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The transformation of an outdoor living space on Smith Mountain Lake.
From the curb, passersby would consider Bob and Kim Wells’ Smith Mountain Lake home a typical chalet-style structure, a wing on each side with a two-bay garage. But from the lake, it commands a reverence befitting its stately appearance.
The chalet wall stands so high, painters used a 45-foot ladder and still couldn’t reach its peak. “I have a picture of a painter laying on his stomach over the peak to paint underneath,” says Kim.
The stone walls and columns speak the strength you’d expect from such a majestic place.
Smith Mountain Lake isn’t the location of the Wells’ first lake home. For 13 years they owned a vacation home on Chautauqua Lake in New York.
“But the lake season was a minute long,” says Bob. “So, facing retirement, we wanted to move south.”
No other type of vacation home would do for this Ohio-based family.
“We love lakes,” Bob says. “Our kids were active water sports kids growing up.”
Consequently, their lake-front shopping list included a longer season, a deep lake with a sandy bottom that didn’t freeze over, a permanent dock, and mountains. Smith Mountain Lake, the second largest body of freshwater in Virginia, has it all and is an easy commute from their permanent home in Ohio.
The Wells bought their place on Smith Mountain Lake in 2014 and it was so perfect, they’ve done little to it since. However, the afternoon sun made the deck unbearable.
“The house lacked outdoor living space,” says Kim, “so, we wanted to roof it over and make it a little larger.”
The Wells hired TBS Construction in Moneta to oversee the project.
The Challenge
The biggest challenge, according to TBS Construction president Jay Gauldin, was tying the new roofline into the existing roof.
“It was quite involved,” he says. “We had to integrate two different roofs and the chimney with the deck exterior.”
Designing it, they had to stay several steps ahead of the process. But before they could even begin the new deck, there were other things to take care of.
The TBS crew encountered wood rot around the sunroom addition. There when the Wells purchased the home, this addition made entirely of glass creates a breakfast nook off the dining room.
According to Gauldin, it wasn’t flashed properly when they built it. The water damage caused the deck to sag, requiring they jack it back into place. They also had to take off all the trim detail, the ceiling underneath and around the hot tub area, and install all new. They replaced the original windows with aluminum clad Lifestyle windows by Pella.
The chalet windows also needed to be replaced. “Because the originals had failed seals,” says Kim.
While Gauldin didn’t mention that as the biggest challenge, it sure looks like a fete! Those panes are so huge, and specially shaped, they couldn’t use replacement windows here. Each one was newly constructed and, according to Gauldin, they had to be creative about how to reframe the inside.
Installing the behemoth-sized windows required the construction of a special scaffolding and several strong men to muscle them into place.
The Beauty of It
To create a seamless appearance from family room to deck, TBS installed tongue-and-groove cedar siding on the ceiling of the deck roof. They used Trex Transcend composite decking for the entire deck expanse and powder-coated Fortress steel railing with a composite drink rail to match the decking.
In addition to roofing over the deck, the Wells wanted to increase the space. So, they extended the deck another 12 feet to fully cover the lower level patio. To support this extension, TBS constructed two additional pillars using steel posts. They hired U.S. Stone in Rocky Mount to face the new pillars to perfectly match the existing stonework.
Because these new columns had to support the extra weight of both the deck extension and the roof overhead, Gauldin said they had to dig down to the original footers to reinforce the retaining wall.
“You can’t even tell which columns are the new ones,” says Kim. “He [the stone mason] was very good.”
And That’s Not All
In addition to the new deck and covered roof and replacing the sunroom and chalet windows, TBS installed a new roof on both the house and the boat dock. After all, while they’re there, it may as well be done.
“TBS was really good to work with. We’re very pleased,” says Bob, now a retired executive with Sherwin-Williams. “It’s a great place to stay at home.”
The Wells found everything they wanted in a vacation/retirement home at Smith Mountain Lake.
“We know now,” says Kim, “why it’s called the Jewel of the Blue Ridge.”
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