There’s an old adage: “I’ll know it when I see it.”

Those words were never truer than they were for Don and Brenda Schmoeger over the course of a two-and-a-half year search for a condominium unit.

Empty nesters with five grown children between them and nine grandchildren, the couple wanted to move from their longtime Dublin home, but finding the condominium that suited them was a tireless search.

They looked long and hard throughout northern Franklin and southern Delaware counties, but were never quite satisfied. It appeared the search might be abandoned.

But one day in early fall 2010, they looked at a nearly finished Bob Webb Group condominium unit in Park Place Village in southern Delaware County.

Its great room window wall faced south with sunlight beaming in. “It was just beautiful,” Brenda says – in sharp contrast with the older, darker, tree-shaded home from which they wanted to move.

As they gazed at the bright, wide-open area, they agreed, “We could live here,” and in short order, the deal was closed and the home finished to their liking.

Through the windows, the rear of the property is defined by a tree line, reminiscent of the Schmoegers’ Dublin home and its treed lot. “We got our woods back,” Don says. And not only that – the couple was able to have a screened-in porch roughly the same size as that in their previous home.

All they needed to do was to ask Webb to convert the deck that was in place to the screened porch, Don says, and it was readily done. Not that the Schmoegers wanted to change much, but, Don notes, “There was a willingness – if it was possible, it was done,” most notably the deck conversion and finishing the lower-level to the owners’ liking.

The home was far enough along that most of the major decisions about design and decorating had been made, all to their liking, Brenda says. Done were such things as kitchen cabinets, wood floors with wide boards in the main first floor living areas, carpet in what is now an office, soft-hued wall paint and the iconic white woodwork and trim of Bob Webb homes.

The wider boards in the floors were like those in their previous home, a feature the couple appreciated. The Schmoegers selected such things as stainless appliances, cabinet hardware and light fixtures.

The office, with generous windows on two sides, is through a wide opening off the foyer. And because it could have been used as a dining room, it connects to the kitchen work area through a door-free opening.

In the kitchen, a two-level island with stool and working heights is a separation between working and dining areas. Both are, essentially, part the great room, an openness the couple welcomes after living in a home with traditional rooms and wall arrangements. A feature they particularly liked was a bump in the rear exterior wall that allows informal seating next to the dining space.

Among the Schmoegers’ must-have features were a first-floor master suite and laundry room. Those amenities are important as the couple ages in the home where they plan to stay as long as they are able, Brenda notes.

 The master is off one side of the great room. An outer wall had been bumped four feet to expand the already generous sleeping area to handily accept a king-size bed and leave ample room elsewhere. It is served by a sizeable bath, with a large shower and bench seat, a twin-sink counter, and a walk-in closet.

On the second floor, a large, L-shaped guest suite has a short “wing” that has a desk and comfortable seating. Brenda, an accountant, says it will be her office when she retires. It and the second bedroom are served by a Jack and Jillbath. An arched opening along the hallway from the stairs affords an eye-catching view of the great room below.

With all else pretty much done, they had the entire lower level to finish as they wanted.

They chose to have all the walls and ceilings finished in drywall, including a storage room that could be used as a bedroom in a pinch. That’s unlikely, though, as it is filled with neatly stored and marked boxes containing any number of things, including gear the couple use for their various outdoor activities, like canoeing, kayaking, hiking, camping and skiing.

They have installed some recreational items, including a pool table, a television screen and seating area, and a 1975 jukebox that takes quarters to play the 50 45-rpm records it holds. Don keeps a stash of quarters handy for the benefit of the couple’s grandchildren. There’s a service bar with a sink and under-counter refrigerator, plus a full bath nearby. A patio outside is accessible from the porch.

Still to come: a large model train display Don plans to start building this winter to continue the hobby he started 40 years ago. It will sit atop cabinets and be surrounded by a custom wood wall he will ask Webb to build.

Don has “many dozens” of vintage train sets, dating from 1920 to 1960 (“I”ll have to count them sometime,” he says). He will rotate them between their neatly packed boxes and the display that may take a year to complete, including a custom wood skirt between the table and floor.

In their home for just a year, the Schmoegers have found they live in an area with friendly, helpful, social neighbors. And though they’re outdoor enthusiasts, Don, a consultant who travels some and works from home, says he doesn’t miss year-round yard work one bit.