TEXT BY OLYA FESSARD | PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL CURTIS
President of the Home Builders Association of Warner Robins, William “Billy” Schwanebeck, invites us into his family’s cozy Warner Robins home.
Billy Schwanebeck, educated at the Florida Institute of Technology, holds a Georgia license for Commercial and Residential Building, and a Georgia Real Estate License. He and his family were kind enough to allow Georgia Family into their home to see how they live.
Billy Schwanebeck lives with his wife, Debbie, and their three kids—Hailey, seventeen; Hollie, sixteen, and Hunter, fifteen—in Warner Robins. The entire family lives incredibly busy lives.
Besides his work in the many areas of real estate, Schwanebeck is the National Marketing Director of Provision RX. Debbie is the district marketing director of Provision RX.
Debbie owns her own Christian jewelry company, Deborah Lynn. Her jewelry designs are located in over 200 stores nation-wide, including the Lambs Wells in Warner Robins. She is currently the Business Parent Representative for the Houston County High School Parent Council, and still finds time to volunteer at the Central Baptist Church.
When they decided to build a home, they chose the Savannah Square subdivision where Billy is currently building. Consequently, he just has to step out the door to be at work. Naturally, Billy had a large hand in designing their home. He designed with SoftPlan just as he does for all of his customers. Debbie was a partner in the planning in spite of her own heavy schedule.
Billy points out that Debbie decorated the home with the idea of comfort and style in mind. They deliberately picked décor that could withstand the wear and tear of kids and dogs.
Debbie admits that after moving every couple of years, as home builders are apt to do, that it has been nice to settle down in one home for nine years. She jokes that this has been the first time that they have ever had to touch up the wall paint!
When asked about her favorite spot in the house. Debbie says, it’s the kitchen. “I love to grow orchids in the kitchen; they seem to love the sunlight that streams in through the windows,” she says. “Billy designed the kitchen to have a circular feel with lots of windows and sunlight.” Debbie is particularly fond of the light fixtures from Southern Lighting, owned by Billy’s Dad. “Our dining room fixture and kitchen Tiffany are our favorites and give a soothing old-world feel,” she adds.
They chose granite for the cabinet and island counter tops. They contribute to the open, functional aesthetic they were after.
Indeed, the spaciousness of the home is their biggest satisfaction. The kids have their own room which makes it easy for them to buckle down to their school demands.
Each family member also has certain chores and are responsible to keep the house neat and organized. Debbie has her own jewelry design room and Billy has his own office to work from home.
Like most families, their main focus is for their family to be together as much as possible. The flexibility one has when working from home makes it a snap to head out to all the soccer games, dance performances, and extracurricular activities, they One of the highlights of the family’s vacations was their Mexico Mission trip. As a homebuilder family, they built two homes with their Church youth group. Not only did they build memories that will last a lifetime, but the Schwanebecks believe that it teaches the kids to think of others more than of themselves. “Taking a vacation to help change people’s lives is priceless, not to mention how it has changed our lives as well,” Debbie says.
This active family loves the out- of-doors. Hence, special interests include scuba diving, hunting, fishing, all water sports and ATVs.
The couple’s energy is reflected in the landscaping as well. Billy and Debbie have worked many years together to pick out the perfect flowers, trees, and plants for the yard. “We wanted to plant some beautiful trees and be able to enjoy watching them grow,” says Debbie. It’s a unique pleasure for them given the fact that it’s the first home they have really been able to settle in and enjoy. #