The house that would make Johnny Cash proud

Every issue of PK Magazine features an iconic home, and PossumKingdomLakehaslotsofbeautifulmultimillion-dollar mansionstochoosefrom

But it’s not always the biggest structures that are iconic Instead, it’s the ones folks drive by and point out to their relatives who are visiting from out of town Those are the homesthathaveauniquestorytotell.

This issue’s iconic home belongs to Todd and Ann Burns, who built their Sportsman’s World abode in 2017 with love, patience and many hours of hard work. The way in whichitwasbuiltevokesalinefromthechorusoftheJohnny Cash song “One Piece at a Time” In the 1976 chart-topping novelty song, Cash narrates a tale about a General Motors assembly line worker who schemed to build a Cadillac “ one piece at a time, and it wouldn’t cost me a dime I’ll have theonlyonethereisaround”

Inasimilarfashion,that’swhatthecouplehasbeenableto do in their home, combining their rich family history at the lakewiththeiruniquevision – along with lots of helpfrom

familyandfriends,too

Todd Burns estimates that he and his wife have spent $135,000 on their 3,300-square-foot home. That’s not a misprint,either;theybuiltatrulycustomhomeinSportsman’s Worldforthatprice–andtheydidthisin2017,not1982 That $135,000 bottom line includes the 45 acres the house sits on,too Thecoupleadmittedthatit’sstillaworkinprogress, buttheirhardworkhaspaidoff

Ann Burns’ father started Scuba Point in the 1960s (the site ofthecurrent-dayLushResort). She and her brother, Roy, were raised around a shop and building things In fact, one of her first baby pictures shows her in a makeshift bassinet withababybottleclampedtoaboard,whileherdadworks on a boat he named the RoyAnn after his two children Her father, Tom Davis, started selling air and renting scuba setupsatthelakefor$7.50.

Ann’s father, Tom Davis, passed away in 2000 Ann took over the business and would eventually buy out her brother’s shareoftheoperation Ann and Todd Burns metatScuba

Point,wherehehadcometothelaketogetcertifiedasa diver

Thecouplesoldthebusinessin2013

Ann Burns said her dad dove all over and was an avid collectorofseafiguresandshells

“IthoughtIwasinheritingadiveshop,”shesaid “Iactually gotthousandsofshellsfromaroundtheworld.”

Thenauticalthemeshegrewupwithhascarriedovertothe couple’s home. They’ve been married for 17 years, and betweenthemtheyhavefivechildren.

They also own and operate two businesses at the lake. Ann Burns runs Clean Cruis’n Boat Cleaning service, while her husbandrunsToddBurnsDockRepairandDiveService.

Todd Burns said he doesn’t dive too much anymore and instead lets his employees do most of the diving nowadays, but he added that he still enjoys helping recover wrecked anddestroyedwatercraftonthelake

AnnBurns said shestillcleans boats to supporther “resin

Story continued from page 15 habit,” which she has turned into a small business Her handiwork can be found throughout the couple’s custom home

In2016thecouplewaslivingonthenorthernpartofthelake when Ann Burns decided she wanted to be closer to her brother in Sportsman’s World She and her husband were lookingforlandtobuildonwhentheycameuponabeautiful 45-acre parcel that had a huge rock wall feature and a creekrunningthroughitthatflowedrightintoHell’sGate

They said their children ran from the car when they saw the propertyandclimbedarockwall,exclaiming,“Thisisit!”

ToddBurnsrecalledthinking,“Wecan’taffordthisproperty.” However,AnnBurnsnoticedthatherbrotherwastheperson whohadputthepropertyupforsale,andhesoldittothem atapricetheycouldafford.

After buying the land, Ann and Todd Burns began constructiononthesitein2017

The Burns began building their home themselves from the ground up, and other than the framing, electrical and exterior parts, the home is filled with recycled products that have either been given to them or have come from torndown structures, making it a treasure trove of PK artifacts andhistory.

It’s a two-story structure, with three bedrooms, two-and-ahalf bathrooms, a media room and a safe room The home has so many unique features, though, that it’s hard to describe Almost every piece of furniture, appliance and fixture has a story of how the couple either acquired it or built it themselves The rustic and nautical theme pays homagetoAnnBurns’familyhistory–andScubaPoint,too.

