Joe Garcia and Jayne Berry were engaged at an air show in Istanbul and married two-and-a-half years ago, then found a way to capture aerial views of Lake Lanier from their new home.
“We had our own homes. His was too masculine; mine was too feminine. We decided we would talk about what the dreams were and the perfect ‘our’ house,” Berry said.
The couple agreed that the two key components were having a four-car garage and a lake view. They spent a year looking around Lake Lanier before finding what they say was considered a small, throwaway lot. Now, when they drive home from their jobs in Alpharetta and Gwinnett County, they appreciate the rural scenery and the water views from their three-story home above the treetops.
“I’m constantly looking at the lake,” Berry said. “It relaxes me.”
Snapshot
Residents: Joe Garcia and Jayne Berry. Garcia works in the aerospace industry for a commercial defense avionics company; Berry is a pediatric occupational therapist with Gwinnett County Public Schools.
Location: Harbour Point, Gainesville
Size: 3,520 square feet, three bedrooms, two full and two-half baths, plus 1,311 square feet with a four-car garage, workshop and mechanical room, 374 square feet in covered porches.
Year built: Construction began in November 2013 and was finished in July 2014.
Builder: Reed Brothers Design & Build
Architect: Todd Reed
General contractor: Ron Reed
Architectural style: A marriage of Charleston and Nantucket styles
Favorite architectural elements: Charleston-style side porch, Cape Cod influences such as the gray siding with white and black shutters, 10-foot ceilings
Interior design style: Traditional yet streamlined
Favorite interior design elements: The cabinetry and island with Brazilian granite countertops in the kitchen, which has a Liebherr refrigerator. "I love my multifunction German refrigerator. We stumbled onto it at a home show," Garcia said. "We (thought), let's go for the gusto." Meanwhile, in the master bathroom, Berry splurged on a freestanding air jet bathtub from Bain Ultra.
Favorite green features: LED can lights, tankless water heater
Favorite outdoor features: The views, from inside the home and the porches. "In order to have a view, we had to go above our neighbors' roof line. I call it a peek-a-boo view," Garcia said. "As it turns out we have a very nice vista. We're close enough to the lake to see the ripples but far enough to see the mountains in the distance."
Design consultants: Construction Resources (Atlanta Kitchens, Atlanta Glass and Mirror, Atlanta Marble Mfg), Covenant Woodworks, City Plumbing and Electric Supply Co., Genesis Elevator Co., Vision Hardscapes of Atlanta, Designscapes of North Georgia, Perfect Temp Systems, Havertys North Point
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