The Warmth & Feel of Home

Beautiful lake views, luxury and comfort are the kind of things one comes to expect in a waterfront lake home but for the Daniels family, the feeling of home is the most important.

Liz and Tommy Daniels, owners of TCD Construction at Lake Gaston, built their home, Summerwood, with all these things in mind. Liz Daniels says their paramount concern was that their growing family have a functional and fun living space that catered to their busy lifestyle.

“This was a real labor of love for two years,” she confided. “There were lots of arguments and lots of compromises too.” Like the argument she and Tommy had regarding whereto place the bed or a hundred other memories she recalls as she folds the clothes on the master bed. Perhaps it’s the built-in shelves filled with family photos and memorabilia or the eight foot picnic table in the kitchen or maybe it’s the multiple “drop zones” where the children can leave their shoes, backpacks and all the cares of the world behind. Whatever it is, from the moment you walk into Summerwood a pervasive feeling of comfort washes over and makes you feel like staying a while.

On the side of functionality, the house and grounds are designed to minimize work and give Liz and Tommy more time for what they love - their children. They all love to be outdoors and to be active whether it’s swimming, fishing, kayaking, wake boarding or surfing, the family takes full advantage of waterfront living. That’s why, Liz said, the property they chose was so important.

Set in two premier lots overlooking a wide sandy beach and the main lake, Liz said her family enjoys some of the most breathtaking views available.

"We have almost a six-mile view,” she observed. “I can sit on my dock and see the cars go across Eaton Ferry Bridge.” She said the property sets into the cove, minimizing wave action from passing boats and the kids are better protected as well.

The outdoor kitchen that includes a fire pit and fireplace, built in Coyote grill, refrigerator, pizza oven, leathered granite countertops, a bar, outdoor speakers, firewood boxes with granite and sink provides everything

the family needs for outdoor events. She said in the warmer months they usually have breakfast and lunch outside.

“It’s open so I can see everything,” she noted, remarking that she likes to keep a close eye on the kids when they are in the water or playing on the beach. “There’s so much outdoor living space and it’s beautiful but it makes me feel comfortable. I feel safe where we are. It’s great for entertaining, too.”

When they aren’t out on the lake, the family enjoys the custom heated pool with sun shelf and hot tub. A waterfall with real boulders is the aesthetic focal point of this water feature but the kids enjoy using the slide the most.

There’s plenty of room for sitting in the sun or shade on the patio, which leads to the lower level of this three story abode. It features reclaimed brick pillars, a locking gate system and lots of open space for entertaining. Inside the lower level, Liz said her guests have all the space and privacy they could want along with their own pantry, chilled wine cellar, bathrooms with chiseled granite countertops, laundry room and many other amenities. “So they don’t feellike they are in the way,” she said. “They can do whatever they need to do in privacy and comfort. They can have their own space and they’re not encroaching”

A sports room is used to house things like paddle boards, kayaks and the exercise gym but the piece de resistance is a theatre room complete with movie popcorn machine, theater lighting and a 4K projector.

“You can watch 3D if you want to,” Liz said. “We did not skimp. If you’re going to do a theatre room you should do a theatre room. You can have regular lighting and there’s lighting in the floor. It comes in handy for company. The kids like bringing their friends down here and watching movies.”

The main floor of the house is where the family enjoys most of their indoor living. Spacious with outstanding views of the lake, gardens and pool, the family congregates mostly in the kitchen. “The backsplashes are made from reclaimed brick so it has a farmhouse feel,” Liz said noting that she used a German Schumer method of white washing the bricks. “The whole house (which was built in 2018) was made to feel older than it is,” she said and confided that she always loved old farmhouses.

While state of the art appliances from Wolf and Sub Zero make Liz’s life a lot simpler, it’s the wormy maple, picnic style table for eight that is the focal point and the center of the house. It’s the first place the kids go when they come home from school, where all their friends congregate when they visit and it makes her happy. She remarked that the sound of rain on the tin roof was the only thing to compare. The house is built around the kitchen,” she said. “That’s where everybody spends time. Everybody loves my table. When people come over this is where they end up setting. It’s where the kids do homework and where I cook dinner. I couldn’t ask for it to be any more perfect.” The living area is bright, with lots of windows. Liz said she chose recessed cabinets and shelving in order to keep that space open. A central fireplace gives off a warmth and feeling of family. While the master bedroom is spacious with water views and a fireplace of its own, Liz noted that the master bath is the place where you want to stay. Complete with marble tile, Courier countertops and vessel style raised sinks, this room is built to encourage personal hygiene. In fact, according to Liz, everyone in homework and where I cook dinner. I couldn’t ask for it to be any more perfect.”

The walk in closet comes complete with pull down steps to accommodate her height challenges. “The steps are for short people,” she said and laughed. She joked about how difficult it would be for her to hang clothes or reach the top shelves without it. The main floor also features a walk in pantry, another laundry room, 46 foot chandelier that Liz remarked was quite a challenge to install and the drop zones for the children.

The children’s rooms are upstairs complete with custom bedrooms, more laundry facilities and a bathroom dedicated to the family’s favorite team – the Virginia Tech Hokies. A 3,000 square foot garage opens into the back yard, where the kids enjoy playing basketball. Liz smiled while telling how she accidentally assembled the goal wrong and had to start over before the kids could use it. “They’ve really enjoyed playing with it though,” she said, then laughed.

The house, which has countless amenities inside and out, carries the warmth and charm that only comes from a home. “This house is where we live,” she said, “This is where my heart is.”