Milton Home Tour

The Lockwood Residence

2009-02-28T07:22:00.000-08:00

THE HOMESTEAD....

A new home with a storied past,
a 100-year-old caretaker’s cottage,

and a stable, all nestled on 30 acres of rolling hills and pastures in North Fulton.

March 8th – March 29th 2009

There is so much more to see.....

Kitchen and Keeping Room

Main Living Room

Dining Room

Master Suite

Second Level Living Room

Exquisite Pool

One of the Many Views

Detail, Details...

Bronze Hardware Detail

Gas Lamps

Located in magnificent Milton, Georgia.

For more information and to purchase tickets, click HERE.

Freemanville Country Home

2008-10-02T05:47:00.000-07:00

For several months last year, I drove by this house and saw the For Sale sign. I was so curious, I called a real estate agent and got the code to the lock box so I could see the inside. It looked like the neatest farmhouse on two acres along a well travelled road and one so well known in the horse country of Milton, called Freemanville.

One day it was purchased and I began to watch it undergo a transformation which captured my curiosity since the renovators were obviously getting the idea of "living outside the box" in my vision for a "Miltonville". The integrity, the "bones" of the home were maintained and when I used to drive by and see the light through the windows, I wondered about the family who lived there and what it looked like inside. It felt happy. The home exuded love and warmth and all those familiar cozy feelings.

Last month I finally had the opportunity to a glimpse inside when I met Leonard Jacklett and Cynthia Chandlee who introduced me to Wendy McGrew, the lucky new owner of the Home Sweet Home.

Leonard Jacklett bought the home last March in foreclosure. He had a vision and then a little extra vision from Cynthia Chandlee. The bones were good, and the vibe was too. Leomard looked at all the possibilities and started working right away.

The house was originally built in 1978 and had some various additions to it over the years. The lot is spectacular and has unbelievable oak tree's in the front and back yard. The original RED barn was left to reflect on what Milton should be - farm land with barns and chickens.

Leonard and Cynthia added to the rear of the house and expanded the master suite and built a fantastic master bath. They took out walls in the inside and re-did the kitchen and all the bathrooms had a new "look". The original fireplace got a face lift and a new hearth was built.

Upstairs walls were knocked out and a new vision appeared. The house was renovated with simple elegance and

They had the tired yellow/brown brick painted white, replaced the red roof with a black one, built custom shutters, added pavers to the front porch (which was redone with rectangular columns vs. the round ones.

They added dirt to the front yard and lifted the elevation so visually the yard was level. Next came the four board fencing, a must for Milton, and it was adorned with white gates, new mailbox and a gravel driveway - bingo - a classic Milton Home.

The house was totally updated with new lights, new windows, doors and hardware. Whatever could be recycled was saved such as some interior doors, the upstairs blue tub, and some of the bath cabinets upstairs.

The house was restored to a loving home.

Along came Wendy Mc Grew who had her own vision and with loving hands she re-did the floors with her old antique ones, added wood beams, built a chicken house and continues embellishing it everyday with her own ideas. Perfect match for the new Milton home... because she wanted SIMPLE.

That is what life should be about.. simple as that!

This is Milton Country Living!

This is Making a Dream a Reality.

This is a place to call Home Sweet Home!

Milton Home Tour: The Rock House

2008-09-01T17:51:00.000-07:00

L-R: Byron Burgess, Cynthia Chandlee, Joyce Walker Samples

On Tuesday, Joyce took me on a little surprise excursion to the Wright House, also known as the Rock House, located at the corner of Birmingham and Freemanville Roads. The property is now owned by Cynthia Chandlee and is called Cornerstone Farm.

Joyce's first cousin Byron Burgess met us there and they introduced me to Cynthia for a personal tour of her home which was originally built in 1935 by Joyce's Granddaddy Will Wright. Grandmother Wright's full name is Nettie Henderson Wright.

Aunt Nettie as she was called by her neighbors and customers, cooked all the meals for her family and the workers, boarded teachers and farm workers, ran the country store, raised a family, worked the farm and more. (And, we think we're busy!)

The Rock House has become a Milton landmark. Also on the property are several barns and the old Milton County Courthouse where folks used to vote until just 20 years ago.

Cynthia is the perfect owner of an old Milton home. Not only is she a sought after real estate professional but an incredibly talented interior designer. Cynthia understands the importance of maintaining the integrity of the original building's exterior and interior.

Several years ago Cynthia renovated the one original bathroom (located inside), added a master suite and a new kitchen but that's about it. Everything else is exactly the same as Joyce and Byron remember from their childhood days. Byron's mother, Estelle Wright Burgess, and Joyce's mother Janelle Wright Walker are sisters. (And absolutely beautiful.)

The Wright's owned and operated a country store right at the corner, just on the edge of the street (which used to be a dirt road as were all the roads those days in Milton, Georgia).

Detail of the rock walls with "vines". The fireplaces have the same detail.

Front Door, Entrance Hall (all original)

Original Door Knobs and Hardware

New Kitchen Addition, back of house. Notice the exposed rock and original windows from what used to be the rear outside wall.

Original Oak Floors throughout the home designed by Granddaddy Will Wright. These 1-1/2 inch wide pieces of wood were cut for the Brumby Chair Company but were not the exact size needed so Granddaddy Wright designed these 24 inch squares and Byron's Daddy, Toledo Burgess, helped install them. Notice only three nails in the the very center hold the square together.

This Room used to be Grandaddy and Grandmother Wright's bedroom. Located in the front of the house, closest room to the front door. Look at the fireplace. There are four original fireplaces and one in the rear addition.

Guest Room #2 used as Boarding for School Teachers in the 1940's. One of the teachers who boarded was named Betty who married a Nix. The Nix family owned the land now called Richland Farm, where Joyce ended up purchasing and living years later before relocating to Alpharetta.

Original Kitchen Pine Floor Detail

Ceiling Detail. Notice the marks from the saw cuts.

Side Porch, one of three porches. Notice the arched ceiling and bead board detail (on all three).

Ceiling Light Detail

I wish more folks would relocate to Milton and renovate an old country home rather than build multi gabled roofed boxes. This home is Living Milton Style at its finest!

Home Sweet Home, Cynthia Chandlee!

(Thanks for the tour.)