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Norm and Linda Snyder weren’t alone in their quest to build their dream home. It took a talented architect to see their vision, a team of 38 subcontractors led by Linda to build each wall and lay each stone, and a skilled interior designer to add the finishing touches. But even more important, it took a family dedicated to one another, who believed in one another to make it happen. They began and finished this quest united to accomplish the goal – to design, build, and enjoy a dream home along the Chesapeake Bay.
Lead by Example
From the time Norm and Linda first met as middle school students in Essex, MD in 1965 and later married in 1971, they discussed their dreams and hopes for the future. They both wanted to raise a family and Norm, a math and computer science teacher and coach, wanted to start his own company. He realized the need for a solutions-based information technology company in the area and started Conquest Inc. in 1989, providing support to federal and commercial organizations. The two-man crew grew into a 300-person company that he sold to Boeing in 2003. But the path to his success wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Linda and their three children, Wendy, Scott, and Bobby.
Before and during Conquest’s start-up years, Linda built a career of her own at various telephone companies. She climbed poles, managed operations throughout the country, and went on to be a director and manager of 300 people. Norm’s past experiences and his family fueled his success as an entrepreneur, just as Norm and Linda’s perseverance, patience, and dedication made their dream of living along the Bay a reality.
First, they had to find the perfect site. After looking at land on the west side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the Snyders heard about the 30-acre property on Kent Island from a friend and had Realtor Roe Fitzgerald with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage show them the acreage. Norm and Linda both knew instantly that “this was it.” They owned the land in 30 days.
Retired from her job, Linda decided to take on the task of building Conquest Manor. With the gift of a sharp memory, Linda’s planning skills and ability to interact with others led her to the position of general contractor for the estate. Their architect, Neal Hodgson of Neal Hodgson Architect, told her it was a full-time job requiring complete dedication and Linda was up for the challenge.
Forming the Team
Linda’s take charge approach kicked in and she began the process of building the team to construct their home. Initially they wanted a Florida-style house since they love the state and its home styles and are currently building a penthouse in Clearwater. They interviewed an architect from that area as well as others locally and then were introduced to Washington-based Hodgson.
“It was the same reaction as when we saw the land; we knew he was the one,” says Linda, who wanted to get started right away and asked Hodgson for plans in six months. The architect agreed, but also requested that they use the best materials for the roof, windows, and exterior. Locals understand the need to use quality materials to withstand the weather along the Eastern Shore, Hodgson says.
Linda manned the makeshift office set up in an RV on the property, scheduled the work of teams of subcontractors, and dug her heels in as well, directing the trucks hauling 300 loads of fill dirt to bring the property up to the right height for safety and waterfront views. Norm bought her a tractor to assist with deliveries of items, including the solid mahogany windows from Germany. With 30 acres of land, there were no shortcuts to the Bay’s shoreline and no shortcuts in building this one-of-a-kind Eastern Shore estate.
Weathering Initial Storms
With constant 15 mile per hour winds along the Chesapeake Bay and about 30 days a year where winds are even stronger, thunderstorms with an inch of rain an hour and winds approaching 60 miles per hour aren’t uncommon along the Bay, Norm says. But with a Davis Pro Weather Station along the pier connected to wunderground.com, the Snyders rely on real-time wind speed and direction information to monitor storms and to determine irrigation requirements as well as to decide whether it’s safe to stay outside. While this technology helps them maintain a stable and safe environment today, it would have been even more useful during construction when a mini-tornado hit the property and caused $10,000 worth of damage. Hurricane Isabel, which closed the Bay Bridge for the first time ever, did little damage to the partially constructed home months later.
Ship to Shore
On Fridays and Sundays, cruise ships pass Conquest Manor and neighboring Bloody Point, named for its dangerous sandbar, which is just north of the beaches bordering the Snyders’ unique home. Views of Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, the Bay Bridge, and the capitol of Annapolis influenced the extraordinary design of Conquest Manor.
“It’s the largest home I’ve ever designed,” Hodgson says. Starting with the vision of a 10,000-square-foot home with big open rooms inside and a portico outside per Norm’s request, the design quickly grew to 14,000 square feet with circular windows to take in the views.
“Every room in the house has a view of water,” Linda says, whether it’s the Bay, the one-acre pond in the “back” of the home, or Chews Creek along the side.
From the foyer, the kitchen’s decorative cornice above the Viking stove is visible. This wasn’t planned but is now an attractive feature. Stately columns grace the entryway once you pass “Bill” – one of 25 sculptures made in New York that stands guard at the door off the driveway. A 1,000-foot berm with more than 200 Leyland Cypress trees and 200 grasses lines the path past the pond and barn to the stop under the portico.
Shades of Sea and Sand
With such an impressive home style, the interior design was a challenge, especially since the Snyders wanted it completed in a year. “It took me 16 months to build the home, so I wasn’t going to take more than a year to furnish it,” Linda says. True to her approach of interviewing at least two and usually three specialists for each area of construction, Linda talked to one designer and then Jackie Muha, interior design consultant with Beautiful By Design.
