Supplements: Supplement for: 549 ASBURY TRACE, LEWISBURG, WV 24901 Welcome to Peekaboo - This stunning home and surrounding views are meant to be experienced, not just seen. The view is sweeping from the ridge of Muddy Creek Mountain on the left and past Keeney Knob to the right. The long view is over a vast expanse of mountain forest dotted with farms, ... (Read more) Supplement for: 549 ASBURY TRACE, LEWISBURG, WV 24901 Welcome to Peekaboo - This stunning home and surrounding views are meant to be experienced, not just seen. The view is sweeping from the ridge of Muddy Creek Mountain on the left and past Keeney Knob to the right. The long view is over a vast expanse of mountain forest dotted with farms, past the Greenbrier River Valley and farther on to Tazewell County, Virginia, some 80 miles in the distance. You will look over the edge of the sandstone cliff to see the village of Asbury and, as though set by the hand of an artist, the small white country church named for the first Methodist bishop in America. An unnamed gorge, deeper than the New River Gorge at the great bridge, often fills with fog that climbs the cliff as clouds and sweep over the house. The view has no airport, freeway, utility lines nor other sign of man except where his hand enhances it. Even the moaning red lights of mountain towers add to the serenity. Homesite Placement The house sets comfortably back from the edge of a sandstone cliff that includes a monolith, an outcropping to which a bridge spans the narrow but deep chasm that divides it from the cliff proper. The driveway is serpentine and approaches the house from the side through un-cleared woods so as to hide the view from the driver. The first a visitor sees of the dramatic scene is as he walks up the front steps and looks through the great room. It is an unforgettable first impression to a magnificent house. Overall Design Concept The owners wanted the house to be an experience rather than simply a house, to be an emotional experience. The homesite has one of the world's most beautiful views. The house should bring the lot inside. The bedroom wings are low on the lot to give you the feeling of being outdoors while being in comfortable surroundings. The house should blend into the lot rather than stand out. The view and the lot, not the house, were paramount. All colors are matched to things found on the lot. The master bedroom, for example, was color matched to the top and underside of a sugar maple leaf plucked from a sapling which grows at the edge of the homesite. The color of the great room ceiling matches the sky and clouds you see on most summer days. Flowers, leaves, lichens, mosses and sky colors are all brought into the house with its color palette. This plan is a Donald A. Gardner Cedar Creek, #959, developed for several mountain golf course communities in the Carolinas. The main floor is 3188 square feet according to the plans with 600 square feet in the bonus room above the garage. While the bonus room is unfinished it has a complete HVAC system. The house is a fusion of Southwest contemporary and Allegheny rustic. Textured walls and smooth ceilings, a reversal of regional convention Pot shelves rather than soffits to enhance the feeling of space, provide an area for night lighting and decoration Porcelain tile floors: Porcelain is nearly indestructible. It will never deteriorate or need refinishing. Easy to clean Absorbs and then radiates heat from the sun and the fireplace during the winter. (Not an issue in the summer because of the higher sun line) Set on cement board which is laid over the subfloor SpectraLock epoxy grout Does not stain Does not chip or otherwise deteriorate Semi-gloss paint in the living areas to enhance the sunlight streaming through the windows and to evoke the feeling of water, another natural element. HOME FEATURES Comfort. The most important home feature...and often the most overlooked. Conditioned crawl space. This is a relatively new technique developed by Clemson University that seals the crawl space and insulates its exterior walls. This captures the natural heat of the Earth in the winter. The floors of the home are not insulated thereby allowing the heat to radiate up through the floor. Even with the furnaces off, the owners have seen a 50-degree temperature differential between the outside ambient air and the atmosphere in the great room. (On the morning of 2/11/2011, the temperature in the great room was 57-degrees with the furnace off while the outside temperature was five-degrees) Conversely, the crawl space works to cool the house in the summer. The feature also reduces humidity thereby reducing the likelihood of mold. Exterior vents are installed that can be unsealed for dehydration