At a glance
John and Patti Jugenheimer’s new home in Village at Deaton Creek, a community by Del Webb, has three bedrooms, three baths and about 2,637 square feet. Homes in Village at Deaton Creek range from $182,000-$311,000.
John and Patti Jugenheimer hiked 550 miles this summer through Spain, so it’s no surprise that they wanted to live in an active adult community with an emphasis on the word active.
The recreational amenities, from an indoor/outdoor pool to the fitness center in the 35,000-square-foot clubhouse to the trails at Village at Deaton Creek, appealed to the retired teachers and their lifestyle.
John and Patti, who are in their early 60s, chatted about downsizing from a five-bedroom home in Ellijay to a three-bedroom home in the gated Hoschton community.
Q: Why did you move toward metro Atlanta?
Patti: We wanted to be in an active retirement community after we retired (at the end of the 2011 school year). We had a friend that lives here and encouraged us to come on over. We visited it probably about two years before we retired. We put our house on the market in December 2011 and it sold in April, and we came the next weekend and bought a house here. We really felt comfortable that we could leave the house (to travel), and the yard is taken care of and it’s secure and gated.
Q: What did you like about the home you chose?
Patti: We bought one of the new designs (the Vista) that has a loft. It gave us the necessary space to entertain guests as well as grandchildren.
Q: What was on your wish list?
Patti: I wanted hardwood floors. I wanted granite countertops. It had all of the stainless steel appliances. It had the crown molding. It had the dark cabinets. When I saw this house, it was the model that I wanted, but then it had the second story, which we hadn’t been considering. But because it had everything we wanted and then it had the loft, it was perfect.
Q: How are you staying active?
Patti: John plays softball. We play bocce ball. We run. We use the indoor/outdoor pool. I do a Bible study. And we take advantage of all of the social activities — the dances, the entertainment, the trivia nights. We do a lot of home entertaining. I think we have more of a social life here than we’ve had in all of the years that we’ve been married.
John: At 7 o’clock in the morning, we’ll take our golden retriever, Murphy, for a walk, and so many people are out walking their dogs or out walking themselves. You can’t go anywhere without saying hello and getting into a conversation.
Q: How does the neighborhood remind you of somewhere you’ve lived in the past?
John: It’s one big neighborhood like when you’re growing up and have friends that live on different streets. It’s like being a little kid all over again.
Q: How did the setting help you train for your walk in Europe?
Patti: We could walk anywhere between five and 10 miles a day just staying on the paths and the roads. There are hills here, so that was good. Basically it was just easy to walk out our front door and right across the street from us is the beginning of the trail.
Q: What do you like about the community’s location?
John: This area is convenient to so many different things — Mall of Georgia, restaurants, medical facilities, golf courses. We’re less than five minutes from I-85. If you want to go north or south, it’s real easy.
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