A Haven With A History

A Haven With A History

Lakehouse owner Elizabeth Chapmond refreshes a treasured family touchstone

Text by Heather Bennett | Photographs by Eric Frazier & Todd Marchese

During a time when properties are often purchased based solely upon calculations of worth drawn up by real estate professionals, rare is the home that is bought and preserved as a work of heart. Thanks to homeowner Elizabeth Chapmond, a former fishing haven overlooking Lake Hamilton is the recipient of such consideration.

In the shadow of nearby resort hotels and condos, the quiet, long-established neighborhood on Lookout Point strides into the future while giving a nod to simpler times; small mid-century bungalows are interspersed between sprawling mansions along the shoreline, where boat docks offer a seamless escape into the shared inlet. This peaceful setting is where Chapmond's great-grandparents, along with another couple from their hometown of El Dorado, jointly established a private lakeside escape in 1945. In that year, two parcels of property and a 1000 square foot fishing camp house were acquired for a mere $3700. Twelve years later in 1957, her grandparents, Nick and Pansy Lascaro, built an additional house on the property. The new structure was added onto over the years, eventually claiming supremacy as the property's main dwelling with 2000 square feet of its own. It was within this newer house that Chapmond's maternal grandparents lived for the remainder of their adult lives.

During her childhood, the current owner lived in the smaller cottage for a number of years, enjoying the same view of the water as her grandparents a mere few feet away. The homes are so close, in fact, that they are now separated by the mere width of a new boarded walkway flanked by two slender landscaping beds. At a glance, the property may suggest that the two structures could be mistaken as a duplex; a tour dispels that fallacy with each home exerting its own unique character, even after full restorations that tie the spaces together in a common up-to-date style.

Doing this remodel has meant the world to me. It has been very fulfilling to do one hundred percent of the contracting and have my hand in every detail. I hope my grandmother would be proud.

Inside both homes, a picture of leisure has emerged from the considerable debris of sorely-needed restoration – and in record time, too. Once the property had been purchased in May, Chapmond wasted no time in igniting the creative process that brought her new acquisitions from unlivable to unbelievable. “When I bought this place, I had just retired from a thirteen year career in upper management with a Fortune 200 company,” she reveals. “I've redone three other houses, including one in the historic Prospect neighborhood here in town.” One of the secrets to her expediency, she reveals, is the list of local contractors she collected throughout the development of those previous projects. Those experiences honed her tastes, she explains, and helped her develop a hyperfocused method of working with craftspeople who wasted no time in bringing her visions to life.

In this situation, there was no shortage of work to be done. “The place was in horrendous shape!” she exclaims. During the first phase of restoration, five years of neglect were righted – sometimes by measures as drastic as repairing fallen ceilings and stripping rooms down to their solid wood walls and starting over. Since the larger structure had been added onto numerous times (as evidenced in the varied roofline, Chapmond points out), there were multiple types of flooring that ran from room to room. Continuity was restored by installing new luxury vinyl plank floors throughout both levels, giving the entire space a “lake-ish, driftwood-like” appeal, as she calls it. The color of the flooring – aptly named “Sheer Joy” – is a cheerful blend of light brown and gray that encourages clean, neutral decorating options from room to room.

In choosing a definitive style, the influence of popular modern craftsman design inspired the homeowner to endow both houses with an improved sense of openness and flow. Once the structure of main living areas were adjusted by removing cumbersome light-blocking walls, the newfound spaciousness allowed features such as unusually high ceilings and center-stage lighting fixtures to establish a modern tone. Custom trim work on the baseboards, doors, windows, and crown molding in both houses are a testament to Chapmond's love for typical craftsman-style detailing.

While the majority of the rooms were taken down to the studs during renovation, there was one bedroom in the main house with an original character that Chapmond found easy to retain. Its knotted pine walls merely accepted a makeover in a coat of fresh, deep navy paint, as did the original built-in cabinets that line half of one wall. Another standout feature that received a revival of purpose was the main house's back porch. Graduating from a single platform to three spacious levels, the new construction is crowned with an outdoor living area lined with built-in bench seating and airplane cable wire railings that refrain from interfering with a spectacular lake view. Custom cut tongue-ingroove ceilings adorn the uppermost section – another nod to the home's respect for meticulous workmanship.

While adding on seemed to be the answer to problems presented by long-untouched spaces, others responded better to the subtraction of ideas from fifty years prior. For instance, both the blue tiling and the back wall window in the main house's upstairs bath disappeared in the remodel. The room's intimacy is restored by a fresh application of 12x24 white tiles (including over the former window space), while its atmosphere is brought up to date with Taj Mahal leathered granite countertops on the double vanity. Downstairs, a well-lit master bedroom enjoys a majorly upgraded master bath. Its expansive his-and-hers shower features custom glass and tile work.

For all of the renovations necessary to make both houses not only livable, but hospitable, Chapmond concedes that there are a handful of native household items which she retains as a connection to treasured memories within these walls. Seemingly insignificant details -- such as the placement of her grandmother's sugar jar in the space it kept for years – provides a comfort that no modern update could improve. “Doing this remodel has meant the world to me” she reflects. “I love any excuse to feed and entertain people here like the southern lady my grandmother was. Doing a hundred percent of the contracting and having my hand in every detail is something I enjoy. I hope my grandmother would be proud.”

After a whirlwind of post-retirement changes, transforming the lake house was just what she needed to comfortably switch gears into a new lifestyle. “Something shifted in me when I started working on this place, more than any other project before it,” she reflects, looking out through the wide front window where her grandmother once enjoyed birdwatching. “I would say that the process of bringing it back to life after exiting the corporate rat race has, in a sense, brought me back to life.” ∞