The Jackson Family Home

A Palm Beach couple builds high in the Western North Carolina mountains featuring a blend of both mountain-rustic and mountain-elegant architecture, style, and décor.

Project & Client Story   |   For more than a century, lowland or coastal dwellers have been building intriguing get-away-from-it-all homes in the Western North Carolina mountains. Steve and Julie had lived in West Palm Beach for many years, but Julie began pilgrimages to the “Highlands” with her grandfather at age 6. The Jacksons decided they needed a summer escape from southern Florida and found the perfect spot high in the North Carolina mountains on a lake at the headwaters of a mountain river. Their builder, Dave Parmelee, of Scaly Mountain Builders in Highlands, NC, was a repeat customer of Hearthstone’s and suggested that the Jacksons research Hearthstone. Impressed with the broad portfolio of hand crafted homes and repeated success with Mr. Parmelee, they chose to build a Hearthstone timber frame.

Julie has her own design firm in West Palm Beach and, with the help of Chris Wood, Hearthstone’s VP of Sales (who doubles as a superior designer), and Dave Parmelee, they came up with many distinctive elements in the home. The overall architecture features a lot of glass on the lake view side, with the feature view framed (literally) with massive hammer-beam timber frame trusses. The overall concept for the entire property is to create a sanctuary for not only Steve and Julie, but also for the kids and grandchildren.

The frame itself has two unique features: It is hand-hewn; and it has a pickled-whitewash finish to it… creating, in concert with the many interior design ideas of Julie’s, a home that is a personalized balance of both mountain-rustic and mountain-luxury. In addition to the primarily timber frame home, there is a small hand-hewn cabin section which gives the impression that the house was built around a 200 year old cabin.

One of Steve’s inputs is a large, well appointed kitchen that is open directly to the great room so that cooking and entertainment takes place side-by-side, so Steve can show of his extensive culinary skills — and keep up with the conversation at the same time.

Eventually, the Jacksons plan to make the mountain home their primary residence, rather than the Palm Beach home. It seems that sunsets from the lakeside timber frame gazebo are beginning to have more appeal than the hurricanes, the heat, and the hectic life.

For more about this project, call the Hearthstone Project Manager who managed the process from beginning to end: Chris Wood at either (740) 453-6542, extension 103 — or his cell phone at 865-368-5165.

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