"I've been framed!"



If houses could talk, that's what ours would be saying right now!



Back of the house



It wasn't quick and it wasn't easy, but the house is fully framed, the roof is on and the windows will be going in this week.  Framing started in February but thanks to multiple weather delays (whad'ya expect in February and March, right?) it is just now reaching completion.  I admit that my patience was tested.  I am not a patient person by nature and this process proved it!  At first the progress was impressive..."Wow!  The walls of the basement were finished in just a couple of days!" The main floor also seemed to go up quickly.  Then came the roof.



Matt Mungall, owner of  MM Carpentry,LLC



Steve and Tracy (Cottonwood Builders) had warned us that this was an extremely complicated roof line.  The designer, Ken Pieper, is famous for his eye-catching multi-peak roof lines.  It makes for a dramatic appearance both inside and out.  But they're not easy to construct.  Matt Mungall, owner of the framing company MM Carpentry,  predicted it would take at least 2 weeks to complete the roof. 

"No way", I thought.  "It couldn't possibly take two whole weeks just to frame the roof!"  Matt was right.  With so many peaks, the roof line resembles the Himalayan mountain range!

The hardworking crew braved dizzying heights atop the skeleton-like backbone of the roof.  It was a tedious process.  Trusses had to be custom built, rather than using pre-fabricated trusses made off site.





Back of the house that faces Lake James



The hard working framing crew





The most exciting part of the whole process was seeing the translation of the blueprint plan into a real three dimensional  building.  No matter how many times we scrutinized the house plans, we never got the true feeling of walking through the actual rooms.  In fact, we had missed several details that Ken Pieper, the architect,  had included in the design.  Once they were framed out, it was like uncovering a surprise gift from him!  For example;  all of us, including the builders, were surprised to see that the large window over the front door was bumped out 2 feet over the front porch, creating a ledge on the inside.

Front door with overhead window and ledge


When talking with Ken Pieper, the architect,  on the phone one day he asked how we liked the feel of the house now that we could see it in real life.  I said that I felt like he'd hidden little gifts in the blueprints that we were just now discovering!

Matt, the framer, has also provided his share of surprises. It was his idea to change the ceiling over the kitchen island to a barrel style.  He used the same idea in the master bedroom, echoing the arc of the curved window high on the wall.



Barrel ceiling in the kitchen over the island


Now that framing is complete they will begin working on the deck and exterior.  In the coming weeks the plumbing, HVAC and electrical work will be installed before the drywall goes in.  It's definitely progress but so hard to be patient!  Stay tuned for the next post... Takin' the walk down to Electric Avenue...

Happenings in and around Lake James

With all of the house construction "busy-ness".  I've been neglectful in mentioning some of the upcoming events in and around the Lake James area. Now that spring is here and the water level at  Lake James will be too low for recreational use until May,  there are lots of fun things to do in the area.  It's one of the main reasons we moved to this area from Charlotte!

 http://www.burkehospice.org/31-bike

The Burke County Hospice Metric Century is a 62 mile bike ride on Saturday, April 17th.  It is the first year for this event that is sponsored by the new (and awesome!) bike shop in town, Cycle Wright.



http://www.maydaybiathlon.com/



The 21st Annual May Day Biathlon and 5K run will be held on Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st.  Dave and I participated in the Biathlon last year.  It's a 5K run followed by a challenging 30K bike ride from Freedom High School,  up to Lake James and back.  



http://www.mtatriathlon.blueridgemultisports.com/



The 2nd Annual Lake James Triathlon will be held Saturday, May 24th at the Lake James State Park, Paddy's Creek location.  It is a 750 Meter swim, 22 mile bike around the lake and a 5K trail run in the park.  I did this race as a relay with my son, Davis last year.  He did the swim portion and was one of the first few racers out of the water---at age 13!  We won the mixed relay category and received a medal for our efforts! It's a beautiful place to hold a triathlon!

For those who may not be interested in athletic competitions, there are plenty of options for entertainment coming to the area:

 

The Art of Chocolate on Friday, May 6th is an elegant evening held at the Armory of Morganton.

