A Decade of Transformation: The First and Most Recent Riverside Homes, and How They Compare

While Riverside Homes’ commitment to exceptional customer service and craftsmanship have remained strong over the last decade, our team, floor plan designs, and process have experienced significant transformation and growth. Starting with just one sales agent, Cindy Walters, Riverside Homes Partners Matt Roberts and Chris Wood would meet in various locations until the first model The Wheaton opened in Durbin Crossing. From these humble beginnings, the duo persevered to build their now nationally recognized, home building company of nearly 40 team members.

To this day, Cindy remains an integral part of the Riverside Homes team and is passionate about assisting homebuyers with building their dream home in our various Northeast Florida new home communities. 

“As much love and heart that went into the very first Riverside Home is still placed into each and every home we build today, even more so as we have grown,” expresses Walters. “We have added the best team and the amount of thought and dedication of time that goes into every part of the process from designing new plans to the finishing touches right before closing has only been magnified by the addition of amazing team members.”

When we started building homes in 2012, homebuyers desired a more Mediterranean style with earth tones and wrought-iron touches. Now, the architectural trend has shifted to a more to coastal, farmhouse style and even modern architecture with lighter whites, grays and blues. Many of the names of our plans are inspired by the nature of their home styles. In addition to architectural style and color preference changes, family lifestyles and wants have evolved too. Our first model was The Wheaton which featured an optional in-law suite that was extremely popular for those seeking mutigenerational living. Other signature elements of the home were the optional built-in mud bench and expansive 12’ sliding doors that stretched wall to wall in the family room opening out to the lanai. Outdoor living was always highly coveted, but in recent years has become a must-have. Many of our current home designs include front porches and covered lanais to provide an extension of the interior for relaxing and entertaining. Our most recently closed home is our coastal-inspired Georgetown plan in Riverside at RiverTown with over 3,600 square feet of living space. This newly completed home features a picture-perfect front porch, stop and drop zone, and a Flex Room that provides versatility for a home office, playroom, or exercise room; the options are limitless.

When asked about how it felt to turn the keys to the very first homeowners, Roberts replies, “It was such a feeling of thankfulness and satisfaction that this idea we had been working on for over a year had produced a finished product with a happy homeowner…we actually had an active homeowner!”

The feeling was mutual for tenured Walters. “It was such a proud moment to have our very first homeowners take possession of their new Riverside Home. there was lots of excitement and happiness.  It was a wonderful journey.” 

As home production increased, we knew it was important to build our own design center to better serve our clients. Roberts shares, “In the beginning we used consultants from an outside design studio for our buyers to make their interior selections, but we wanted better control of the products and selections we could offer. We brought in Ginger Wallace as Design Center Manager to manage this process and she has been such a blessing to Riverside Homes. When we remodeled our corporate office in 2021, Ginger managed the building of our second design center. She brought on another designer, Tammy Wathen, and they both go above and beyond to make the homeowner’s experience exceptional!” The design selection process is where a homeowner starts to see their home take shape. Our in-house design studio showcases the latest flooring, hardware and other design options to allow a complete experience for our customers. The heart and dedication our design team places into making sure our homebuyers have the very best and most current products to select from is something that sets us apart. During each design appointment, our designers help homebuyers navigate interior and exterior selections to ensure we design a home that perfectly suits their family’s needs, matches their vision and turns their house into a home.

As far as our model interiors, this is one area that has been consistent throughout the years as Chris Wood’s mother Susie Wood along with his sister Emily Meagher have designed every model we have built. Their expertise as interior designers shine through as they handpick the perfect textures and finishes to bring each Riverside Home to life. Roberts expresses, “They truly set us apart in this industry. They have a vision and a natural born talent.” 

Our process for developing floor plan designs has also made remarkable strides. Riverside Homes has always remained steadfast in our commitment to create homes people want to live in. While home designs were initially outsourced to another company, every design was carefully crafted under Roberts’ and Wood’s watch. Today, Roberts and Wood are still behind the scenes working to design great homes but now sit with our team of experienced professionals who work with our in-house designer. Wood comments, “Having an in-house designer has been such a blessing in bringing our suggestions to fruition. Our latest designs have become our best sellers and have been so well received.”