Guests enter through the extra-tall glass front door, which came from The Rafters restaurant, now the site of Hemmingway’sCraftHouseandPieHouserestaurants Once inside the Burns’ house, visitors enter a wide-open kitchen, living and dining space. This is the heart of the home, and Ann Burns made all the kitchen cabinets herself out of recycled barn wood she was given. The kitchen countertops are all made of resin that is filled with sand and shells she got from her dad. The kitchen’s farm sink was given to the couple because it had a small, undetectable chip, and Ann Burns did her thing and built the cabinets and countertops aroundit

Themostunusualfeatureisthekitchen’sisland,whichisthe focal point of the entire house. The island was made from a 1966ChrisCraftboatthatToddBurnssalvagedandistrulya work of art It features electrical plugs that pop out of the top,anditcaneasilyseat10people

The top of the island is another one of Ann Burns’ resin projects It’sfilledwitholddriftwood,shells,sanddollarsand seahorses that her dad collected The entire kitchen island tooksixgallonsofresinandmorethan60hourstocomplete, shesaid,andunder-cabinetlightingwasaddedtotheisland forambiance

The large windows above the kitchen sink came from the salvaged 1966 Chris Craft boat, as did the wooden table in the kitchen dining space. Guests who look closely can see marks left behind in the glass by the boat’s windshield wipers.

In the living room is a collection of family memories and nautical items the couple has collected over the years. On the main wall is a transom that was given to them by Bobby andDavidMartinfromanotherabandonedChrisCraftboat, and hanging in the living room is one of the old Scuba Point signs.

Dive Shop sign that they placed in their backyard. The Burns enjoy a beautiful cliff wall that runs along the creek in their back yard that is absolutely stunning

Theroomisanchoredbyalargepicturewindowthatgivesa great view of the cliff wall that runs along the creek in the backyard.Thewindowwasanoldslidingglassdoorthatthe Burnsrecycledintoahugepicturewindow

Most of the downstairs walls are covered in beautiful, rustic woodthatcamefromthefloorsofahomethathadflooded three times The wood has a great look and texture left by theonce-damagedflooring.

The entire home also has barn doors that Ann Burns made outofrecycledbarnwood

Upstairs in their son ’ s room is a feature that might not be found in any other home anywhere. It is a cab of an excavator that was filthy and abandoned The cab was restored and had to be hoisted to the second floor of their housewithamechanicallift

“I had just put in the studs when Ann had the idea for the excavatorcab,”ToddBurnssaid.

He removed the back door and studs so the project could becompleted,andtodaythecabsitsintheirson’sroomand isusedasagamingspace Theybothagreethatthecabwill be included in any sale of the house, because it’s not going anywhere

Todd and Ann Burns have many shared memories of life at Possum Kingdom, including being part of the original group of volunteers that started the Hell’s Gate Clean Up The Inland Divers have now taken on this important project, and neither of them dive anymore, but it was diving that brought thecoupletogether

Both stay busy with their jobs and continue to build their home one project at a time, and Ann Burns also spends her time on her various resin crafts and other items she makes. She has a whole craft room in the house, and a large barn forherwoodprojects,too.

In addition to all that, she also serves as one of the organizers for the Sportsman’s World Craft Show that will takeplaceMay27underthepavilion.

Intoday’sworldofinstantgratification,it’sgreattoseetwo people patient and skilled enough to build their own home “ one piece at a time,” and even the singer who was known as“TheManinBlack”probablywouldhaveapproved site of Hemmingway's Craft House and Pie House Restaurants. The house has several of these doors

Story concludes on page 18 with more photos.

Pictured right: Upstairs in their son ' s room is a feature that might not be found in any other home anywhere It is a cab of an excavator that was filthy and abandoned The cab was restored and had to be hoisted to the second floor of their house with a mechanical lift. The space serves as a gaming space.

Ann and her brother, Roy, were raised around a shop and building things One of her first baby pictures, was in a makeshift bassinet with a baby bottle clamped to a board, while her dad worked on a boat