“Jackie knew exactly what I liked,” Linda says, so Muha was hired and met with Linda three times a week to find just the right finishes. Muha often suggested furnishings the owners didn’t initially consider, such as two small round tables instead of one long rectangular table along the kitchen’s wall of windows. Linda knew she wanted a gathering-style kitchen with a neighboring “little family room” for viewing one of many plasma TVs in the home. “The kitchen area reminds me of how it was growing up and watching TV” in their former Severna Park residence, Bobby says.
As far as the home’s color schemes, anything but white would do. “I don’t like white,” Linda says, so creams and earth tones, like the sand, and blues, like the sea, flourish in a home designed with taste and personal touches. Faux-painted crabs in the first floor powder room, a Chesapeake Bay and Conquest Manor mural along the foyer, and blue skies atop the third floor observatory are among the creations of faux painter Karen Furman of The Art of Faux.
Outside, Linda bought a blue crab sculpture from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for Norm and the artist came to the property and painted the front and back of Conquest Manor on the shells. “People like to get their picture taken next to the crab and Bill,” Linda comments. Pete Hayes, who first started as the framing foreman on the job before becoming the full-time estate manager, designed a Conquest Manor flag with a beige background that waves along the stone exterior.
Shaping Conquest Manor
Circular shapes reiterated in the windows, rugs, mirrors, and chandeliers also repeat in barrel ceilings, such as the one in the arched entryway from the side of the house into the two-story atrium. Here waterfalls echo the sounds of the Bay when the doors to the kitchen and owners’ bedroom are open. Close the doors and not a sound is heard.
“Neal said he wouldn’t build the house unless I used sound roofing materials, brick or stone walls, and good windows,” Linda says. So the Snyders had an environmentally-friendly EcoStar rubber roof, poured concrete walls, and moss rock from Western Maryland installed along the exterior. They also ordered custom windows with UV protection from Germany.
The interior layout presented new horizons to the homeowners as well. Norm had always gone “upstairs to bed” so the idea of a first floor owners’ suite was new to him, but one he now embraces. With a theatre-style TV that pops up from the cabinet in the front turret, the owners’ bedroom is a mini retreat with a luxurious marble bathroom featuring a waterfall-style tub with colored lights and of course views of the Bay.
The second floor of the turret leads to Norm’s library and home office, the exercise room, and grandson Owen’s nursery. An elevator opens to the top floor observatory and a passageway to the widow’s walk for rooftop viewing of the stars – one of Norm’s many pastimes now that he’s retired.
“The lighting, irrigation, HVAC, and security systems are controlled by an HAI OmniPro II Home Control System with a Home Logic display interface,” Norm says. He can turn all the lights on the property on and off with the one-touch Lite Touch. “We also have whole house audio, satellite, and cable TV processors that can be switched to various plasma TV speakers around the house and in the theatre.” Norm attended a seminar designed for installers in order to operate the equipment on his own. Linda says, “Norm is a pro.”
Theatre Rivalry
Norm also installed the latest sound system in the 12-seat, two-story theatre. Originally planned as a one-level room, Linda says, “Why have an empty attic when you can add a balcony to the theatre?”
With top-of-the-line equipment, college basketball and pro football and baseball games are constants in the theatre during the year. With eight screens, no one misses a game, especially on Sundays during football season. “I only missed one Sunday last year,” says Scott, who likes to watch the Ravens. Wendy, a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, and Bobby, who cheers for the Dallas Cowboys, find the theatre and clubroom the places to hang out during visits.
With more than 10,000 songs on the karaoke machine in the clubroom and a stage for performances, no one’s shy at the Snyders’ residence. Norm, who was in a band in his early years as well as sang in a choir, takes to the stage with ease. Carol, Scott’s wife, is a professional singer. Everyone gets in on the act, says Linda, who loves to dance and insisted on the disco ball and motion lights in the club.
Everyone’s Welcome
Rarely a weekend goes by without visitors to Conquest Manor. “Time stops, like you’re at a resort,” Scott says. “We had more parties last summer than I can count,” Linda says. This year has been a little lighter, but they’re never short of friends and family who want to visit. Many guests want a job when they arrive, so Linda arranges a patrol along the 900 feet of beach to collect driftwood for bonfires. But mostly family and friends enjoy playtime in the pool, clubroom, and theatre.
Not For Hay
Working with Hodgson and Hayes, the Snyders designed and built a 7,000-square-foot barn to store Norm’s collection of cars. “My favorite car is the 1923 Ford T Bucket Roadster,” says Norm, who also has a 1966 Mustang convertible, 1973 Impala, and super-charged 1987 Caprice.
With a tile floor, the barn doubles as a reception hall for special occasions, such as Scott and Carol’s wedding in fall 2005 with 225 guests. The ceremony was in the courtyard, the reception was in the barn, and the fireworks were in the field. “It was perfect,” Scott says. “It was the most beautiful night of the year,” Norm adds.
Ride Into the Sunset
“Our home is nothing like I thought it would be,” Wendy says. “It’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Conquest Manor is not an island unto itself; it’s part of a bigger picture of teamwork, dedication, and daily sacrifices to make a dream come true.
When Norm and Linda aren’t riding their golf cart to the barn to take out the hot rod, they’re boating, jet skiing, singing karaoke, or “watching as many sunsets as possible,” Linda says. “Norm hates to leave Conquest Manor. He always says, ‘Where can we go and have views like this?’ ”
