North Carolina Timber Home Photos

A Love of the Land | North Carolina Timber Home

April 2010 | Timber Home Living
by: Stacy Durr Albert | photos: James Ray Spahn | styling by: Colleen Macomber

A traditional-style exterior provides a warm welcome to Gina's home, without giving away the beauty of the wood beams that await inside. The brownish-gray siding is a James Hardie board siding that's made of composite concrete. "It's the perfect choice due to the weathering that goes on up here," explains Gina.

Old and new come together in the great room, where an antique Byzantine-style coffee table steals the show. "It's at least 100 years old," shares Gina. Overhead, yellow pine beams and walls add a soft glow to the room.

The open loft provides a perfect sitting area for reading and relaxing. "It's warm and cozy in the loft because heat rises, so we never need to use the propane stove that's up there," says Gina.

North Carolina Timber Home Master Bathroom

The master bath is a vision of serenity, thanks to cream-colored cabinetry set against pine wainscoting. The cabinets were crafted by Highlands Cabinet Company in Highlands, North Carolina. The 12-inch floor tiles provide a nice contrast to the wood tones.

The view from the open loft reveals a light-filled setting with picturesque views of trees and mountain ridges. "I love how it's light and open, with no feeling of heaviness," says Gina.

The home's large screened-in porches make you feel like you're sitting right up in the trees. "The mesh screen was artfully installed�it runs nearly 30 or 40 feet with no support," says Gina. Skylights in the porch roof keep the setting feeling light and airy.

Set in the midst of old-growth trees and rhododendrons, Gina's home looks as if it is part of the natural landscape. In an effort to preserve trees and root lines, Gina opted for a pier foundation. The home is set on a 1-acre lot in Highlands, North Carolina, a small town set at an elevation of nearly 4,200 feet.

When Gina first found her property, one of its major selling points was a one-third-acre pond. Though she had to have the pond dredged because it had accumulated sediment over the years, today it is stocked with trout, bream and small bass. "It was a lot of work, but I love fly-fishing," says Gina.

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