would tag along, ride her bike
and watch how her dad got things done. She didn’t know it yet but
she was peeking into her own future. Looking back now it seems natural
that she would continue the family tradition. How did she go from a kid
trailing after her dad to, perhaps, the first woman home builder in the
county? Simple, lots of hard work. There’s one more thing she’s found out. “The thing about building is it’s a man’s world. I’ve learned that,” she laughed. “People often mistake me for the client and I have to correct them and tell them I’m the builder. The fact that I’m young is another aspect of it. It throws them off a little bit, too. The subcontractors know me now and know better.” Being good
at what she does and finding the right crew has gotten her past all that.
“Being a good builder,” Stephanie explained, “is all about
scheduling, having great sub-contractors and realty agent.” It’s
all about learning and getting dirty, too. Her boots have come in handy, too. The biggest building delay was the wet spring. Rain and mud can mess up the best scheduling. She’s learned a lot more during the project, too. A great home is all in the details. Learning what bathroom tile prevents slipping in the shower, the best placement of the driveway or who installs the most beautiful moldings is what make a job a success. What gives
Stephanie the drive to learn and make her way in this business? Maybe
it’s what she does for recreation. What most of us would find scary
and impossible is fun for her. She recently competed, as a member of the
Atlanta Track Team, in the Hood to Coast Relay in Oregon. She and her
two team members combined forces to run over 100 miles in 24 hours and
came in second place. Now that her
first home in Phase II is complete, what comes next? There are 10 lots
in Phase II and 15 in III waiting for their homes. Stephanie is ready
to fill them. “My personal goal is to build great homes,” she
said, “and to keep the trees.”
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