Grey Rock--The Mountain Laurel Newsletter

The Mountain Laurel Newsletter

Client: Grey Rock at Lake Lure, a Land Resource Companies community

Project Description: Copy for a newsletter spotlighting a North Carolina second-home community. Stories here are designed to capitalize on the recent announcement that Grey Rock was chosen as the site for the 2006 HGTV Dream Home. The Mountain Laurel was the first piece in an ongoing campaign that also included special events and television coverage.


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The Mountain Laurel

[story: dream home introduction]
Grey Rock: A Place to Build a Dream
The big day is almost here: April 29, when this year’s winner of the 2006 HGTV Dream Home will be announced. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the HGTV Dream Home, and the first time a development company has been chosen to host a second Dream Home.

That development company is Land Resource Companies (LRC). In 2004, LRC’s Cumberland Harbour in St. Marys, Georgia was selected as the Dream Home site, and now in 2006, Grey Rock at Lake Lure in North Carolina is the place everyone’s dreaming about.

At Grey Rock, ancient rock formations, crystal clear waterfalls and towering forests provide an appropriately spectacular setting for the rustic elegance of the 2006 Dream Home. A gated, master-planned community located in western North Carolina, Grey Rock overlooks Lake Lure and brings to mind the quiet majesty of a national park. In addition to ideal views and peaceful home sites averaging two acres, HGTV selected Grey Rock for the convenience of nearby activities and amenities often associated with town living.

A Decade’s Worth of Dreams
For ten years, Home and Garden Television has designed, built and furnished a lavish home for one reason: to give it away. In 2005, HGTV logged in more than 39 million entries to win the fully furnished Dream Home, and this year they expect many more. In addition to the deed to the magnificent Grey Rock house, the winner will also receive a prototype Yukon Denali and $250,000.

While each Dream Homes can be found in surroundings that are truly exquisite, this 10th anniversary Dream Home at Grey Rock has truly captured the imaginations of a record number of visitors, while it’s taken their breath away at the same time.

A Chance to Benefit the Community
More than 18,000 people have toured the Dream Home, which has raised more than $180,000 for three local charities. Back in November, Dream Home architects Al Platt and his son Parker Platt started the ball rolling by hosting a fundraising event at the Dream Home benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County last November.

“There is so much interest in the HGTV Dream Home and I wanted to turn this interest into something tangible and useful for the community,” said Al Platt. “Many people expressed a strong desire to see the house, and after receiving permission from HGTV and LRC, we opened the doors of the home for an exclusive tour to raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County.”

Since then, LRC has expanded its philanthropic energy to include other organizations. A large portion of the 2006 HGTV Dream Home tour ticket sale proceeds, done through Land Resource Companies, will be given to the Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County, the Hospice of Rutherford County, and the Lake Lure Lions Club.

“We want to give as much back to the community as possible,” said Paul Beidel, president of Land Resource Companies. “By giving to these charities and other worthy causes, we know that we will touch lives in the local community and across the state.”

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[story: architectural elements]
Living the Dream: What Goes Into Grey Rock’s Most Visited Homesite
As they approach the site, most visitors to the 2006 HGTV Dream Home have their breath taken away at least once before they even see the house itself. Before they can focus on this architectural masterpiece, their eyes are drawn to the vast expanse of sparkling Lake Lure, nestled amid the surrounding mountains.

As they imagine living among such exquisite natural beauty, above the ridge they get their first view of the Dream Home. And before the gravel has stopped crunching beneath their tires, they’ve probably gasped more than once.

To make visitors feel right at home in the natural world, the Dream Home features an amazing outdoor living area, a showplace for mountain-ridge beauty as the sun-spangled lake is framed by 200-year old heart pine beams, recycled from an abandoned cotton mill in South Carolina.

Everything architectural detail here suggests that this magical structure was conjured whole from the earth below. Enormous overhead timbers provide shelter from the elements. Siding made from flooring rescued from a Pennsylvania barn and from the bark of timbered poplar trees summon you back to a more rustic time. The native stone that adorns the entrance reminds you that you’re still in one of the most spectacular spots on Earth.

Nature itself seems to have played a hand in the Dream Home’s design, and indeed local architects Al Platt and his son, Parker Platt would be the first to credit the great outdoors as inspiration. The Platts are experienced at softening the boundaries between indoors and out, and they’re renowned for designing houses where the residents feel as much at home in the landscape as they do inside. One of the core values behind the Dream Home is connection: connection to the land, to the home, to the rugged and beautiful North Carolina lifestyle.

Visitors experience that connection immediately, even before they walk through the front door. The high ceilings, made from recycled hemlock planks, create an inviting sense of spaciousness. Walls are lined with Eastern White Pine, hand-rubbed with linseed oil, and the stairway made of Australian cypress is graced with rough-hewn hickory posts and railings.

