by Megan Venable | Photography by Ben Finch, Finch Photo

Stacy Jacobi is no stranger when it comes to gutting homes and building from the studs out to designing gracious living spaces. But when working on her fifth home in Westmoreland, she purchased a home and realized it simply couldn’t be saved. She had the structure razed and proceeded to build a new house from the ground up. “I don’t like to tear down houses at random,” Jacobi says. 

What Jacobi admires about the space is that it lives either as a home for empty nesters or for a big family. There’s 4,000 square feet on the main level including the master bedroom, but the second floor boasts three additional bedrooms, and the backyard includes a luxurious infinity pool and hot tub as well as a guest house beyond. Additionally, the main house has a downstairs indoor theater and another bedroom that contains four built-in bunk beds. 

“We love having the kids and the grand-kids in and out of the house all the time,” she says of her three daughters and three grandchildren with another on the way. “We have one level living when it’s just us, but there’s plenty of room and a fun house for everyone.” She claims she and husband David live on the back patio when they are alone, but her sunroom and his office are two of her favorite haunts to occupy in the home. When the gang is all there, outdoor life is the way to go. “It’s easy to cook for everyone and eat outside.” 

She has lived in three of the five houses she’s designed, but this particular house is the one she’s lived in the longest. Jacobi isn’t sure that this is their forever house, but she doesn’t want to leave the area. “We love the neighborhood! We go to Butler and Bailey, we go to Sacred Heart, we go to Sullivan’s and go home,” she declared.