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As you drive towards the cul-de-sac where Beth and Don’s home is situated, your eyes are immediately drawn to the pristine stained glass window arched above the impressive Douglas fir timbered entrance. One of two stained glass windows from a 19th century church in South Carolina, these one-of-a-kind finds discovered by Beth more than 30 years ago had been stored for safe-keeping until she and husband, Don, could bring them back to glory in their retirement home.

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Like many couples, Beth and Don wanted to build a special home on their waterfront lot of 30 years … a lot they had hand-picked from among the first available along Lake Norman. The home had to be designed just for them, combining special memories of many years together with special finds and their dream of what their retirement home should be.  Their love of the mountains influenced the look they wanted for their home. However, the rustic look of many homes didn't depict the casual elegance they also desired. While Don liked the log appearance, Beth was concerned about the interior and didn't want to lose the appeal that a traditional influence brings.

After extensive research, a friend suggested that a timber framed home might be the way to achieve their desire. Upon their friend's referral, they visited a TIMBERPEG^® home constructed in the area. Seeing first-hand how easily the home combined the warmth and grandeur of natural woods with more traditional fixtures, materials, and design convinced them that achieving a casual elegance in a mountainesque home on the lake was indeed possible.

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To make their home a reality, Beth and Don quickly engaged Bruce Hafley of Timberframe Carolina to begin the design process.  “We started from just an exterior photograph of a log home they found attractive,” says Hafley, "and then adapted it with Don's desires for the exterior and Beth's concern for the interior characteristics."

Then Beth and Don chose cedar and redwood-colored semi-transparent stains to enhance and protect the natural wood grain of the siding and trim. By pre-staining the siding material before attaching it to the home, maintenance issues were minimized, which was important for the couple, as they wanted to enjoy their retirement with low exterior maintenance.

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Beth desired that the interior of the home maintain openness while still offering an intimate, comfortable feel. She was excited about the flexibility of interior options a Timberpeg design offers.  She found the timber posts and beams added visual depth and character to the interior surroundings, while not producing an overwhelming rustic look.  To compliment the posts and beams, she elected to use a combination of Timberpeg’s white pine T&G paneling with painted sheetrock in select areas.  To keep the rooms light and airy, window treatments were not used. “With the timbers framing the windows, there’s no need for window treatments” states Beth.



Natural light was identified early in the design process as being important to Beth.  Since the timber posts support the weight of the structure, greater flexibility was available for the placement of windows in a multiple design to fully capture the stunning lake view.  An entire wall became windows - a view to the world.  Windows were selectively placed to take advantage of the directional sun-light and their spectacular long water views across the lake.  For example, when looking out their great room windows at the lake, the vertical timbers separating these windows mimic the trees thus enhancing the effect of bringing the outdoors inside. In addition, the incoming natural light blending with the multiple wood tones inside further enhances the ambiance of each room.

In the end, Beth and Don’s home is a shining example of marrying rustic appeal with casual elegance.  “We are so glad we didn’t go with log construction.  The post and beam timber framing construction gave us the flexibility and diversity for each of us to get what we wanted.” Now, they are enjoying their little piece of heaven on the lake.