From The Porch Of The Sembera Family
One morning, with the sun still low over Choctawhatchee Bay, Roy and Wendy Sembera took to the sand. Armed with orange spray paint and long tape measures, they marked out the shape of their dream home directly onto the earth. Porch here. Keeping room there. Views, everywhere.
“It was ready to start construction,” Wendy recalled. “We marked it with spray paint and drew the lines. This is the porch, this is where the keeping room is. And when we looked at it all laid out in the sand, we both said, ‘Yes. This is it.’”
That moment was a fitting beginning for a couple who have shaped not just a home, but an entire neighborhood — Churchill Oaks — with the same attention to detail and sense of personal connection.
From Boating To Building
Roy and Wendy Sembera, both born and raised in south Louisiana, first discovered Florida’s Emerald Coast as teenagers on separate family vacations — long before they ever met. Years later, they returned together — first with their own children in tow, then from the deck of their boat in early retirement, and now, most joyfully, through the wide-eyed wonder of their four grandchildren.
“We bought a big boat after I retired from my oil and gas business,” Roy said. “We’d go from Biloxi to Destin, and always stop at the harbor. Eventually, we bought a penthouse at Grand Harbor. That was really the beginning.”
After selling his company in 2003 and retiring early, Roy quickly realized he wasn’t the type to sit on the beach. What he needed was a project. What he got was an undertaking that would leave an indelible mark on the landscape of Walton County.
In 2005, the couple purchased 43 acres in Santa Rosa Beach — now expanded to more than 60 — and began planning something different.
“I told Wendy I wanted to do it right,” Roy said. “I wasn’t going to just lie around. I wanted to be accountable for everything, build something I’d want to live in myself.”
The result was Churchill Oaks, a residential neighborhood nestled along Churchill and Hogtown Bayous. With its majestic oaks, winding trails, and deepwater marina, it’s a place where Southern charm meets coastal ease. And unlike many developments, this one was always personal.
“We did this from an end-user standpoint,” Roy said. “We weren’t just thinking like developers — we were thinking like future neighbors.”
The Heart Of The Home
Their own home is the culmination of that vision — a third build within Churchill Oaks, but the first designed explicitly for their family, and for their way of life.
“This house is all about family,” Wendy said. “We built a suite for each of our children, a big bunk room for the grandkids, and everything is designed for us to be together.”
Construction began in late 2022 and wrapped in spring 2024. Architect Matt Savoie brought their vision to life, situating the home across a graceful 150-foot-wide curve of bayfront. Inside, the design blends elegance and warmth, with Venetian plaster walls, European oak floors from France, and natural stones throughout. Wendy, who led the interior design herself, partnered with Marisol Gullo of Not Too Shabby to refine every detail.
“I wanted it to feel timeless,” Wendy said. “Everything is natural — wood, stone, marble. That’s what gives it warmth and that European sensibility.”
Among their favorite spaces is the keeping room, a more casual gathering place off the kitchen with 24-foot ceilings and windows that stretch two stories high.
“I kept saying I wished we had made that room just two feet wider,” Roy said with a laugh. “But once the furniture was in, it was perfect. Everything fit like a glove.”
Massive glass doors open the living spaces to the outdoors, while motorized screens descend at the touch of a button, letting the breeze in without the bugs.
“We made sure to marry the outdoors with the indoors,” Roy said. “We can actually open this home up pretty wide.”
Made For More Than Show
Despite its polish, the house was built to be lived in. Roy and Wendy love to entertain, and the home reflects that spirit — hosting art shows with wine pairings, family crawfish boils, and lobster feasts on a covered back patio designed for casual gatherings.
Outdoors, there’s a leathered black marble counter and quick-connect gas line for seafood boils, plus a fish-cleaning station.
“As nice as the house is, it’s very livable,” Roy said.
One of their most beloved features is the “secret” room tucked behind a bunkroom closet, built especially for their grandchildren.
“That’s the best babysitter ever,” Roy said. “You open the hidden shelf, and it’s this little world just for them.”
Designing the home wasn’t without a few changes along the way. One of the most pivotal came during a trip to St. Barts while the slab was being poured.
“We had rented a place with this incredible panoramic view,” Wendy said. “Roy looked at me and said, ‘We need to move the fireplace. We’re missing the view.’”
So they did. The entire orientation of the home shifted.
Another change came in the foyer, where custom cabinetry was replaced by an oversized painting they found in San Miguel, Mexico.
“It just felt right,” Wendy said. “We’re not afraid to pivot if it means something will feel more like home.”
A Community Built By Hand — And Heart
The best surprise, though, wasn’t architectural.
“I used to think of people as a variable in the equation,” Roy said. “Now I realize they’re the most important part. The best part of Churchill Oaks is the community.”
Neighbors stop by for wine nights and art shows. They vacation together. Four couples even joined the Semberas on a recent trip to Croatia.
“Our kids tease us,” Wendy laughed. “They call everyone here our ‘other family.’”
Today, Churchill Oaks is more than 90 percent complete, with a second phase already in the works. Yet the Semberas remain as involved as ever — selecting lots, working with architects, and connecting with neighbors.
“This isn’t a place we just built and left,” Roy said. “We live here. We know every homeowner.”
And while they still split their time between Santa Rosa Beach and Covington, Louisiana, there’s no question which house represents the future. In fact, they’re preparing to build again in Covington — this time incorporating the very elements they’ve fallen in love with at Churchill Oaks.
After all, they haven’t just built a home. They’ve created a way of living — elegant, intentional and full of heart.
And it all started with two sets of footprints and a house sketched in the sand.
For more information on Churchill Oaks, click here.