The living room is anchored by a floor-to-ceiling stacked stone fireplace and offers breathtaking view from a panoramic window. In the Dream Home, every single room but one – the climate-controlled wine cellar – is graced with a view of the lake below or the mountains above.

Scouring the region for handcrafted furnishings and artwork that would complement the Platts’ vision, interior designer Linda Woodrum chose colors reflective of the seasons. From the winter white of the living room’s sofas and chairs to the startling green of the breezeway’s walls, not one item looks out of place. And every piece of furniture—from the large pine hutch with apple green interior to the graceful wrought-iron bed—has been selected not just for stylishness, but also for comfort and practicality.

For families who already own property at Grey Rock—and for those who soon will—the architectural design and furnishings of the 2006 Dream Home offer a wealth of ideas for your own house of dreams. Take a real or a virtual tour soon, and begin to dream. Dream big.

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[story: meet the architect]
Bringing the Outside In
A Chat with Grey Rock’s Architect
Architect Wayland Shamburger may be sitting in his Hendersonville office, fine-tuning architectural plans, but his mind is firmly positioned in the great outdoors. In designing the amenities for Grey Rock, Shamburger draws a boyhood spent roaming the woods and crossing the creeks near his Hendersonville home. This deep familiarity and early inspiration allows Shamburger to break down the barriers between inside and outside in his work. Talk to him for five minutes, and you’ll sense his sincere passion for the allure of North Carolina and its amazing natural resources. He incorporates those intrinsic values into his designs for Grey Rock’s Lake Club, entry gates and pavilions.

We recently spoke with Shamburger at his Hendersonville office, and as we spoke, he brought us inside his vision and took our imagination outside to the land.

What excites you about working with Grey Rock at Lake Lure?
Grey Rock’s most important amenity is its landscape. When you’re at Grey Rock and look out over the landscape, you almost think you’re living in a National Park. The buildings should reflect this National Park feeling, so in designing them, we use National Park buildings as our case studies.

I believe that architecture works best when it reflects the surrounding region and its heritage. An architect should know the history of a place, not to copy what’s been done before, but to be sensitive to the location’s precedents. I grew up in the Grey Rock area, so I can offer a better understanding of what the natural environment is here. By knowing the land, I can help residents fulfill their dreams of mountain living while still protecting the environment we’ve come to love and respect.

What does Shamburger Design Studio bring to Grey Rock?
Of course, we offer design expertise, but also a strong background in construction and construction management. In John Truitt and John Petri, I have a wonderful team of partners. The fact that we’re all gifted in different areas makes us a stronger, more far-reaching design firm. We represent strength from design to construction documents to construction administration, so we can represent the clients from beginning to end.

Describe some of the key elements you intend to use for the Lake Club and other community buildings.
“A feeling of serenity in a spectacular mountain setting gives people the feeling of being worlds away from the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives, when in fact Grey Rock is convenient to Hendersonville, Asheville and plenty of other places. But I think it’s that aura of seclusion that attracts people to Grey Rock.

At our architectural firm, it’s second nature for us to be sensitive to each site and to keep as many trees as possible. Buildings should not to be ostentatious, but instead comfortable. Interiors should include structurally visible architecture—things to put you in the landscape—like exposed timbers, high ceilings and a lot of light. For both exteriors and interiors, we plan to use natural, local materials like native stone and poplar bark. Materials like these help blend the buildings with the site itself.

We also plan to bring outdoor elements inside, in order to blur the line between the exterior to the interior. Fireplaces, for example, both indoors and out, are a key element because they represent the heart and hearth of the buildings, a place where people can gather and share. Our intent is to not make the houses bulky objects that are placed on the landscape, but rather to make them a living, breathing extensions of the landscape.”

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A Quick Introduction to Wayland Shamburger
Principal Architect at Shamburger Design Studio, since 1999
Education: Bachelor of Architecture (Cum Laude) from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Bachelor of Science, Appalachian State University
Registered Architect, AIA, in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee
Married, four children, life-long Hendersonville resident
Work has been featured in the book The Perfect Home, Leading Residential Architects (Sandow Media, 2005), as well as the following journals and magazines: Timber Frame Homes (September 2004); Cowboys and Indians, (June 2004); Veranda (September/October 2003).
Offers fully custom architectural services, including schematic design, design development, construction documentation and construction observation.

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[story: Land Resource Companies]
The Company that Made Grey Rock a Reality.
Land Resource Companies
To the visionary company behind Grey Rock, it comes as no surprise that some of the first families to purchase land here were already familiar with Land Resource Companies. “A number of my early customers were already owners at some of LRC’s other developments,” says sales executive Charlene Miller. “They already knew that at Grey Rock they would find superior homesites in a beautiful setting—and that the proposed amenities would be of outstanding design and quality. If they were looking for a mountain retreat, they knew that they needed to look no farther than Grey Rock.”

