It started out as a drawing on a paper napkin.

Clay and Judy Newman were planning a new home to start their new marriage. Tired of owning a large house on an estate lot, Clay says they were thinking about a condo.

RENEE' HANNANS HENRY / AJC (ENLARGE)

Clay and Judy Newman started off thinking about a condo for their home. However, they decided to build a grand English-style brick home big enough for the couple and cats Andy (left) and Raphael.

RENEE' HANNANS HENRY / AJC (ENLARGE)

The home is in Covington's Clark's Grove community.

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Clark's Grove, a new traditional neighborhood near Covington's town square, seemed to be the right spot, a half-mile from Judy's work at the courthouse and halfway between Atlanta and the couple's home on Lake Oconee.

Thoughts of a condo soon gave way to drawing plans for a free-standing home, and those sketches on a napkin grew into a grand, red brick home on the square in Clark's Grove.

The Newmans bought two lots and worked with developer/builder Randy Vinson to design their home. Modeled after an English estate home of the late 1800s, the house is anchored with a three-story turret. Like the town home of the county squire, the house has become a focal point on the square of the new community.

The design ultimately grew to accommodate six bedrooms and seven baths, as well as a second turret that houses the dining room on the first floor and Judy's office on the second. The street level of the three-story house contains as the main living quarters for the couple, and upstairs serves as guest quarters for family and friends.

Clay Newman, 54, has spent more than 20 years in the energy business. His newest venture is Integrated Power Solutions, a company that ensures that a business's mission-critical facilities stay up and running. So, in building a house of 8,800 square feet, it was natural for him to put his energy background to use.

"Long before it was popular, I was concerned about energy efficiency," he says. Despite its massive size, he says the new house is designed with that in mind. "The air-conditioning units here are 21 SEER-rated units, and we have six, with 26 different zones throughout the house that allow us to heat and cool only the areas in use."

He added, "We have electronic air filters, which help to maintain the air quality and also keep down the dust that circulates in the house. The roof was built with insulated plywood, and that, plus the metal roof that reflects up to 80 percent of the heat, helps to maintain an even temperature in the house."

The couple chose blown-in insulation instead of fiberglass bats because it's more efficient, and there are thermostatically controlled roof vents in the attic spaces. The Rinnai tankless water heaters operate on demand, only when needed.

The house was two years in the planning, building and furnishing. Designing the house included making room for a number of "must-haves." A home theater, library and gym were requirements, and Clay wanted to accommodate part of his car collection.

"We needed a lot that would accommodate two garages," says Clay. "We built a two-car garage that adjoins the house and opens onto the main street, and a three-car garage with 20-foot ceilings that opens onto the alley behind the house. I've just installed lifts so it can hold up to six cars at a time. Over the two-car garage there's a room for Judy's cats, Raphael and Andy. Windows near the floor provide a cat's eye view of life on the street."

The grand English estate feel of the home's exterior carries through to the interior as well. Alacia Zehmer and Rita Robb Furness of Southern Design came in to help with both the architectural concept and the interior design. The Newmans credit them with really thinking through details like coffered ceilings and custom trim. Furness says, "The Newmans were great to work with because their interior plan and budget allowed for the house to be furnished with the same thought and consideration that went into building the house."

The result is a house that is grand in every way — inside and out.

The foyer's three-story chandelier was custom-made by Arte de Mexico from elements selected by the couple and assembled on-site.

Wide cased doorways lead to the living room/dining room/kitchen area with custom-made rugs by the Georgia firm of Lacey-Champion. Cat pawprints woven into the design provide a winsome personal touch. Wide-plank Brazilian cherry floors unite the main floor spaces.

The kitchen is highlighted by a double island and the latest appliance innovations such as an intensely practical microwave drawer. The wine cellar features a barrel-vaulted ceiling fashioned from wood that came from a 19th-century building in Decatur. The laundry room's jetted sink makes hand-washing a pleasure.

The Newmans' home theater is state-of-the-art, including a 71-inch Sony LCD flat screen TV along with a 120-inch projector screen. Its full bar means no one has to miss any of the action on screen.

"Clay's into Southern rock bands," says Judy, explaining the autographed guitars and gold records that decorate the room. "He went to school with members of Lynyrd Skynyrd."

The intricately detailed ceiling of the library was fashioned by a 19-year-old carpenter, the third generation of his family in the woodworking business. "We showed him a picture of what we wanted and he spent months doing the work."

The master bathroom includes a large jetted soaking tub below a fireplace and an adjacent shower and steam room. Upstairs guest rooms are designed with family in mind and feature inherited china and porcelain, family portraits and a painting by Judy's grandmother.

A guest apartment incorporated into the three-car garage now serves as a home gym and spa with workout equipment, an infrared sauna, tanning bed and massage table to accommodate the couple's weekly visits from a massage therapist. The gym is filled with sports memorabilia representing a lifetime of collecting by Clay. "I hired many sports figures to give motivation speeches to my sales teams over the years, and many of these items come from them, but I am particularly proud of this football signed by Joe Namath and Bear Bryant when the University of Alabama won the national championship in 1963."

Despite the home's many features, the Newmans achieved their goal of a low-maintenance lifestyle.

"We were looking for a place we could 'lock and go,' " says Clay. "This is our primary residence, but we have a home on Lake Oconee, a farm on the Suwannee River in Florida, and we've just sold our house on Grand Bahama and are looking in the Turks and Caicos. We wanted to be able to take off at a moment's notice.

"The lot is totally low-maintenance. There's no grass. The wings of the house surround a courtyard with a lap pool, hot tub and summer kitchen all floored in Pennsylvania bluestone. The only landscaping is the shrubbery in the front yard."

Just now celebrating their first anniversary, Clay and Judy say they did everything backwards. "Everyone says you shouldn't design and build a house together — it will ruin a marriage," laughs Judy. "But we managed to build this house and still have a wedding."

Looking around at their beautifully appointed home, the long months of planning and preparation seem to have provided a foundation for a charmed life together.