This will be the fourth year that OPTIONS, Inc. has successfully collaborated with local artists, musicians, chocolatiers, floral designers, culinary artists and volunteers to present The Art of Chocolate.  OPTIONS, Inc. is a non profit organization that provides shelter, counseling and legal support to women and children suffering from domestic violence and rape.

 The first annual Art in the Park will be held at the Catawba Meadows Park in Morganton on Saturday, May 14th.   There will be booths displaying sculpture, pottery, jewelry, metal work and other fine arts for sale as well as live music and food vendors.  Admission is free!  Come enjoy a spring Saturday strolling the greenway along the Catawba River.  One of the most picturesque spots in the city!

While you're here explore the thrilling zip line course at Catawba Meadows Park.  Beanstalk Journey is a blend of zip line tours and ropes courses, incorporates fun and excitement with education and recreation for children and adults alike. The Journey transports individuals and groups through a labyrinth of independent tree houses which serve as rest stops and educational destinations. Each station offers 360-degree views suspended as high as 50-feet above the ground.



Click here to see the complete list of events

Lake James State Park has an action-packed event calendar for April and May!  Hosting events like a Turtle Stroll, Canoe Excursion, History of Lake James Hike, Predators of the Park and Astronomy, something is going on every week.  It's worth printing out the monthly list of events to keep on your refrigerator.

There's really just too many fun things to do that I'm running out of space (and energy!) to name them all.  You're just going to have to come here and experience some of these things in person.  Heck, you may just have to move here because this place is so freakin' fun!

One final thing that I want to mention because it's near and dear to my heart...touring pretty houses.  On Saturday, May 14th Linville United Methodist Church presents the Tour of Homes by the Waters from 10:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.  Featuring 5 private homes on Lake James and the Linville River.  Tickets are $15 and lunch is available at the church that day.

Surely one of these events will entice you!  Hope to see you around this spring!





Faucets and Fridges and Sinks, Oh My!

From Refrigerators...






..to faucets...



...sinks...

....and wall ovens...

The sheer number of options is frightening.  Faucets and fridges and ovens...oh my!

One trip to showroom was all it took to shake my confidence.  Up until then I was sure that I'd  be able to make my selections with ease.  Hey, it would even be fun!  I thought that I'd lived in enough houses to know what I did and did not like.  I have a developed sense of style by now and above all else, I'm practical (and budget conscious)...how hard could it be, right?  HA! 

My husband, David, and I walked into the showroom one Friday morning with our house plans and budget numbers in hand.  We wandered around looking at beautiful model kitchens with state of the art appliances and "statement" faucets and sinks.  We looked at shower fixtures that had 16 water jets coming out at all angles, like a drive-thru carwash.  We saw sinks made from rocks, faucets shaped  koi fish and ultra-sleek contemporary bath tubs.

Now, I appreciate artistic fixtures in an upscale restaurant or high-end hotel when I visit (the hotel rooms at the Kohler Resort in Kohler, Wisconsin have, by far, the coolest bathroom fixtures I've ever seen! Now THAT was a "car wash" style shower, and it was AWESOME!) but do I really need to have my fixtures making statements about me in my house?  What would they be saying?  If I were to choose, say, the Koi Fish Faucet, I think it'd be saying that I'm an idiot. 

It didn't take long for David and I to realize that we were not going to find what we were looking for in the showroom.  One peek at a kitchen faucet price tag of $2095 assured us of that.

A few days later, Adam, a sales rep from the same showroom visited me at my office. They must have a whole department to deal with people like us.  Maybe they've dubbed us "Hopelessy Practical" or "Non-Statement Makers" or just, "Boring".   He came with a small, glossy page catalog featuring a manageable number of "ordinary" faucets, sinks, shower fixtures, bathtubs and toilets.  In about half an hour he walked me through the selection process for fixtures for 4 bathrooms, kitchen and laundry room that our house will need.  The fixtures that I selected are quality brands (better quality than any I've had in any home so far) and stylish.  The quote came in under budget.  I think the only "statement" they make is that the owners of the house are practical and budget conscious.  But I guess I'll have to wait until they're installed before I can hear what they have to say. 

...and suddenly, it's all very clear...




