Welcome to Home with Emma – Where Dream Homes Begin
Our story began like so many others — during the quiet uncertainty of the 2020 lockdown. While the world slowed down, my husband and I began planning something big: our dream home. With no prior experience, I rented home design software and learned how to use it myself, working from exact timberframe dimensions my husband had saved from a barn he’d dismantled before we met.
Every board, every beam, every decision came from our own hands. I chose the finishes and designed the layout, while my husband poured himself into the physical work, alongside my dad and his. We only outsourced three parts of the build: sheetrock mudding, fireplace masonry, and plumbing. Everything else — from framing to finish work — we did ourselves.
We broke ground in August 2022 when our son was just a year old. That first winter, while pregnant with our daughter, we spent countless nights sanding, straight-lining, and notching reclaimed barn wood by hand. In the summer of 2023, with the help of family and a crane, we raised the frame. My husband worked late into the night, and I juggled building alongside caring for our babies — one on my hip, the other in my belly or napping beside the jobsite. We were also both working full time throughout the entire build.
After 3 long years of building, we finally moved into our home in February 2025 — still unfinished. We completed the trim, stairs, kitchen, and exterior while living inside it. When we were done, we had created a home with over $500,000 in equity — and a life full of memories, grit, and love.
That experience inspired this shop.
I created my home build planner to help people like us — regular families with big dreams and no construction background — turn overwhelm into action. My digital tools are designed to keep you focused, clear-headed, and confident through the chaos of building your own home, whether you're building it yourself or not.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need a plan — and someone who’s walked the path before.
Thank you for being here!
Emma
