Bill, Bonnie and Andy Baumhofer moved in to their home on a hill in The Retreat at Grand Harbor in June. How fitting that their home will function as a family "Retreat" in a development of the same name. In our initial meetings to discuss plans, one of their requirements was to be able to sleep a quite large extended family on weekends, not a "must have" we’re used to hearing! But with all of their family living within a couple of hours of Greenwood, and enjoying each other’s company, weekends are VERY busy at the Baumhofer’s.

Their cozy and rustic exterior welcomes you up the steps and porch to see what’s inside the front door. We achieved this design feature by using a combination of cement "cedar shake" stained shingles, board and batten plank, engineered stone and stucco - all materials that are cost effective alternatives to the originals, provide the "look" they desired and will be virtually maintenance free.

    

Once inside, you get the feeling that you can just R-E-L-A-X. Using some design principles from the Arts and Crafts period, they chose colors, textures and wood trim to bring nature inside. Multi-width oak floor boards make new look old. Wood ceiling beams in the Great Room draw your eyes up. Sawn cypress boards serve as door moldings. Ledged window trim vs. cove molding and solid core doors painted dark brown to match the wood beams complete the rustic look.

At move-in Bonnie mentioned that "This house would not have turned out like it did without Lee. He listened to what we wanted. He provided cost-effective choices at each decision point to achieve this look. Then he helped us select the materials, always keeping our budget in mind."

Bill was on-site much of the time, watching and learning as each step of construction began.

"Newly retired, I watched the building process very closely. It was a great learning experience for this dedicated, long time do-it-yourselfer. My questions, in great numbers, were answered patiently and competently by Lee and Jim's team. The best features in the house are the low/no maintenance materials used on the exterior, giving more time for the pursuit of suitable retirement activities. What could have been a worrisome and stressful period turned out to be one of challenges professionally recognized, thoroughly analyzed and comfortably surmounted. Bonnie and I have a terrific new home."

Now that Bill and Bonnie have themselves planted over 200 azaleas throughout their property, they are ready to kick back and enjoy their dream home. Cozy enough when they are home alone and yet spacious enough to function with their full extended family visiting, the Baumhofer’s are pleased with their Jim Beard Home -- an impressive, well-built home, designed for their unique requirements and built with their budget in mind.