Sean de Laurentys

Let me introduce you to Sean, owner of Dogwood Custom Home Plans, LLC.  He has a unique way of listening to his customers, taking theirs dreams and desires, and turning them into the ultimate house plan customized for them.

Gerilyn: What inspired you or led you to your current career?

Sean: In my former career, I was selling real estate, and I realized that it was probably not the best fit for me. I decided to go out on my own and open up a drafting company, which is something I had done years before. I decided to go back to my roots in a roundabout way, I suppose, and do something that I felt was more in my wheelhouse to accomplish the goal of income and so forth.

Gerilyn: What is your favorite restaurant in Evans, and what do you love there?

Sean: Takosushi would be one of my favorites. Basically, all of the sushi menu is my favorite.

Gerilyn: How long have you lived or worked in Evans?

Sean: Basically all my life, so forty years-ish.

Gerilyn: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in Evans?  Who would you like to see nominated as a Face of Evans, Georgia?

Sean: The most interesting person that I’ve met would be my buddy, Lance. He’s been a great inspiration for me to be physically fit. Of course, that’s a fluid thing, and I’m sure it will change over time. The person I’d like to see nominated would be my mother, Nanda deLaurentys.

Gerilyn: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?

Sean: I’ll have to give you two places because I’m torn, and they’re polar opposites. One would be Spain because I’ve been there before, and I absolutely love it. I think it’s a fantastic place. The people are beautiful, inside and out, and the food is fantastic. With the culture, altogether, it’s a great place to be. I feel like it fits me, or I fit it. The other place would be Thailand because the people are beautiful inside and out, and it’s such a wild place. I’m completely a fish out of water when I’m there because obviously I don’t speak the language. I’m a big dude, so I tower over everybody. But I love it, and it’s fantastic. If I had my chance, I might live there. So, we’ll see.

Gerilyn: What is your favorite movie, or what is the first movie you remember seeing in a theatre?

Sean: I’ll give you both. My favorite movie would be a franchise, which would be the Harry Potter movies. I think they’re fantastic because they tap into that inner child of mine with magic and all of that nonsense. The first movie that I saw in the theatre, I think, was Dune, but I could be wrong. I might be manufacturing that memory.

Gerilyn: What advice would you give to a crowd of people?

Sean: Be kinder to each together. Don’t be all “social justice-y,” like most everybody is nowadays. I think a lot of folks look for problems where problems don’t exist, and we could get a lot more accomplished if we just put that aside and got to work.

Gerilyn: What is something on your bucket list?

Sean: To see as much of the world as possible would be my bucket list. To experience different lifestyles and different cultures and absorb it as much as I can.

Gerilyn: What is your favorite music or three bands you would like to see, whether dead or alive?

Sean: I don’t really have a favorite music. My music tends to fit my mood, whatever mood I’m in that day, but I’ll give you the three bands. So, one would be Led Zeppelin. I would love to see them. I think that would be a fantastic show. My other one would be Pink Floyd. Then, the third one would be a country singer by the name of Tom T. Hall. I would love to see him.

Gerilyn: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about Evans?

Sean: I’m not sure if I remember the name of it exactly, and I never really went there. It was more of a trinket shop, and it was on the corner of Washington and Belair Road. I want to say it was Simply Southern or something along those lines. My mother would go there, and she would buy little gifts or Christmas decorations and things of that nature. It was this old white house that they transformed into a business. It had a front porch on it. When people picture the South, that would be the house – like your grandma’s house. It was this cool little place, but they tore it down and put a business there. I understand the reasoning why because you’ve got to move forward, onward, and upward. I do miss it. I remember it being there for all my life.

Gerilyn: Choosing a non-relative, with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? Where in Evans would you go?

Sean: I’d have to say my friend’s dad, Mr. John Street. He passed away a few years ago. He had a profound impact on my life. He always pushed me to be better. He really loved a place downtown, but the Evans Diner would probably be his speed. It’s gone now. I think they’ve put a dentist’s office there.

Gerilyn: Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?

Sean: Better than what I am now, business wise. I want to better my relationship with my family. Not that I have a bad relationship, but I want it to continue to grow and make it stronger. I want to be better or at least the same physically. Just keep moving forward.

Gerilyn: Even for friends or family, what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?

Sean: Most people that meet me obviously meet me in some business capacity, so they know that I draw house plans. But a lot of folks have no idea that I build furniture as a hobby, like a serious enthusiast. Beyond that, most folks don’t know that I have a magnificent singing voice that I rarely expose to the outside world. I’m more of a shower singer, I suppose.

Gerilyn: What three words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word “home?”

Sean: Love, warmth, and safety.