House took about 1 1/2 years to complete
By Lori Johnston
Photos by Christopher Oquendo
Published on: 07.04.2010
For more pictures of and information about this house, visit our virtual tour.
What’s known as “the lighthouse house” on Alabama’s Lake Wedowee is Kara O’Brien and Paula Rose’s octagon-shaped second home retreat. O’Brien, owner of Kara O’ Brien Renovations in Atlanta, chatted about their lakefront vacation home.
Why Lake Wedowee: They looked in north Georgia and on Lake Hartwell and Lake Keowee in South Carolina before checking out an advertisement about Lake Wedowee in the newspaper. “We were just really blown away from the fact it was so pristine,” O’Brien said. The area was “chock full of wildlife,” with them catching glimpses of wild turkey, deer and hawks on their visit. The lot they chose is on the end of a peninsula with great views, she said.
Their home: A three-story house they built in the style of the mid-1800s octagon house, which has been labeled the only true original American style of home with only about 1,000 remaining, O’Brien said. They were inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello (they named their home Octacello) and antebellum homes they visited in Columbus, Miss. They started the process in January 2004, and it took about 1 ½ years to finish. The columned exterior is in the Greek Revival style, and the interior features antebellum details. They used antique heart of pine flooring, six-panel doors, hardware, hinges and plumbing, stained glass and recycled trim from the New England area that was stripped of the paint, refinished and shellacked. “We used as many old house parts and pieces as possible,” she said. “We liked the idea of not killing a lot of trees and using a lot of green components, a lot of reclaimed stuff.” The floors, which she hauled in over 2 ½ months, were painted and had various funguses. “Everyone tried to talk me out of it,” she said. “I tried to reassure them that that’s what I would do for a living and it would look good.” The staircase was salvaged from homes in Birmingham, Ala., Thomasville, Ga., and New York City. The house is so tall that the lake can be viewed from every bedroom.
The floors, which O’Brien had hauled in over 2 1/2 months, were painted and had various funguses. “Everyone tried to talk me out of it,” she says. “I tried to reassure them that’s what I do for a living and it would look good.”
How often they’re here: Every weekend in the summer and twice a month during the winter.
How far from home: About 90 minutes away from Kirkwood.
What they do when they’re there: Take out their boat and jet ski, go tubing with their daughter, Walker, and hike. One of their favorite spots is Flat Rock, a granite rock formation in the middle of the lake. The kid-friendly area has a sandy beach and a festive environment with people picnicking, O’Brien said. On their lot, they have a fire pit for roasting marshmallows.
The house is so tall that the lake can be viewed from every bedroom. Rose and O’Brien say they spend every weekend at the home during the summer and two weekends a month during the winter.
What they love about it: “It is an entirely different world. There’s a spicy wonderful smell to the woods,” she said. “The lake is very quiet. Even boat traffic is very minimal. We see the full palette of stars at night.”
At a Glance
Kara O’Brien and Paula Rose’s vacation home has four bedrooms, three baths and about 3,200 square feet of livable space, plus 1,600 square feet in an unfinished basement. They finished it in 2005.
Community overview
Lake Wedowee is an 10,666-acre lake with a 272-mile shoreline in East Alabama. Alabama Power Company began construction of Lake Harris, as it is officially known, in 1974 and completed it in 1982. The Alabama Department of Conservation calls Lake Wedowee one of the top three lakes in Alabama for fishing. Alabama Power owns more than 65 percent of the property surrounding Lake Wedowee.
In 2005, 2006 and 2007, the Lake Wedowee market saw increases, up to 50 percent annually, in the number of sales and values of lake homes and lots, said Leisel Caldwell, managing broker of Re/Max Lakefront. Its first $1 million home sale was in 2007, when a lake lot also topped $500,000. It felt the impact of the housing market slowdown in 2008, with high-priced properties but few buyers and closings, Caldwell said. In 2010, there are foreclosures and bank-owned properties, developers who must sell to stay afloat, and sellers who must sell due to life changes or financial woes, she said. Prices are being reduced, with lake lots offered at 50 percent of the original asking price and deals for under $350,000.
