RENFREW — The Christmas spirit is apparent as you drive down the lane to John and Connie Stobert's home at 115 Doctor Lane. An antique sleigh recently bought this summer in Prospect sits proudly in front of the estate. The house is nestled into the woods and surrounded by gardens that reflect an English feel.

John is a custom woodworker, who Santa may wish to draft for his workshop, and Connie is a financial controller in Pittsburgh. Their vision, his handiwork and her taste for style combine to create a home fit for a king.

Whether inhabitated by royalty or not, the Stoberts' home is on the Butler County Symphony Association's 26th annual Holiday Tour of Homes running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 5

This self-guided tour features six local residences trimmed out for the holiday. The annual event has become a tradition for many and a kickoff to the holiday.

Kicking off the tour of the Stobert home are two enormous nutcrackers flanking the large doorway greeting all who enter. There is nothing small about the interior either.

A foyer with a 12-foot Christmas tree decorated with the family's treasured ornaments is like a vertical memory book that including ornaments from people who've passed on and their son's creations from when he was little.

A large Tiffany-style light fixture illuminates this welcoming ceramic tiled area. The couple found a piece of stained glass at an estate sale, and John built a sweet little niche to showcase it.

And that is where John Stobert shared the story of 115 Doctor Lane.

“All my life I only wanted three things,” Stobert said. “I wanted a son, I wanted to hunt in Montana and I wanted to build my own house.”

Their son, Derek, is 27 and lives in Pittsburgh.

John Stobert's trophy room is full of animals he bagged out west, and his house makes him three-for-three. When Stobert said he wanted to build a house, he meant with his own hands. His handiwork is seen throughout in the woodworking from floor to ceiling.

“We drew this house on the back of a placemat at a restaurant in 2001, started it in 2003 and finished it in 2005, but it's actually still a work in progress,” said Connie.

The installation of French doors will be completed in time for the tour. She wanted the house to have an Old English feel to it, and he wanted a place to showcase his passion for hunting. They created their dream home in the spacious 5,500-square-foot estate.

John is quick to note that though the house is self built, it was with the help of some very knowledgeable craftsman who taught him the skills and encouraged the progress.

“John Rhyshek is a carpenter from Saxonburg who first took the time to teach me the basic carpentry skills necessary to even believe I could do this,” said Stobert.

His masonry skills he learned from Frank Swidzinski of Butler.

“These guys took time and invested in me and came to check in during the building,” said Stobert.

Stobert used the wood from the property for the black walnut flooring throughout the home. The wood for all of the 15-panel black walnut doors and columns was also sourced from their land.

There are five sets of handmade French doors in the home. One of John's friends helped him with the laser artwork for the wood, and the glass for the doors has been on hold for a long time.

“The glass has been in the family for 27 years. It was purchased for a project down at Pitt and not able to be used. I had a plan for them, and we are excited to finally have all the pieces come together,” said John.

The first pair of French doors open into the game room where a pool table takes center stage on top of a handmade inlaid wooden floor.

“John and our son Derek created this floor of walnut and ash and laid it in three days,” said Connie.

The room has a pub table and several barrel tables with holiday decorations to make this room ready for the holiday season. A large silver ornament graces one table top shining the Christmas spirit to all who enter.

Down the hall from the game room is the trophy room where the spoils of Stobert's hunting are showcased.

Leather recliners and a chess set are focal points to this room that overlooks the remainder of the wooded lot filled with cherry and maple trees.

Christmas has visited this room, too, with a host of holiday items from Santas to snowflakes the pair has collected over the years.

