Sylva, NC 28779(Jackson County)

The owners commissioned a Forest Stewardship Management Plan subsequent to their initial purchase of the property. The Plan outlines the Best Management Practices to preserve the health and well-being of the propertys timber and other native flora, native wildlife habitat, soil and water, and finally the preservation of its aesthetic qualities for recreational hiking. This private effort of environmental stewardship is a value-enhancement to the property that very few private landowners have ever considered, much less pursued and completed.

THE RESIDENCE: This 9,500 sf masterpiece, situated within a 250-acre wooded enclave at 4,000 feet in elevation, is a composite design that incorporates the structural features of post-and-beam construction with the rustic elegance of a log home. The owners, David Stubbs and Terry Matre, wanted the earthy aesthetics of logs without the drawback of the required maintenance and adjustments for which true log homes are renowned. The solution was a hybrid post-and-beam structure with infill logs. These design features allowed for a greater degree of freedom, with the use of 2 inch x 6 inch framed exterior walls with drywall on the interior faces and log-infill on the exterior faces. Those walls, due to their thickness, also allow for thicker insulation and higher R-values. The result is a warm and inviting log home feel with the added benefit of greater flexibility with the interior finishes. The magazine Log Home Living did a feature article on the home in its April, 2013 edition entitled, Bold New Looks, Hybrid Homes Boost Design Options.

The finishes in the home are all high-end, custom materials installed by local craftsman who were hand selected by the custom home builder, Griffith Construction. The kitchen area flooring is 13 x 13 ceramic tile and the circulation halls and corridors are 18 x 18 ceramic tile. The bedrooms all have high grade carpeting on thick underlying padding and the bathrooms are decorated with 13 x 13 ceramic tile. A variety of polished granite counter tops are the norm in the bathrooms, with quartz counter-tops in the kitchen facilities. Ceiling heights are 10 feet on the main level and 8 feet on the upper and lower levels.

The home is comprised of three floors: the main level, lower level and upper level. Nicely distributed throughout those three levels are six bedrooms, seven full baths and two half baths. The main level consists of a spacious master bedroom wing that includes the bedroom; well-appointed master bath area with his and her walk-in closets, shower, tub, a private water closet and dual vanities; library with plenty of built-in bookshelves and a cozy native stone fireplace within a full-height and full-width native stone wall; an office with three-sided bay windows sits conveniently across from the library that offers a more private setting for focus and computer work; and finally, a well-lit octagonal solarium, accessible from three different adjoining rooms, with incredible long-range mountain views to the south. The central core of the main floor is the Great Room, a 30 ft x 30 ft space of inviting warmth wrapped in solid oak wood flooring, timber-framing columns and beams, generous view corridors through windows and sliding-glass doors to the south and expansive, open log trusses that support a cathedral ceiling above. One entire wall is completely built of native stone and houses an immense and highly efficient Rumsford fireplace, a pizza oven within the stonework and a log storage compartment, a truly beautiful space.

An 18 ft x 32 ft dining and living space is located adjacent to the Great Room, offering excellent views to the south.

Finally, the gourmet kitchen was designed to serve three meals a day to a full complement of house guests, so it is well-appointed with state-of-the-art cooking and food preparation facilities, appliances, storage and pantry space. The kitchen design, layout and appliance package can ideally serve the needs of an owner who thrives on cooking and entertaining guests in a stunning mountain setting.

The lower level is comprised of two guest bedrooms, three full baths, an exercise room, two massage/treatment rooms, storage facilities and mechanical space. Again, keeping in mind that the original design was to accommodate overnight guests, the bedrooms are very comfortably sized, approximately 16 ft x 19 ft and 18 ft x 20 ft. Each bedroom has a wet bar area and each bathroom serving the bedrooms includes double vanity sinks in a single counter top, private water closet compartments and both spa-tub and separate shower facilities.

The health/wellness/exercise room is approximately 25 ft x 31 ft, plenty of space to position and accommodate both cardio equipment and free-weight installations as well as yoga, spinning or almost any choice of workout regimen. Two private, adjoining treatment/massage rooms lie diagonally from each other at the northwest and southeast corners of the exercise room.

The upper level is home to three additional guest bedroom/bathroom arrangements as well as a central, common sitting area situated at the top the stair landing. Once again, the bedrooms are generous in size at approximately 15 ft x 19 ft, 13 ft x 16 ft and 18 ft x 20 ft with wet bars in each. The bathrooms have various combinations of either dual or individual vanities, and either shower/tub combinations or separate tub and shower facilities.

The residence is served by a spacious three-car garage that includes a private, unfinished apartment above. The entire residence is also served by a lightning protection system.