Meet builders Tom and Gayle French Sunday at Loch Lloyd

The Village of Loch Lloyd is offering a unique opportunity for visitors Sunday. Those who attend the open house from 12 to 4 p.m. today at the new home built by Tom French Construction will meet the couple behind the company, Tom and Gayle French.

The Frenches, who have been building homes in the Kansas City area for nearly four decades, have numerous awards from the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City and Tom French is a Hall of Fame member and past president of the association.

Tom French has years of experience building high quality homes for those who are ready to move from a large two-story design to a home emphasizing main-floor living and he is using that expertise at the Village of Loch Lloyd. His wife, Gayle, designs the interiors of his homes and many of their clients specifically choose Tom French Construction because of Gayle’s talent.

“Gayle has a great eye for design and decor,” Tom said. “She works with the clients every step of the way and does more than just pick paint colors and finishes. She helps pick exterior stone; goes to suppliers to ensure that the granite has minimal flaws; walks clients through the process of selecting plumbing and light fixtures. She does it all.”

Their new model home at Loch Lloch, priced at $969,000, is a reverse 11/2-story plan that showcases their years of expertise. Designed for main floor living, there are two bedrooms on the main level: the spacious master suite that includes a luxurious bath, large walk-in closet and the laundry on one side of the house and a complete guest suite on the other that could be used for guests, mother or mother-in-law.

The open main-floor design flows from the entry past the dining room to the great room. The island kitchen with a barrel vault ceiling is tucked to the side and features granite counter tops, tile backsplash and designer cabinets. A large, walk-in pantry is between the kitchen and the mudroom from the garage entrance, allowing for ease in unloading groceries. The breakfast room is at the other end of the kitchen.

The three-car garage is split, with two spaces facing one way and the third facing another, also allowing privacy for anyone in the guest suite which has direct access to the third garage.

The lower level features a large family room with wet bar as well as two additional bedrooms with en suite bathrooms.

The home is thoughtfully designed with outdoor living in mind. It backs up to a beautiful wooded area. The covered lanai has a fireplace and leads to a stamped patio with a seat wall for entertaining.

“The developer does an excellent job at Loch Lloyd and is very discerning in the types of homes allowed,” French said. “We strive for excellence in what we build, so this is a good fit for us.”

Not only does French have high praise for developer FiveStar Lifestyles, owned by Neal Patterson and Cliff Illig, but also for the new Tom Watson Signature Design golf course and the wide array of resort lifestyle activities inside the gates at Loch Lloyd.

“Loch Lloyd is such a special place,” French said. “Drive through the gates just once and you will be hooked. It’s unlike anything else in Kansas City. I’m really proud to be a part of Loch Lloyd’s success.”

“Right-sizing through intelligent design might be an accurate phrase to describe the desires of today’s homebuyer at Loch Lloyd,” said Chuck Campbell, director of real estate and development at Loch Lloyd. “Many buyers want a smaller, more manageable, lower maintenance home without sacrificing quality. In fact, in most cases, buyers are seeking a higher quality home than the large, inefficient home they want to move out of. Our builder team at Loch Lloyd excels at the art of right-sizing through intelligent design.”

Tom French Construction is part of the builder team at Loch Lloyd that also includes Evan-Talan Homes, Cecil & Ray Custom Homes, Willis Construction, Forner-LaVoy Homes, Rick Standard, Koehler Building Company, Don Julian Builders, C & M Builders and Rodrock Homes.

Loch Lloyd offers an array of resort-like amenities that entice residents to spend time outside pursuing healthy activities. At its center is The Country Club at Loch Lloyd, where members play golf on the acclaimed Tom Watson Signature Design, and enjoy all the venues that encourage healthy lifestyles, such as the fully equipped fitness center, tennis courts and swimming pools. The club also offers formal and informal dining venues provided by the award-winning culinary staff.

“Take this opportunity to see what makes Loch Lloyd so special,” Campbell said. “Loch Lloyd is for the discriminating buyer when 50 shades of beige in random communities no longer excite them. See why so many living in Johnson County and Lee’s Summit have decided to immerse themselves in the Loch Lloyd lifestyle.”

This story was originally published August 8, 2015 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Meet builders Tom and Gayle French Sunday at Loch Lloyd."