Mina and her husband Stephen have had plans for some time to build their own custom-designed home. Now things are about to get real as Mina, with help from mom Karen, gets to work on designing a family-oriented dream home – not forgetting canine cohabitants Sophie, Frank and Beatrice.

Earlier, Mina had bought this lot right next door to her current home with ambitious plans for a ground-up new build. "I bought the empty lot next door in Fountain Square," says Mina. "This is the neighborhood that Mom and I do a lot of our renovations in, it's where we currently live, and the neighborhood is our home. I really can't imagine living anywhere else."

The new home is planned as a three-story new build with 2900 square feet and a design inspired by the old-style architecture of Mina and Stephen's favorite vacation city — Charleston, South Carolina — where Mina's family spent summer vacations for years. "I'm a planner," said Mina. "I've had these floor plans in the works for almost as long as we've owned the lot. Now I just need to fill Mom in so we can get started on construction."

Now I get to take all of things I have learned and all the things I like and create the house of my dreams. I just want to make sure it's perfect.
—Mina Starsiak-Hawk