Lake Toxaway Architects

Posted on 21 April 2008 | No responses

Lake Toxaway architects and this special Blue Ridge Mountain area.

Lake Toxaway architects know what a special place this is. Lake Toxaway is a unique location hidden in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone used to visit here and dream about how they were going to change the World. And they did. Now, about a century later, mainstream people enjoy vacationing and dream about living here. And some do. Lake Toxaway architects make that happen for them. Not many people know that the lake is artificial, built here by a long-ago developer, which only served to further enhance the area’s mountain beauty. It is a sizable body of water, about 3 miles x 1 mile with about 14 miles of shoreline. Along the shore and shoulders of Toxaway Mountain’s nearby hills, you can see mountain homes. Some cheek to jowl, others on spacious acreage. Some of these houses have been designed by Lake Toxaway architects and some of these architects live here and work here.

(C)Copyright 2004-9 Rand Soellner, All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Eagle Mountain Aerie Designed by Rand Soellner.

One of these Lake Toxaway architects is HOME ARCHITECTS ®. Their senior staff architect is Rand Soellner, ArCH, AIA, NCARB. Rand and his wife Merry, a Lake Toxaway real estate broker, live on the The Plateau every day of the year. They can’t imagine being anywhere else. “We have God’s air-conditioning due to the altitude, and the best views this side of the Rockies,” said Soellner. Some of his client’s houses are over 7,500 sf, others are under 2,500 sf, depending on Client requests.

“Waterfront sites can run $1.5 million (vacant land) and more here, if you are lucky enough to find unused land with a great view,” said Merry Soellner, real estate broker. “More often than not, there are older homes from the 1960s and 70s than you need to knock down, because the real value is in the land, not the older, smaller home on the lakefront land. That’s when Rand can go to work, crafting a new custom home, tailor-made to appreciate the mountain-lake views.”

Some of these houses have tall glass areas, framing sensational views of the water, like the custom residence above. Often, rough-hewn beams and large boulders and rock work are worked into the architectural composition, taking their cue from the spectacular natural surroundings. Soellner can trace his compositions all the way back to his childhood, while visiting rock-walled public parks and the wood framing of his grandfather and father, while building houses. Rand often opens up large wall areas to have glass-paneled doors with high transoms, that let the light in, while protecting them from direct UV rays with large roof overhangs over his Outdoor Living Rooms. Such protection keeps outdoor living spaces usable for longer periods of time during the year and keeps them cleaner, as well. For instance, in the spring, yellow pollen is visible over nearly everything and having a roof over an outdoor dining table and outdoor furniture is welcome.

Having an outdoor roof also helps control wind, snow and ice, which always come during winter. Soellner has provided roll-down clear vinyl wind curtains with synthetic hemmed borders and grommeted holes that can be secured to his structures with thumbturn hardware to result in a windbreak on certain exposures, resulting in a longer time period in which to enjoy the outdoors and give the owners more control over the comfort of their house’s environment.