The library is off this hallway as well. Done in sages and caramels, the walls have a leatherlike quality.“John did the texture on the walls in here. This is his office area,” Connie explained. The room has a deep warm feeling with comfortable oversized furniture. Another piece of stained glass is featured in this room visible from the adjoining living room as it shares a common wall.The large living room opens up where a nutcracker-flanked fireplace takes up most of one wall.“It is dry-lay barn stone, which requires no mortar,” said John.A massive entertainment center takes up the next wall, and a lovely wooden Victorian bird house resides in the corner.“The focal point of the room is the German light bulb tester that was repurposed into a bar,” said Connie.This mammoth metal orb opens up to feature wine bottles, includes a shelf, glasses and places for other bottles.“It is super heavy and took several men to get it set up in here,” said John. They bought it from Restoration Hardware and had it shipped. This room has a fun, festive feel and abounds with garland and greens. Connie's curio of Victorian lady figurines shines from the corner.The living room opens into the kitchen where a bar table seats family and friends.“We used cherry on the kitchen from cabinets, to flooring, to the stove hood. The cherry was sourced from our property as well,” said John.Connie's touches are evident in the various tile art she collected for use on the walls in this space.“The hand-painted bordeaux tiles behind the stove came from Mexico. I wanted a Tuscan feel to this space,” she said. A functional island with pub stools, dry bar, dry pantry and wine chiller all make this space as practical as it is beautiful.There is a mudroom and bathroom off the kitchen. The backyard living area, opens off the kitchen and features an in-ground pool, custom stone laid seating and wall, a gazebo and a host of other amenities that make this their go-to spot during the summer months.“We host all the holidays here and we wanted the family to be able to be together and not sectioned off,” said John.“Between the living room and the kitchen everyone can be together eating, cooking or just sitting around chatting,” Connie said.The formal dining room off the kitchen is where the family will dine for the holidays. The custom floor here features a quadrant inlay.“John built this table for eight, specifically for this room,” she said.Here the walls are covered in a Ralph Lauren Burgundy paint. Two buffets and a marble top table display a variety of Santas and delightful, whimsical seasonal décor.Access to the staircase is just through the formal dining room and the Tuscan feel continues. Immense steps lead to a landing that features a nautical compass floor inlay.“I wanted something special and really unique on this floor and I used walnut, cherry ash and oak, but felt it needed a little bit more, so I purchased a piece of African zebra wood from an exotic wood supplier and used it to highlight the work,” said Stobert.The stairway to the second floor is enormous with a gradually widening expanse and features a set of marble topped colossal columns topped with pines and candles. The staircase opens to a balcony featuring three bedroom suites and a guest bathroom.Once at the top of the steps, the Tuscan influence takes over as the opposing wall features a mammoth hand-painted mural. The work depicts three arches each depicting a different season.“It's positioned so as the sun rises and sets it illuminates a different arch,” said Connie. “I found the painter who lived in the North Hills. Her name was Linda Bladen, who is now located in California,” she explained.The painter was afraid of heights and this floor to ceiling expanse was daunting.“John built her scaffolding, and she painted it from the top down. It took her about 40 hours,” said Connie.Derek's bedroom features a leather and wooden queen-size bed. The black walls and white carpeting in this room are accented with red amenities.The master suite opens to a room made especially for Connie. The dressing room of every woman's dream features rows and rows of hanging clothes and floor to ceiling cubbies for shoes. This room is appointed with a few overstuffed chairs making it a comfortable sitting area as well. There is a dressing table of white granite complete with sink and larger mirror.“I am inspired with my love of all thing Paris and vintage,” said Connie. “When my girlfriends come over, we typically will hang out it here, it's like my own 'woman cave.'”The room is festive with a variety of vintage decorations and one Connie created herself.“I took a wire form and created a woman's figure with skirt of pine and seasonal topping,” she said.The master bath was a must-have after Connie saw a photo of it in a magazine. She asked John if he could do it and he obliged.“This floor is my first marble inlaid flooring that I've ever done,” said John.The room trimmed out in browns and taupes is decorated in a modern-day metallic for the season. The room features a large walk-in shower, his and her sinks and a Jacuzzi.A few steps away is the couple's bedroom, which features a large four-poster bed decorated for the season, sure to invite sugar plums to dance in their heads.A Christmas comforter covers the bed. The furniture and tables bear a bevy of winter snowflakes, holiday berries and pine boughs making it the place of Christmas dreams.

The other homes on the Butler County Symphony Association's Holiday tour of homes include:Carl and Betty Nanni, 200 East Pearl St.Designed by Chester A. Patterson of New York City who also designed the Venezuelan embassy in Washington D.C., the home has been refreshed since 2000. A huge tree in the living room invites the holiday spirit.Steve Reed, 240 Vogel RoadThis 4,400-square-foot home showcases a magnificent kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances highlighted by four large skylights producing lots of natural lighting. There are five bedrooms, cathedral ceilings and three fireplaces.Henry and Cyndi Dimmick, 129 Teakwood RoadA lovely home is fit for man and beast with an animal theme throughout reflecting Mrs. Dimmick's passion. This open-floor plan boasts 4,000 square feet of living space.Dave and Lynn Ott, 122 West Liberty Road, Slippery RockThis dream home is the result of countless hours of personal labor and love sitting on 75 acres. Much of the woodwork in this home used wood harvested from the property. Horses and Alpacas fill the barns on the property.Dan and Leah Frederick, 213 Seminole TrailThe decorations in this stately home feature a Santa Claus dining room and a snowman basement. The main Christmas tree is adorned with hand-blown glass ornaments from Germany.Maridon Museum, 322 N. McKean StreetWith a collection of more than 800 pieces of Asian art and artifacts including jade, ivory, tapestries, paintings and scrolls its quite a comprehensive look at Asian culture. There are also 300 pieces of German Meissen porcelain on display as well.