Lot #77 Before Construction


...and suddenly, it's all very clear...Lot #77, that is....after an agonizingly long wait, construction is underway!   Since pictures speak louder than words, here's what's happened so far:



The building site was cleared



The downed trees were fed into THE BEAST and turned into mulch

A LOT of mulch!  To be used later.

My sons have become the "site supervisors"

The basement has been dug



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



The Pleasures and Pitfalls of Owning Lakefront Property

15 feet deep!

The honeymoon is over.  If my family's first year of lake property ownership is like the first year of a marriage, then my husband, two sons and I would be,  collectively, "the groom" and lot #77, the property,  would be "the bride".  We had a courtship.  Just a couple of months late last fall.   My family and I would make the trip from Charlotte to familiarize ourselves with "her" contours, walking down the rough path to the dock, gazing at her peaceful shoreline and the cove beyond.  Sure, we compared her to other lots for sale.  But none could compare to "our" lot.  So, we took the plunge.  The papers were filed in the Burke County courthouse in January 2010.  We were official.  The Clark family and lot #77 were joined in holy property ownership.

We had a glorious spring and summer together.  We lacked a house on the property but that didn't prevent us from enjoying all that our lovely bride had to offer.  We swam!  We kayaked!  We jumped off the top rail of the dock into the crystal clear, 15 foot depths of the cove!  We grilled countless meals and dined "al fresco" under the gazebo in the warm summer evenings.

We bragged to people about her natural beauty and purity,  using the amusing story about the peach pie "incident" as an entertaining example of these qualities.  The result of that incident was the knowledge that eating a lake-soaked pie would result in no ill effects.  Not even "pie-ahhrea" (as one of the more cautious members of our party dubbed the predicted gastrointestinal consequences) befell any of those brave enough to taste it.  In fact, it was suggested that a bit of lake water just might become the secret ingredient in Loralie's famous "Lake James Peach Pie".

Yes, we were inseparable all summer and into the fall. And then something happened.  Duke Energy announced that lake levels would be lowered drastically beginning in December.   Being new to the lake, we didn't take this as serious news.  But people were buzzing about pushing out docks and pulling boats out of the water for the winter.  It was clearly something we needed to become familiar with.  Lake levels were going to lowered 15 feet below full pond from January until May.  That's 5 feet lower the droughts of 2002 and 2007.  Lower than anytime in recent history, no one living on the lake had experienced this drastic of a change in water level in such a short period of time.  We needed to make arrangements, and fast!

In a marriage, you vow to love each other "in sickness and in health".  We'd experienced the healthy times and now we were about to embark on some "sick" times.  We needed to care for our beloved lake property.  We took our boat out of the water in October and stored it on a trailer in a nearby marina.  We called the overburdened dock specialist, Craig McGee, to have him push our dock out into deeper water, which he did in late November.   We'd done what we could to ride out the big drop.  We'd done the equivalent of making chicken soup and wrapping a warm blanket around our bride when she suffered a cold.

The lake levels started dropping.  Our lovely lot #77 wasn't as lovely when the water dropped 10 feet.   This was the "sitting on the couch in an ugly sweatsuit eating ice cream from the carton" side of our bride.  Harsh reality.  It wasn't pretty.  The once 15-foot deep, crystal clear cove was now a murky, 3 feet with (gasp!) an old tire and cinder block visible on the muddy bottom.  It was like seeing a beautiful woman without her makeup for the first time, wearing thick eyeglasses and a retainer too!  The honeymoon was definitely over.

We decided that we loved her anyway and got to work clearing away some of the branches that were dangerously close to the end of the dock in the summer.  We donned knee high rubber boots and armed with a chainsaw, hand saw and pruner,  got to work trimming.  A few hours later, our boots filled with icy lake water and  rear ends filthy from perching on the logs while sawing branches, we had  fulfilled our mission to beautify our lady.

And so it has gone, this first year.  Much like a marriage, our relationship has deepened.  A solid partnership has to be able to endure more than just the good times.  And this year, our family has discovered that we are lakefront property owners now ...for better or for worse....

Low lake level--10 feet low, 5 more to go...dock is pushed out into the cove