Since 1997, Atlanta-based Land Resource Companies has offered discriminating clients a way to fulfill their dreams of luxury living surrounded by extraordinary natural beauty and inspired community design. LRC distinguishes itself by paying particular attention to the environmental integrity of a site, with the strongest focus being on preservation. LRC offers the environmentally conscious property buyer the opportunity to purchase land where preservation and access to nature’s miracles is of primary importance.

Land Resource Companies has developed distinctive communities across the Southeastern U.S. including properties surrounding coastal waterways, lakefronts, and the Gulf Coast areas. Each unique master planned residential community preserves and showcases the natural beauty that surrounds them, and provides exceptional recreational and relaxation opportunities.

To learn more about the exciting properties—past and future—developed by Land Resource Companies, just visit the company website www.landresource.com or call LRC headquarters at 770-956-3400.

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The Land Resource Companies Mission Statement:
“From the mountains to the coast, and special places in between, Land Resource Companies is committed to acquiring and developing highly desirable land and delivering outstanding quality to our customers. With an emphasis on preservation, we seek to protect and maintain the natural integrity of the land, resulting in exceptional places for working, living, and recreation.”

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[story: lake lure recreation]
Leisure by the Lake
Grey Rock Offers the Perfect Combination of Recreation and Relaxation
Even for long-time residents of the Blue Ridge area, every visit to Lake Lure brings a new sense of discovery. Down by the shoreline, among the many different coves and inlets, views of the spectacular 720-acre lake seem to open up a new window to beauty with every different vantage point.

Lake Lure’s beauty begins miles away, as the Rocky Broad River twists through a winding series of rapids through Hickory Nut Gorge, flowing through the valley that feeds Lake Lure. Hickory Nut Gorge is a 14-mile valley that features spectacular scenery, along with a full spectrum of recreational options, whether you’re in the mood for the invigorating or the soothing.

At Grey Rock itself, a host of proposed amenities include an equestrian center, camping facilities, hiking trails to numerous natural waterfalls, master clubhouse, and swimming and tennis facilities. Around Lake Lure, horseback riding is a popular activity, with trails frequently running beside the waters, along the ridges and through woody glens. Grey Rock offers equestrian facilities if you already have a horse, and even if you don’t, there are ample places around the lake to reserve one.

Should you prefer a more sedate activity, like sunning yourself on the sparkling sand, the Beach at Lake Lure is the perfect place to float your inner tube, set up your blanket and take advantage of western North Carolina’s thermal belt, a unique geographic phenomenon in mountainside zones where extreme temperatures are less likely to occur than they are at either higher or lower elevations. Thanks to the thermal belt, you can be sure of more “beach days” at Lake Lure than you’d expect at other locations.

Lake Lure is a great location for sports including swimming, golfing, hiking or serious rock climbing. For the nautically minded, the Lake Lure Marina has a large variety of kayaks, canoes, hydrobikes, paddle boats, electric boats and pontoon boats available for hourly, daily and weekly rental. And if you’d like to leave the driving to someone else, Lake Lure Tours provides scenic boat rides to some of the region’s more photographical sites.

For the essence of relaxation, the Lake Lure Inn invites you to experience the Allure Spa, which offers variety of services including manicures, pedicures, mud wraps, massage, and salon services. And if it’s a few holes of golf you’re after, the Lake Lure Golf & Beach Resort is the only resort in Western North Carolina that has 36 of them. You can also find challenge and beauty at Bald Mountain and Apple Valley.

With all the natural beauty surrounding you, some days you may want to escape to the great indoors, and you’ll find some of the most ornate interior views at Asheville’s Biltmore Estate, just 26 miles from Lake Lure. Created by George Vanderbilt as a country retreat for friends and family, Biltmore Estate was America’s largest home, encompassing acres of gardens, parklands and managed forests, as well as a winery.

On the way to Asheville, Chimney Rock Park offers hiking trails to a 404-foot waterfall, picnic areas, a nature center and unusual rock formations with names like the opera box, the needle’s eye, the devil’s head and—of course—the chimney. Lake Lure is an area that’s been attracting visitors since it was created in 1926. At Grey Rock, residents will be able to experience a new world of wonder every day of the year.

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Enjoy Special Rates at the Lake Lure Inn
Exclusively for Preferred Grey Rock Customers
Constructed in 1927, the Lake Lure Inn has hosted such celebrities as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Emily Post, Calvin Coolidge, and more recently, Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey during the filming of Dirty Dancing.

Now, preferred customers interested in touring Land Resource Companies’ Grey Rock property (including the HGTV Dream Home), the Lake Lure Inn is offering special rates. Enjoy two nights accommodations at the historic Lake Lure Inn for just $129. For more information, or to arrange your visit, call Grey Rock’s office at 888-510-5263. This offer is good through December 31, 2006.

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