For Shane Godfrey, home is all about family.

On his breathtaking mountaintop in North Georgia, Godfrey built a 10,000-square-foot home for his family of five. He built a three-bedroom home next door for his mother. His uncles and grandfather came to live on the sprawling 88 acres as well.

Jessica McGowan / Special (ENLARGE)

Pam Godfrey and her youngest son, Brayden, sit in the formal living room with their kitten in the family's dream home in Talking Rock, Ga.

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"I love it. I always have a baby sitter, and you can't beat Momma. It's our own little community of people you can really trust," Godfrey said.

The Godfreys moved from suburban Woodstock to Talking Rock, some 64 miles from downtown Atlanta, to build their dream home.

Every evening, Shane Godfrey turns into his winding, hilly, wooded drive bypassing two ponds (with tire swing), a beach volleyball court and a pool. From their back deck, the family can see Cartersville, 35 miles away.

The family has lived in Talking Rock for more than a year, and Pam Godfrey says the solitude is an adjustment. They have three children — Peyton, 9, Jaxon, 6, and Brayden, 2.

"The kids really love it," she said with a smile. "They're still trying to turn me into a country girl."

Shane Godfrey said the view lured him to apple country.

"I grew up in the country, and I always liked the country. The mountains on top of the country was that much better," he said. They bought the acreage with their parents in 2000 to clear it and build a motorcross track.

"We started clearing the trees out and realized what a pretty view we had, and I changed my mind," he said.

Godfrey's business, based in Jasper, does commercial water pipe and sewer work and some grading.

After they bought the land, Shane Godfrey's parents built a cabin and stayed there often. When his father died in 2005, Godfrey built his mother a home on the land and moved his family there as well.

Pam Godfrey describes her home decor as "old-world-style, country-French. I like old and rustic." She decorated most of the rooms, but called on Christine Blight of Christine's Creations in Woodstock to consult.

The formal dining room and formal living room, done in warm, autumnal tones, welcome visitors. A grand, winding staircase and a three-story bank of windows set off the living room.

Winding around to the kitchen, Pam Godfrey's favorite item — the copper sink — adds a splash of color and texture. She chose cream-colored granite countertops and a chestnut-colored antique stain for the cabinets. A rock archway surrounds the cooktop. In the keeping room, the Godfreys designed an alcove to fit a cherished armoire they bought at AmericasMart. Heart pine floors flow throughout the home.

The master bedroom, on the first floor, has high, vaulted ceilings with exposed beams. Although they like the height, they opted for a poster bed with an iron canopy to fill the space.

Upstairs, the main attraction is the children's playroom. Peyton's late grandfather built her a treehouse using rocks plucked from his creek in High Falls, south of Peachtree City. The roof is rusted tin, and a working porch light graces the entrance.

Jaxon's bedroom is done in a cowboy theme. Godfrey found many of the decorative items on eBay and at antique stores. But the pièce de resistance — the wagon bed — came from a furniture store.

Peyton's room is turquoise and hot pink, with a feather-trimmed pink lampshade.

For their outdoor pursuits, the family can sit on the screened porch or hang out on the deck overlooking the swimming pool. The pool includes a hot tub, diving board and waterfall.

In the terrace-level basement, the Godfreys indulged themselves in Western style. From the hand-carved pine bar to the cowhides on the floor and the reclaimed wooden door Shane Godfrey built, the rooms transport visitors into another era. The area also includes a weight room and media room with overhead projector that seats 12 comfortably. (No squishing into a love seat in this home.) And because the media center is built under the garage, it doubles as a storm shelter – a luxurious storm shelter.

"We wanted to make it where they'd want to hang out here," Pam Godfrey says of her children and their friends.

"We're not going to move. This is it."

HOUSE HIGHLIGHTS

• According to local history, Talking Rock got its name from an unusual echo that was supposed to come from a nearby rock cliff. Another version: There was a rock with which some of the Cherokee Indians played a trick on one another.

• The six-bedroom, 6 1/2-bath home sits on its own mountain. It took Shane Godfrey nine months to complete both homes.

• Details include textured walls in the keeping room and 10-inch baseboards throughout the home. Three stone fireplaces, including one in the master bedroom, keep the family warm in winter.