Custom home builder Southern Cottage is known for both distinctive new builds and renovations, but this recent Lake Norman project is practically a cross between the two. Thanks to Southern Cottage, this 1993-built home situated on the Peninsula in Cornelius looks like a totally different structure—particularly from the back. Southern Cottage revamped the entire home, but this outdoor area is the real renovation. The only thing that existed prior to this job was a small deck on the rear elevation—a big problem for the homeowners, who do a ton of entertaining. And why wouldn’t they? This property is right on the water.
When called upon to right this ship, Southern Cottage enlisted Harry Schrader Design for a number of architectural reworkings and Charlotte Pools and Spas for all for the intricate plumbing necessitated by the new pool design. The travertine tile certainly creates the requisite luxury pool aesthetic, but it’s the woodworking that really makes this home’s backyard addition easy on the eyes. The burnished upper deck and the stairs are ipe, a naturally warm-colored tropical wood that gains a beautiful patina after prolonged exposure to sunlight. And that gorgeous ceiling inside the loggia? That’s a bunch of reclaimed wood the homeowners received from a friend. Sometimes, exceptional design just comes from being in the right place at the right time.
