The Lady of the Lake

The Lady of the Lake

Polly Leadbetter at Lake James Real Estate

The Difference is in the Details: Cottonwood Development

Steve Leadbetter and Tracy Jones
Owners of Cottonwood Development



Smooth river rock and rough poplar bark, warm cherry wood and cold forged iron,  rustic and refined;  these are just a few examples of the complementary elements you'll find in any Cottonwood built structure.  Much like Steve and Tracy, the blending of opposing elements, seemingly too different to be cohesive, creates a spectacular combination.



Just stepping into their office, a few miles from Lake James, inspires.  The building was a dilapidated day care with a chain link fence in the front yard in the year 2002.  They have transformed it into a cozy cabin-feeling office space on one side with a grand "Lodge" office building attached to the side.  Huge tree trunk columns dominate the boulder strewn entrance.  A lovely lily pad ironwork bench greets all visitors as they enter.  Inside, they are welcomed by a towering stone fireplace,  log beamed ceiling, wide plank pine flooring and custom iron railing and details.  The walls are decorated with vintage waterskis, canoe paddles and fishing tackle advertisements.  It's like a warm embrace from the great outdoors and a salute to the bygone days of lake recreation combined.

Steve Leadbetter and Tracy Jones combined forces in 2006.  They came from very different backgrounds and have very different personalities.  It is their differences that make them the perfect team.  Steve grew up in Florida, lived in Colorado, worked in medical equipment sales, designed snowboard clothing and a host of other occupations.  He's creative and constantly moving.  He'll draw a rendering of a house for a client on a napkin in a restaurant.  He's the dreamer, the guy with the big ideas.  Tracy, on the other hand, grew up here in Morganton, North Carolina.  With an MBA and a background in production management, he is the one that gets the right supplies to the job site at the right time, on budget.  He gives the perception as a regular "local yokel" with his mountain drawl, quiet easygoing  manner and workman's attire.  He's nothing of the sort.  A guy with discerning palate in food and microwbrews and a penchant for gourmet coffee with "fancy flavored" creamers, actually Tracy is the one with last word in all construction details.  Whenever Steve is talking fast, spinning ideas, dreaming up some new facet of a project with a client, Tracy is sitting across the table or in the corner of the room quietly making eye contact with Steve and either nodding a "yes, we can do that...it is possible but might be too expensive" or "no way...don't even start promising...stop where you're going with that, right now".  And Steve adjusts his dreaming accordingly.

It was both the office building and the complimentary personalities of Steve and Tracy that made my husband and I consider having Cottonwood Development build our house at Lake James.  It is a big decision to choose a builder and we had a list of several possibilities recommended to us by realtors and various others who'd either built a house on or near the lake or knew someone who had.  Everyone was more than happy to give their opinion on the subject.  What sealed our decision was touring the houses that they'd built and talking to the owners of those houses.  They were so satisfied with their homes and had nothing but rave reviews for Steve and Tracy's ability to make a vision into a reality on time and on budget.

For example, a couple in the SouthPointe community on Lake James came to Cottonwood Development wanting to build a house on their waterfront lot.  They had a limited budget because they'd sold their house at the coast for a fraction of what they'd hoped and their lot was divided in half by a deep ravine that ran the length of the property down to the lake.  There was no decent place on the lot to build a house.  Steve drew up a plan in a matter of minutes detailing a multi-level house that straddled both sides of the ravine, dubbing it the "Gulley House" because of the big gully running underneath it.  The house was completed in September 2010, on time (less than 7 months) and on budget in spite of many who predicted otherwise.  The couple is thrilled and gives a tour to any and all who ask. 



The "Gulley House" completed