Style, Size, General Features:
This residence was started in 1987 and finished in 1988 - about 14 months under construction. The design is one-of-a-kind and essentially "Southern Californian."

The house sits on 1.5 acres, and the house and about one-third of the acreage is enclosed within a 6 foot high masonry wall. The front entry in the wall can be closed off by a pair of large heavy aluminum gates. The house is on the end of a cul-de-sac with one other house present.

Basement and foundation are of concrete block, which was filled with cement prior to framing. The exterior façade is off-white artificial stucco modified in 1999 to prevent termite entry. There are numerous patios. Multiple exterior buildings (pool house, potting shed, summer gazebo, winter gazebo) descend over seven levels on the rear grounds.

Electrical power is 400 amps. The house is on the city water system. The septic system consists of a large underground holding tank and a field dispersal system. Heating and air-conditioning is gas, on three zones. The gas hot water heater is large capacity (75 gallon) and quick recovery, installed new in 2001. There is a central vacuum system.

Square Footage:
Square footage is as follows: on the first floor, all of the main rooms and 3 bedrooms occupy 4,664 square feet, heated and air-conditioned. On the second floor, a fourth bedroom, closets, hallways, and interior balcony occupy 701 square feet.

The second floor also has a large unfinished space of 560 square feet, used as a walk-in attic. Future expansion was anticipated by bringing heat/air ductwork into it, though it is sealed off in the wall. Also, there is a 103 square foot room on the second floor, finished but not heated, used as a storage room.

Thus the total finished square footage on the first and second floors is 5,365, with another 663 square feet available for expansion.

The basement is of irregular shape, occupies 1420 square feet, of which 280 square feet are finished but not heated. It contains a Wine Room and a Pantry. A Bilco (steel storm door) leads to the outside.

The Pottery Building (Garden Building) is open frame on the inside, occupies 164 square feet with its attached Bell Tower. The Pool House is finished, unheated, occupies 86 square feet, contains a bathroom with outside shower, and a wet bar.

The three-car Garage is 34 feet by 24 feet, a total of 816 finished (unheated) space.

Thus, there is a total of 6,661 square feet in daily use by the occupying family, some of it unheated, some of it unfinished, not including garage and the unfinished basement portion.

Some Rooms in Particular:
The Foyer and Great Room, and a portion of the Kitchen, are two-story.

The Kitchen was designed for serious gourmet cooking. There is a four burner gas Thermidor cooktop and nearby there is a four burner electric convertible range with oven. (Thus - 8 burners and a griddle, total.) A second oven and a microwave are located in a nearby wall. The refrigerator is a four-foot wide, double-door, Sub-Zero. There are two dishwashers (new in 2003), one each, on either side of a three-bowl stainless steel sink. A large rack in decorative oak is suspended wall-to-wall over a center island which is 12 feet in length, with seating for 6. Base cabinets have tile tops. The ceiling over the island is two-story with large windows in the upper story. Attached to the kitchen work area is a sitting area in front of a small gas log fireplace.

The Great Room is 28 feet on a side and contains an enormous log-burning fireplace (six foot wide fire pit.) The tall ceiling is perfect for a piano. Two window walls (with French doors) lead to two large patios. The floor, like most of the first floor level, is finished in deliberately crude Mexican Saltilo tiles. On one side of the Great Room is the "cantina" - a full service tavern. On the other side, behind smoked glass doors, is a complete audio system and audio storage area which also may distribute incoming cable TV (or DVD, or tape movies) to multiple bedrooms.

The Library has built in oak shelving and cabinets for 2,000 books. There is a full bath. An attached Office section is fully established for the computer age, ideal for a serious academic.

The Dining Room has a 3-panel French door to a small patio at the front of the house.

The Media Room (or Family Room) will easily accomodate a large screen, in this case a 60" projection TV housed in a handsome "entertainment unit" which is included in the house price. There is a powder room attached.

The Master Bedroom has French doors to a patio, two walk-in closets 9 feet deep, and a third closet made into a Vault, lined in cedar. The Master Bath has a four-foot shower and a large two-person Jacuzzi tub, and a long (9 foot length) counter with two sinks.

There are two other bedrooms with full baths on the ground floor. On the second floor is a fourth bedroom with full bath and two walk-in closets, plus a large walk-in attic which can easily be converted to living space, such as a fifth bedroom, a studio (it has Northern light), or a craft room.

Since the Library has a pull-out Queen bed/sofa and a full bath, it can be a Guest Room if the other four (or five) bedrooms are occupied. And with 2,000 books there you don't have to leave out a few things for the guests to read.

General Features, Continued:
There are 8 bathrooms. There are two fireplaces. There are two staircases. Off the Foyer, a curved wood staircase leads to the basement, Pantry, and Wine Cellar - with a 2,000 bottle capacity. In the long tiled hall in the bedroom wing, a carpeted staircase leads to the walk-in attic, Bedroom 4 and full bath, the Gallery which surrounds the Foyer, and a storage room for electronics, books, tapes, and DVDs.

Throughout the home there is an abundance of Mexican Saltilo tiles set on a concrete base - over 2,000 square feet of it. Several of the larger windows have wide-blade plantation shutters. Ceilings vary from 8 feet to 19. Windows are Peachtree casements, thermopane glass, wood interior, aluminum clad exterior. The front entry is double doors in glass with various types of cut, beveled, and milk glass, set in brass caming.

The garage is 3-car and oversized, with automatic doors and a long work table (laminated) with cabinets, shelving, and deep laundry sink. The drive court, inside the large gates, is a circle greater than 50 feet in diameter, which can hold 10 cars, none of which are blocked from exiting.

Along the back of the house is a 50 foot long , 14 foot wide, covered patio which overlooks the pool area. The pool is oversized (40,000 gallons), done in concrete (gunnite). Maximum length is 45 feet from deep end to shallow. It is probably the largest private pool in Athens. Decking at pool level is mixed gray quarry stones. The pool was completely refinished in 2007 with new fittings, tile, and a pebble finish in Tropic Blue.
Go     to see the pool (and house) from the sky.
If you want a "Hollywood backyard" in Athens, this is it, complete with privacy walls and Bell Tower. And, you could hold a wedding and reception on the rear grounds, for 200 - 400 people or more. See other pages for more on this.

The property is beautifully landscaped, with many specimen trees and hardwoods. The front drive court is surrounded by a 4 foot wall, with custom gates in heavy aluminum. The home is well shielded from other homes by extensive greenery, as is best seen from the sky.

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