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A CHILD OF THE LAKE
A
CHILD OF THE LAKE
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JJon Cavaness considers himself a child and Lake of Egypt, they say, is close tainment of the lake. of the lake. enough to their office to allow them to The couple acquired their home at
While he did not grow up in a home continue their strong involvement in the Lake of Egypt in 2014 – not a new on Lake of Egypt, the shores and wa- Marion community. home, but a home built about 40 years ters of the lake are the territory where “It is about 18 minutes to the office ago. he spent most of his youth. and it is a nice, easy drive,” Jon says. The purchase came at a time when
His wife, Lisa, has grown to love the “On my way in to work, I can think they were in the midst of a major lake as much as her husband. “Many about my day and on the way home, I reconstruction project, rebuilding a people have been lifelong residents of can think about the day and maybe make 110-year-old Marion office building that the lake and love it,” she says. “We are a few follow-up phone calls.” had been damaged by fire. new lake-loving residents.” He also has time to reflect and look The crews working on the office Jon and Lisa were born and raised in forward to the beautiful sunset in store building finished that job and switched the Marion area and are devoted to the for the couple at the lake. And, with an sites to start updating and remodeling community. Lisa is a retired Marion el- abundance of services at the lake, the the Lake of Egypt home. The project ementary teacher and, after retirement, couple finds once they arrive home, they soon made extensive changes to the has joined in helping out with their really don’t need to leave the lake as ser- home that gave it a fresh, updated look. business, Jackson and Gray Insurance in vices in all facets of life have multiplied. When the work started in November
Marion. Places such as, Egyptian Hills, Mack’s 2014, the house had two bedrooms and Both Jon and Lisa wanted to continue Marina, Pyramid Acres, and the Lake of an attached garage, but you had to go to be part of the Marion community, Egypt Country Club add to the enter- outside to access the house. The walkout
BY TERRANCE GEESE PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIE BAER
basement was one big room with a kitchenette in the back, Jon recalls.
“One of the things my wife wanted was an entrance from the garage to the house,” he says. “So, we added on to the north side of the house.”
Next, the screened-in porch became a sun room and the basement was converted to a master bedroom, large walk in closet, remodeled bathroom and a utility room. In addition, a pool table room, storage areas, and a half bath completed the space.
“We basically gutted it,” he says, “and added on a lower porch and upper deck that is also covered. A detached two-car garage was also added.”
“It worked out great because the same people who worked on the office worked on this house,” Jon says.
The entire project was designed keeping in mind the couple enjoys entertaining. In fact, at Christmas you will find as many as 45 relatives of Lisa’s at the house at the same time, as well as, many other larger parties.
“The way we have configured the house, we can entertain a lot of people by utilizing both indoor and outdoor spaces,” Jon says.
The two are not inexperienced at the remodeling business as they have built two houses, remodeled two houses and an office building.
Buying the lake house came about because the couple had been looking for something to do; something that would give them a new project as they had become empty nesters.
“We were down at the lake one day with friends on a boat and saw the ‘For Sale’ sign. We just loved the location.,” Jon recalls.
“Our point on the lake has quite a bit of shoreline,” he says. “We just decided to do it. We thought, ‘If we don’t like it, we
Before
Before
We just decided to do it. We thought, ‘If we don’t like it, we can always sell.'’ ’
can always sell.’”
Selling was not necessary and is a forgotten thought; they
love living on the lake. The Cavaness couple have two boys, Nick (29) and Zach (24), who enjoy coming home for visits on holidays, birthdays, and for summertime fun boating or jet-skiing and visiting friends and family. Jon and Lisa always love when their boys are home.
“It is nice and peaceful during the winter months. The water is so quiet and the scenery is really beautiful,” Jon says. “It has a calming effect and the snow makes it a perfect wintry scene.”
The location of the property is ideal in location, at about mid-lake shoreline. “Pretty much everyone goes past our property. We can sit out on our dock and greet people pretty much all weekend long.
“It has worked out so well, my brother and his fiancé have a house and cottage in our neighborhood,” Jon says. They also love being at the lake.
When the major work at the home was complete, it was time to do the interior decorating. Lisa and a shopping friend, Luke O’Neal, went on excursions looking for the exact items. All of the furnishings were done with entertainment of friends in mind, the couple says. Seating was done so as to create conversation areas.
“No matter where you are at, everyone always ends up in the kitchen,” Jon says. For that reason, the construction work included a large island where family and guests can congregate. The great room area also includes a favorite item Lisa brought to the home, a large dining table where they can have family dinners.
Basically, the upstairs area is all one room – for cooking, eating, watching television, and conversation area– creating an open concept. There are also two bedrooms and a full bath to complete the space.
“When you are in there, you can see everybody at one time with a feeling a togetherness” Jon says.
For added comfort during times like this year’s period of Arctic freeze, the couple added a two-sided fireplace to the upstairs, Lisa says. “It is great for those cold days.”
The Cavaness couple find the lake to be like a small, friendly community. Sure, they do go boating once in a while, but most often they, and other couples, go out on the lake, drop anchor, float and visit and talk – just having a good time on the lake.
Jon says he has been around the lake for enough years to see a lot of changes. There are a lot more houses today, and larger houses, he says. Lake homes today are much more than the small cabins he remembers from his youth.
He also sees a lot more boats on the lake, with many being much larger than in days’ past. During the early years, he often would tie up at docks of the Elks Club, he recalls. The lake wasn’t busy and much of the area had not been developed.
“Now,” Jon says, “it is fashionable to be at the lake.” He and Lisa say they have seen rapid changes in the past six years. They speculate that might be because people are becoming “empty nesters” and, like them, are seeking a change.
A good life is filled with pleasant moments, and the Cavaness couple have discovered some real pleasantries at the lake, such as the sunsets. “We watch them every night,” Lisa says.
With the remodeling of their home, the couple made it easy to watch the rising and fall of the sun and the changing of the seasons.
“Because of the positioning of our house, we get to see the rises and setting sun from inside the house,” Jon says. “Basically, our house has a panoramic view of the lake. From any spot inside our house, you can see the water,” Jon says.
The lake home has become the place members of the family want to be for holidays, and there is plenty of room for having everyone.
“We like to entertain; we like to have friends and family,” Lisa says, speaking while the couple was en route home from Alabama where they had been repairing a hurricane-damaged residence. The day after their return, 18 people were due to arrive at the lake for a murder mystery party at their home, Lisa says.
After the nation recovers from COVID-19, Jon believes property values at the lake will be on the increase. People have learned they often can work from any place, and the lake will be very popular for a home office. “What better place to spend your time while working than to be working at the lake,” Jon says. “You can take a 30- or 40-minute break and go and enjoy the dock,” he says. “Or you can be fishing and working at the same time.” A perfect example was, our two sons spent several months work-
CARLY
ing from here during this time, which brought a positive to a difficult situation.
Another legacy of COVID, Jon says, is that people from Missouri found the lake.
Chicagoans, perhaps, found it first, but the summer of 2020 saw a heavy flow of people from the Cape Girardeau and St. Louis areas. He recalls talking to people from Jackson, Mo., who came to look at four lake homes one weekend. “I don’t think they got to see even one; they were all sold before their appointments,” Jon says.
“The activity around here is pretty great,” he says. n
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