FAIRFIELD — The family of Charles and Jennifer Melvin has made many lasting memories in their home in Libertyville, but with four kids in the house, they were starting to feel a little cramped.

The couple have been married 24 years, and have lived in their Libertyville home for 25 years. That’s been a quarter century of sharing one bathroom, and finally Charles and Jennifer decided it was time to set up shop elsewhere. They acquired a piece of land on South 32nd Street in the southwest corner of Fairfield where many new homes are going up. They bought the land from Judd Connor, who they also hired as the general contractor to build their new five-bedroom, three-bathroom home.

“He was really helpful with the entire process,” Charles said about Connor.

“We drew up what we wanted, and he changed it a little bit and sent back ideas, and then we agreed,” Jennifer said.

“He really helped us make it more usable and save space,” Charles said. “He rearranged a few walls, and it made a big difference.”

The couple bought the lot that sits at the southern edge of 32nd Street right before the intersection with Libertyville Road. They also purchased the lot behind it to the west, which gives them 8 acres, including a pond that they’ve already stocked with fish.

“Our 17-year-old loves to fish,” Jennifer said, referring to their son, Matthew. “He does fishing tournaments through the Iowa Youth Fishing Group.”

“He’s going to Tennessee [in April] for a national tournament,” Charles added. “We travel quite a bit for that.”

During the Parsons College era, a house stood in the back part of the property, but all that remains of it is its chimney. Charles said the family likes to camp, and they plan to put a fireplace there, surrounded by thick timber.

The Melvins’ new house is on the outskirts of Fairfield, and that’s just the way they like it because they feel like they’re living in the country without living too far from town. Jennifer does accounting for Hy-Vee, and Charles is a supervisor at Faircast Inc. in Fairfield, so they’ll have a shorter commute to work compared to living in Libertyville.

“We all like being outdoors, so this new house will be a lot nicer for us,” Charles said.

The pond and the rest of the backyard is accessible through the home’s walkout basement. The Melvins’ have a living room upstairs, and a second living room in the basement, where there are three bedrooms.

On the main floor, the family can enjoy Iowa’s beautiful sunsets in the comfort of their three-season porch. Next to the porch is what Charles calls the “grilling deck,” which they’re looking forward to using.

Charles said the home looks smaller from the road than it really is because the roomy basement is hidden.

“And because it’s a walkout basement, we feel that we can use it more,” Jennifer said.

“When we have family get-togethers, the kids will have plenty of room to play,” Charles said.

The Melvins’ four children are Mitchel, 22, Matthew, 17, Maxwell, 10, and Makenzie, 4. They have extended family members who live both near and far. Jennifer is a local gal who grew up in Batavia, while Charles came from a bit farther away in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. Charles said his sister and her husband reside in Kentucky, and he has cousins who live in Tennessee and Ohio.

“We all try to get together when we can,” he said.

Construction on the new home began in May 2022, which gave the builders time to erect the walls and enclose the home before winter hit so they could use those cold months to work inside. As of late March, only a few things remain left to do, such as some dirt work, seeding the ground and paving a driveway.

The Melvins said that, unlike some people who have built homes in recent years who had to wait and wait for supplies, almost everything they’ve ordered has shown up on time.

“We actually had stuff show up early,” Charles said. “The only thing we had to wait on was the washer and dryer.”

A few features in the new home that the Melvins are especially fond of are the vaulted ceiling in the kitchen and living room area, and the gas fireplace. Charles said he wanted a vaulted ceiling to accommodate a 10-foot-tall Christmas tree.

“That was my mom’s, so I want to put it up for her,” Charles said.

The advantage of having a gas fireplace is that it has its own battery, so it can warm the house even when power is out.

“We decided to go with gas instead of wood because wood is too messy,” Jennifer said.