in the event of a plumbing leak. Three registers are installed in the HVAV system in the crawl space in the event the occupants want a warmer or cooler floor. Glass Pella Architectural and Designer series windows and doors and windows Triple and double pane. Higher R-rating than the walls of a log home according to our HVAC installer. Low E reduces the ultra-violet light which is harmful to cloth and wood. Special coating on the glass reduces dirt buildup. Clear View (barely visible) screens. Computer designed heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) systems. Computer designed system for the greatest comfort and efficiency. Four zones (great room, master wing, guest wing and bonus room). Very high-efficiency dual compressor heat pumps with propane backup for the lowest noise and turbulence thereby making the home cozy and draft-free in spite of its magnificent cathedral ceilings and open space. (The system in this house cost about twice that of a conventional "spider" system which is common in this area. A spider system usually consists of a single large unit with a single main duct running the length of the house with small ducts branching to each space. Such a system moves the air too quickly thereby limiting its ability to remove humidity. This results in a cool and clammy feeling in the summer plus noticeable noise and draftiness. The lowest bid for HVAC was just over $12,000. This system cost about $30,000. The owners have no question they would do it again. Insulation All adjacent lumber is calked. Every hole through which a wire passes is foamed. Exterior walls are 6" thick. Bedroom interior walls are insulated. Temperature differential between the floor and cathedral ceiling was measured to be only two-degrees in the winter. Kitchen Very rare virgin American chestnut cabinetry. Virgin wood is taken from the tree rather than recovered structures. You will find no nail or bolt holes in the wood. Highest rated appliances in each category as reviewed by Consumer Reports and J. D. Powers and Associates and other reviewers. GE Monogram. Trivection ovens, refrigerator and trash compactor Bosch dishwashers (2) Electrolux induction cooktop Gaggenau indoor char grill. Dacor downdraft ventilator Insinkerator 3-stage garbage disposal, capable of reducing even turkey bones to a slurry that is more digestible by the septic system Corian-type countertops. Also chosen after research Very large cooking island with hidden electrical receptacles for buffet service and electric appliances Built-in china cabinet in great room plumbed for sink Instant hot water dispenser Electrical and lighting Wired for an emergency generator Surge protection circuit breaker boxes Numerous outlets Lighting circuits on dimmable controls. The lighting in this house is truly spectacular. You will notice "troughs" at the base of each cathedral ceiling. These contain lights that you may adjust to give you the perfect glow for get-togethers or even night lights. You may leave all lights on the lowest setting thereby spreading an estimated 50-watts of illumination throughout the house resulting in turning the whole structure into a single, inexpensive night light. Another advantage of dimmable lights is one can purchase larger bulbs than he needs and then operate them on a lower setting. In other houses the sellers own, they have bulbs that are still burning after 20 years of service. The porch rails have LED lights beneath the handrails plus theater lighting on the stair posts. This gives enough lighting for use during the night but not so much that it interferes with one's ability to see our magnificent night sky. The rail lighting also adds depth to the rooms at night because they illuminate the space beyond the windows. Plumbing Hot water loop that gives each faucet near instant warm water Renai tank-less, on-demand hot water heater Kohler Sok Tub. Plastic pipe which is advertised as split-proof if frozen. (Freezing not likely with the conditioned crawl space) Well, 305' deep. Alarm Fully wired system including the crawl space. Sensors include perimeter, movement, glass breakage, water leakage, fire, carbon monoxide. Cell phone central ringing. They have removed the weakest component of a central-ringing system, the land line, which can be cut rendering the system inoperable. Communication with the emergency monitor is by cellular telephone device. Foundation and Framing: In seeking to build a home of the finest quality crafted by the most careful construction, the owners sought to hire one of the very finest home builders in the area. Because its fit and detail are so impressive, some have described it is a huge piece of furniture. Please contact for further detailed information.