HIGH IN THE Southern Sky Mill Creek Post and Beam Photos/Riley & Riley Photography Reprinted with permission from Timber Frame Homes, 1995 Buyer's Guide. Copyright 1995 Home Buyer Publications, Chantilly, Virginia. www.timberframehomes.com. HIGH IN THE Southern Sky MillCreek Post and Beam Photos/Riley & Riley Photography Reprinted with permission from Timber Frame Homes, 1995 Buyer's Guide. Copyright 1995 Home Buyer Publications, Chantilly, Virginia. www.timberframehomes.com. Curved braces and curved through tenons highlight the owner's frame. White pine was used throughout the home, from the ceiling to the timbers to the floors. Lora chose dark wall colors as a backdrop for the home's casual furnishings. Traingular windows high under the rafters allow sunlight to flood the great room. Fieldstone mixes with cedar siding on the home's exterior. If you're looking for Boyd Lyon at his vacation home in the mountains of North Carolina, check the front porch first. "The thing I like best is my rocking chair out on the porch," he says. His wife Lora also enjoys the time they spend relaxing in their getaway. "My idea of vacation is room service at a really good hotel," she jokes, "but if you still have to make beds and cook, this is a great place to do it in." The place the Lyons chose for their vacation home is high in the mountains, near Asheville, North Carolina.From their front porch they can see all the way into the next state. Looking through the great room from the dining area reveals the home's soaring spaces. The Appalachian Trail is a short walk from their door. In the spring, the azaleas, rhododendron and laurel bloom all around. Wispy clouds shroud the peaks and to add even more to the heaven-on-earth feel, the rise the house is perched on is called Angelico Ridge. "It makes me think of angels," Boyd says. The Lyons discovered the region about eight years ago, when a friend who already owned a home there invited them for a visit. "We just fell in love," Lora says. The couple, whose primary residence is in Florida, always thought they would build a second home out west. But having a place within driving distance from their home makes it much easier for them to get away for a week or even a long weekend. The Lyon's first home in these mountains was an antique log home. "We liked it," Boyd says, "but it was just too large." The couple went searching for a building lot with northeast exposure to capture the mountain views while shielding the home from too much afternoon sun. After finding the perfect site at 5,300-foot elevation, the couple began looking for a design for the home. Lora's cousin had just completed a house that the Lyons loved. "It's a nice, lovely, livable house," Lora says, but the home is about twice the size the Lyons wanted. Boyd went to work scaling the plan down and then took his ideas to a local draftsman for final drawings. Click here or on image above to see it at a larger size. With drawings in hand, the Lyons visited Freddy Wallin, a contractor in Mars Hill, North Carolina, whom they had hired before to do renovations on their former home. "He's well known as a local builder," Boyd explains. "We knew he was honest and reliable, and since we were going to be far away from the site, that was important." Freddy took into account Lora's interest in a post-and-beam home and decided to introduce the couple to Mark Wray of Mill Creek Post and Beam, in Saluda, North Carolina. Mark showed them how the plan could be adapted to a timber frame. "It was love at first sight," Lora recalls. One corner of the timber space is partitioned off for the eat-in kitchen. The kitchen's checked tile backsplash was inspired by Lora's timberlake china. Instead of timber framing the entire home, the Lyons chose to build the bedroom wing out of conventional stick frame walls packed with extra insulation. The main living areas are timber framed and enclosed with structural insulated panels. When hiring subcontractors to work on their home, the couple chose as many local tradespeople as possible. "We thought it would be simpler to get service if we used locals," Boyd says. Although they could not be at the site for the raising, the couple did make occasional trips to see the construction process, which went smoothly and quickly. "We met with Mark in August," Boyd remembers, "and broke ground in October." By January 1, the frame was up; by mid-June, Boyd and Lora had moved in. Colorful quilts and rich-hued walls give a restful, cozy feel to the master bedroom. When the frame was complete and enclosed, a local mason faced the conventionally framed wing with local fieldstone, and the timber framed section was covered with cedar siding. The combination of natural materials gives the home the vintage, timeless appeal of an Adirondack lodge. Lora requested window boxes and shutters to make the home look even more friendly and inviting. "We didn't build it to be a showplace" Lora explains. "We wanted it to be an adult playhouse." As such, the home's interior conveys a feeling of homey comfort. They Lyons' other home has Oriental rugs, mahogany furniture and a formal feel. "I wanted it to be very different from our home in Florida," Lora says. "I wanted to go as far to the other end as possible." She chose darker colors for walls and upholstery and selected rustic furniture. Quilts made by hand locally accent the bedrooms. They chose a casual pine for the kitchen cabinets. Boyd's hunting trophies are mounted over the fireplace, which is also covered with fieldstone. The master bedroom features beams that echo the home's timber framing. To introduce more wood into the interior, the Lyons chose to install pine tongue-and-groove paneling on the ceiling. The couple liked that finish so much that they laid the same tongue-and groove face down as wood flooring. "Mark had it on the ceiling in his office and it just looked wonderful," Lora says. "it will look great as it ages and mellows." Wood wainscoting accents both the timber framed areas and the conventionally framed rooms. Mill Creek also recommended that the Lyons add beams to the ceiling of the master bedroom to continue the timber frame feel into that room. "We wanted a very easy, low-maintenance home," Lora explains. They expect the home to stand up to grandchildren and to age gracefully without constant upkeep. They Lyons chose a heavy-gauge, commercial-grade tin for the roof, partly because of its excellent durability and partly because they thought it would be fun to hear the rain on the roof. Formica counter tops and tile back splashes make kitchen cleanup easy. Having no formal landscaping Green cultured marble tops the vanity in the master bath. eliminates yard work, and the stone and unstained wood on the exterior saves the couple from having to paint. Because their site is so exposed, energy efficiency was also important to the couple. They installed double thermal-paned windows and added extra insulation in the bedroom wing. Ceiling fans and a naturally cool mountain setting take the place of air conditioning. The fans also remove dampness - an important feature considering the home's misty setting. Overall, they are quite pleased with the home's performance. "We have a gas furnace," Lora says. "We turn it on and within 10 minutes it's just toasty." The Lyons love their home. "The view is just glorious," Lora says. Boyd adds, "Mark did a superb job." The couple entertain often and the reaction of guests is always positive. Passersby sometimes stop on the road to look at the house. In fact, one day when Boyd was out, Lora watched as a couple got out of their car, walked right up to the house and looked in the windows. Lora just smiled and waved. [Return to the top]  [Return to the Articles] [ Home ]  [ Introduction ]  [ Articles ]  [ Questions & Answers ]  [ Photo Album ] [ Mill Creek Tour ]  [ Design Portfolio ]  [ Contact Us ]  [ Send Email ] Mill Creek Post & Beam Company Inc. 1970 Holbert Cove Road, Saluda, NC 28773 828-749-8000   Fax 828-749-8001   Email: e@millcreekinfo.com Copyright © Mill Creek Post & Beam Co., Inc. 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