A River Runs By It
Intending to build in Colorado, a Georgia couple finds the perfect site closer to home.

Text and Photos By Esther and Franklin Schmidt

The Koleskys thought about retiring to Colorado. After 33 years as an employee of Delta Air Lines in Atlanta and living on the outskirts of the city, Larry and his wife Margie, who is employed by ADP in Atlanta, were looking for a rural spot where they could kick back, entertain family and friends, and have fun. They both loved the Southwest and had spent a lot of time in that part of the country.

Friends who had found property in the quiet hills of North Georgia convinced them to look closer to home. They soon fell in love with a piece of land on the Toccoa River, a body of water that was jump-in distance from what was to become their back deck.

Log was the product of choice for Larry and Margie, who love all things rustic. We were just naturally drawn to wood, Larry says. We started conducting serious house research in 2000, says Margie. We read tons of log home magazines, chatted with everyone who had a log home, and eventually found friends who had bought a Fireside Log Home and were thrilled with it.

Building a log home made sense for us not only from an aesthetic but also from a practical point of view, Larry explains. Wood is the best insulator; we cannot believe how reasonable our propane gas heating and electric cooling bills have been since we've been in the house, especially because we are generally at the cabin only on weekends. The main living area retains the warmth emitted from the 48-inch wood-burning fireplace in the living room. Given the time it takes for a house to heat up in winter and cool down in summer, the 6-by-8-inch eastern white pineD-profile logs, from which this house is made, contribute directly to our comfort level. A D-profile log is one that is rounded on the exterior side but flat on the interior side of the home.

Clearly, the Koleskys research paid off as has knowing from the start what they wanted. Larry and Margie's house is not only a home but also a lifestyle. With the trout-stocked river just yards from their back door, water is part of their daily lives. They raft it with friends, sit by it all summer, and gather rocks from its banks to border Margie's flowerbeds.

Larry and Margie wanted the house to be a natural extension of its surroundings. And they knew they wanted a great room/family center with an unobstructed view of the river. Another of their priorities was a downstairs master bedroom suite. They wanted to be able to lie in bed, look at the river, and hear water rushing over the rocks at night. Larry says he and Margie initially created a plan of a house they had in mind by the time they knew which log home company they wanted to build their house. That decision made, the next step was to hand over their dream design to Maria Zas, Fireside’s resident architect. Larry says, she was able to look at our design and customize our house to include what was practical and structurally sound and then translate our wish list into building blueprints.

From that point on, we felt we were in totally capable hands, Margie and Larry recall. All of the Fireside people worked with us through the entire building process to make sure that we got what we wanted, while also answering all of the challenges that arose during construction. The company was careful to build not only for today, but for future possibilities. While the conventional electrical system was being installed, they also wired for a generator system in case bad weather knocks out local power. The Koleskys also like Fireside's choice of Windsor windows, wood trimmed inside and clad on the exterior. The couple wanted wood floors and opted for ash. They have been extremely pleased with the overall results.

It’s been just over a year since Larry and Margie moved in, now enjoying the house as a vacation home. We hope to live here full time within a couple of years, but we appreciate every second we are here, says Larry. We love to have our friends and family join us on weekends, we just make them take one of the two upstairs bedrooms. I’m not walking up anymore steps.

The Koleskys feel that the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath house is just the right size for them. With 2,400 square feet of heated space, a large rear deck, and two screened porches, their home gives them just the right amount of space to spread out, with or without guests. We didn't want to waste one inch of space in this house; we wanted all of it to be livable and that is exactly what we got, Margie says.

Larry and Margie have had as much fun furnishing their home as building it. Larry explains the process: We wanted a lot of Southwestern appeal throughout the house. Many articles that had been purchased through our travels, at private auctions, and at estate sales now fill the interior of our beautiful home. We’ve also been fortunate to find things locally. Some of the artisans in the Georgia Mountains are talented and have built rustically designed bookcases and other items of furniture for us that fit in perfectly with the rest of the décor.

More than anything, the Koleskys wanted their log home to be comfortable. They succeeded in that, as well. Deep couches and club chairs invite reading and naps. Big rustic dining chairs are made for sitting and talking for hours after eating. In the kitchen, three major workspaces allow friends and family to pitch in and help, or at the very least keep the cook company. One of Margie’s favorite elements in the house is the kitchen cabinets built by one of Fireside's recommended artisans, Jason Simpson. He designed and worked with Margie to make the hickory-fronted cabinets, and Larry and Margie picked the hardware to go with them.

The kitchen is one of the major focal areas of the house, and Larry and Margie felt that since this was to be a permanent retirement home, they wanted the best appliances they could find. They opted for upgrades of GE and Maytag products, having used these in their Atlanta home. They have been pleased with the looks and performance of each of the appliances. Larry and Margie paid attention to every detail of their log home and were involved with every aspect of its construction. In the end, it paid off. They feel they were treated like family by Fireside and in the process have received the home they always dreamed of. Although they can still visit Colorado, their heart belongs in Blue Ridge on the Toccoa River. Log Home Manufacturer AND BUILDER: Fireside Log Homes, Ellijay, Georgia.

The outside comes in through floor-to-ceiling windows that allow the couple to sit in front of the fireplace and still watch the river. The natural wood and stone are key elements in the Koleskys' log house.	The dining area offers all views to all people who sit at Larry and Margie's dinner table.
Customized kitchen cabinetry offers great storage and display areas for Larry and Margie's collectibles.	Larry and Margie love the private screened-in porch directly off the master bedroom. The river is visible from almost everywhere in the room.
The bath maintains the flat knotty-wood walls of the bedroom.