Sunday, May 25, 2008
Northcrest Tour 2008
On April 27th Northcrest's Hoe 'n' Hope Garden Club had their yearly Tour of Homes. The garden club does this to help promote the neighborhood, highlight unusual or original homes, and raise money for the maintenance of the main entry planter (beneath the Northcrest sign). This year the tour featured 4 homes:
3368 Regalwoods Dr
3508 Bowling Green Way
3414 Lori Lane
3194 Lynnray Drive
To view photos of each along with snaps I took of the interiors and exterior gardens, click the tour brochure image. Here's the text from the Tour brochure:
3368 Regalwoods Dr - Owner Bebe Forehand
Bebe Forehand, a native of Belgium, has been a popular Northcrest fixture for 47 years. Her four-bedroom, three-bath, split-level home is one of only a few ith this unusual floorplan in Northcrest.
Bebe's estranged (very strange, she says) architect ex-husband did not design the home - but did add a few custom features after the home was built: a walk-in closet and dressing room off the master bedroom, and the huge stone fireplace (which replaced one of the soaring two-story windows in the living room). He also credited with designing our own Northcrest Swim & Tennis Club facility.
This home features an unusual and very open floorplan with a number of unique mid-century features: a double staircase leading from the entryway to the bedrooms upstairs and the living room below, the second-level hallway open to the living room below, and towering floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. The lower level features several rooms and a kitchenette - and since the children have long since left the nest, it makes a perfect "mother-in-law" suite.
Bebe has installed new hardwood floors in the foyer and kitchen, and says that if she were 30 years younger, she would probably replace the living room’s wall-to-wall carpeting with hardwoods to match.
Visitors to Bebe’s home often comment that is reminds them of the “Brady Bunch” house.
3508 Bowling Green Way – Owner Tim Robertson
After living in his home for eleven years, Tim Robertson decided it was time to renovate.
A complete redesign of the kitchen included new cabinets, industrial-grade Viking appliances, Brazilian quartz countertops, and a farmer’s sink with Kohler hardware.
The bedroom and bathroom wing also saw major changes: Three smaller bedroom closets were reconfigured into two generous walk-ins, making more wall space available as well. Both bathrooms were gutted and redesigned with new tile, Kohler fixtures, and new windows and walls. The master bath was fitted with new cabinets, a matching beveled glass door, and a large Kohler bathtub. Sleek new contemporary lighting fixtures provide a spectacular finishing touch.
Other interior changes include new flooring and overhead lighting throughout the house, new solid wood interior doors, and stripping and restoration of the original wood trim.
By extending the walls of the den area out into the sun porch, Tim created a grand, open-plan living area that ties in beautifully with the eat-in kitchen. The end result: five more feet of living space for Tim, five less feet of sun porch for his two dogs.
Tim does have a few more projects in mind, but currently plans to kick back and enjoy the house for a while without the hassle of contractors coming and going.
3414 Lori Lane – Owner Robin Preis
When presented with an opportunity to buy the house next door and restore its Northcrest charm, Robin jumped in with both feet. It’s clear that she has paid much attention to detail in bringing this former rental back to neighborhood standards This was not a “Flip This House” project, but a carefully planned renovation motivated by the desire to keep Northcrest at its best.
The tour begins on the main level with new hardwood floors and skylight. A new kitchen, complete with Kraftmaid cabinets, stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops completes the main level.
Upstairs, the original hardwood floors have been refinished to match the new ones downstairs, and the bathrooms are all-new, including a new shower with jetted shower panel.
On the lower level, you’ll find new carpeting and a brand-new carport roof. The downstairs bath is also new, but still retains its original bathtub.
New air conditioning and updated furnace add to the interior comforts of this now spectacular home.
Adding a curb appeal are a new living room window, exterior doors, and carport roof. A new driveway and sidewalk are to be completed by the end of April. The 336 square-foot, all-wood deck is the perfect oasis for family barbecues and just relaxing outdoors.
Construction should be 95% complete for the tour.
3194 Lynnray Drive – Owners Pete and Amy Dosik
Amy and Pete Dosik bought their home in April 2007, and did a complete mid-century modern makeover (with the help of a small army of contractors) in less than two months.
On the main floor, a new IKEA kitchen with a large center island and four floor-to-ceiling pantries suits their love of cooking. In the basement, a tiki bar with boomerang Formica showcases their growing collection of tiki décor. All three bathrooms feature new IKEA fixtures and glass mosaic tile, with a spacious walk-in shower and glass-block window in the master bath. New paint inside and out, modern ceiling fans and new lighting completed the renovation. A mix of new vintage midcentury furniture and décor is comfortable as well as stylish.
Amy and Pet sought environmentally friendly choices – such as the bamboo and cork floors – and Pete’s favorite new feature, dual-flush toilets (push one button to flush a little, two buttons to flush a lot…you get the picture), is especially appropriate during Georgia’s drought.
The Dosik’s home, like others built in Northcrest’s final phase, is several feet wider than others, allowing for two full bathrooms upstairs (instead of the Hollywood bath-and-a-half), as well as one of America’s greatest inventions:: the walk-in closet.
Their dogs Scarlett (a Bichon Frise) and Oliver (a Maltese) enjoy the fenced yard and dog-door access from the basement bedroom.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Snow in Northcrest 2008.01.19
Here's something you don't see every day - actually it's something you don't see much of at all in the South - snow!
It came down pretty "hard" meaning a lot of large flakes very fast, but didn't stick to the roads. I think it lasted for a day or two with about 1/2 to 1 inch on the shrubs and yard. The funny thing was that there was this big weather watch advisory so everyone stayed home, scared of some blizzard. It was actually very disappointing in my opinion, after all the hype. Some of my early blooming camellias were already going off, so the cold snap effectively killed those buds - hopefully my other camellias won't be affected. The second photo shows some blooms with snow - an unusual image I thought.
-- John
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