SOLD: Phase I, Lot 14 of the first Russell Lands development on Lake Martin—Willow Point. We were buyer number SEVEN in 1972. Charles W. Davis, my father-in-law, along with my husband, Mike, built our home two years later. Like many, we had dirt for a basement, no seawall, and two short piers with no floating dock. No city water. Dirt roads. But we were on THE LAKE. My Dad, who lived in Mobile (where I grew up), thought we lived in “the country.” He wanted to know how far away a bakery was and if we even received a newspaper!
Lake Martin had certainly not yet been discovered yet, much less had it become a second-home retreat. In fact, it was cumbersome place to raise a family in many ways. Going to TOWN was a chore, so you better get all your groceries. Dollar General stores weren’t around yet, and Our Town only sold gas, not milk and bread. For our children’s sleepovers, we always had to pick up and drop-off because no one wanted to drive ALL THE WAY TO THE LAKE.
Needless to say, that all changed. Not only did people start moving to the lake, many people that lived in TOWN started renting lake cabins. You either lived at the lake, or lived in town and had a cabin. Lake access was in demand. Eventually, people started buying second homes instead of renting (although the Russell cabin market still keeps a waiting list). Fast forward to the 21st century, and Lake Martin real estate continues to be in great demand.
Becoming a real estate agent in the Lake Martin area is a truly exceptional experience. I had access to incredible architectural design from the likes of Bobby McAlpine, Jeffrey Dungan, Louis Nequette, Bill Ingram and Taylor Dawson, just to name a few. Our 1974 home quickly became outdated. I don’t know how many years I envisioned it, but day after day, year after year, I knew it would happen. No more eight-foot ceilings. I couldn’t take it anymore. We were going to RAISE OUR ROOF.
And raise our roof we did. We may have gone overboard just a tad. Maybe I was compensating for all those years I couldn’t have more than an eight-foot Christmas tree. Or maybe I wanted to have fixtures so high I had a great excuse not to dust anymore. Whatever the case, we gave the meaning of vaulted ceilings a run for its money: EIGHTEEN FEET. Yes, TEN additional feet.
I must give credit to the structural dignity of this project to our architect Larry Furlong, builder Lock Hunter of Timberland Construction, and my husband Mike. Together, they made it happen. The decorating and paint colors credit go to Tish Fuller and again, Mike. Side note: Mixing paint at his ACE Hardware store for years reappeared as a true asset in Mike’s vision for design. He has a keen eye for wood stain color and paint color in general…not to mention he grew up around construction. These two skill sets make Mike an ‘ace in the hole’ for The India Davis Team.
I did select furniture, and accents, and we’ll definitely post soon about the team and their talent in our remodel project and many others. For now, know that raising the roof is worth it. You can see we did get a floating dock and added some decking, but the pier was in the original spot. If you are thinking about it, go for it! Don’t wait as long as I did.
As the quote says, “Life is a short one. There’s no reason not to do what sets your soul on fire.”
Cheers, India
new dock
18′ ceiling
