Gene and Nancy Evans, who lived in Roswell 20 years ago, remembered Lake Lanier when they moved back to Atlanta and desired to live on a lake. The Lake Lanier location also allowed the retirees to live closer to their children and grandchildren, instead of 11 hours away in Illinois.
A floor plan with a basement in Cresswind on Lake Lanier offered space for family to visit and for Nancy’s mother, Doris Tomlinson, to live with them. Gene, 64, who retired from the manufacturing industry, and Nancy, 62, a piano teacher, chatted about their home in the 55-and-up community by Kolter Signature Homes.
Q: What did you find when you searched for a property on the lake?
Nancy: At first, we were looking for individual homes. But because of the topography of Lake Lanier, many of the lots were high and steep. We would find a house we would like, but not a lot. Then we would find a lot we liked, but didn't care for the house. Some of the locations were very isolated. You didn't have a neighborhood feel.
Q: How did you find Cresswind?
Nancy: Cresswind slipped through the search because we were looking for (homes) with individual docks. This has a community dock. I was down here visiting my daughter. I found Cresswind and looked at it. I found that lot that we can actually walk to the lake. Now that the leaves are off the trees, we can view the lake.
Q: What was the appeal of a 55-and-up community?
Gene: We were looking for a neighborhood feel. We were starting to think about the next 10 years, and this is going to be one of our last moves. What do you want when you're 70 or 75 years old? We like the outdoors. There are social events at the clubhouse. We've played tennis. My mother-in-law has been doing the swim aerobics. You have a built-in social scene.
Nancy: That was just a real plus, knowing that there would be activities in this community. They've got a cooking club and a garden club. They just have a long list of (activities). You just need to go out and try it out.
Q: What are your favorite features in the home?
Nancy: I like the high ceilings. We have huge windows. Every morning, we wake up to the view of the trees. When we first got here in October, the color was just gorgeous. We've seen deer. It's nice to see the wildlife again.
Q: The kitchen often is the most popular spot in the house. Describe what you love about yours.
Nancy: The kitchen is huge, and I've got loads of cabinets. It has tons and tons of counter space. We have a bar area that separates the kitchen from the family room and dining area. I've got stools there so people can sit and talk to me while I'm in the kitchen. I can just cook up a storm.
Q: How are you using the basement?
Nancy: This particular lot and this particular house required the basement. There's lots more square footage down there than we probably needed, but it's so wonderful to have. We have a pool table and our grandkids' toys. I have a sewing room. My mother has her own bedroom/bath/living area. Then we still have three enormous rooms of storage.
Q: What is a change you made to the floor plan?
Nancy: In our eating area, the original plan had windows. We changed them out with French doors because we wanted to add a larger deck and screened-in area.
Q: What is a tip for building a home from afar?
Gene: We were fortunate in that we had children here. They would come up on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, look around, take pictures and send them to us. Then we could look over them. On Monday mornings, we had our calls with the builder to give an update. He would add his list of things they had done. We would say, have you looked at this, can you look at that? If you had to change something, you could change it shortly and inexpensively.
At a Glance
Gene and Nancy Evans’ new home in Cresswind at Lake Lanier in Gainesville has four bedrooms, three and a half baths and about 4,790 livable square feet (plus 1,672 unfinished square feet in the basement and garage). They purchased the home in October 2012. Prices in Cresswind range from $199,990 to $348,990.
