"We were literally just killing time," says Pete, who is retiring this year from a long career as a builder of commercial and industrial buildings. "We were just driving around, and for no particular reason decided to tour a model log home that we saw. When we walked in the door, Jackie and I looked at each other in amazement; I think we were both drawn in immediately by the open space of the home."
This discovery would create a major detour for the couple, both in the design of their new home and in the direction of their lives.
When Pete and Jackie returned to their home in Winston-Salem, they immediately called their builder and put construction plans for their new house on hold. They were so impressed by the model home that they decided then and there to build a log home instead. But first they had to do a little research.
"I'm a detail person with a lot of background in the construction business," Pete says. "I knew I didn't know very much about log homes, so I wanted to get some answers to a lot of questions I had. Remember this was back in 1985, in the days before Al Gore invented the Internet, so this required a lot of legwork on our part."
Actually, Pete and Jackie invested three years of research and legwork in the project before they felt comfortable enough about log homes to finally get started. All the while, Pete had been working on plans for their new house, arranging and rearranging and rearranging again until he felt everything was just in the right place. "We knew we wanted an open loft area and we planned the house so we could live primarily on the ground floor," he explains. At the time the couple was planning their house, their daughter was still living at home while attending nursing school, so a bedroom for her was included off the loft on the second floor level.
The Pyles' research led them to Appalachian Log Homes in Knoxville, Tennessee, which has been in business since 1980 and produces about 100 log shells per year. The company specializes in Appalachian-style log homes, a style characterized by rectangular 6x12 handhewn timbers separated with 4-inch chink joints and dovetailed notches at the corners.
"We use old growth western hemlock from British Colombia, which is a very stable wood," says company president Dave Carter. "We can get log lengths up to 40 feet, which means we don't need to do any splicing for most of our log packages."
"As a builder, I was concerned about structural stability," Pete says. "I'd seen a lot of log systems that didn't seem to really address the way wood shrinks as it dries out. What attracted me to Appalachian was the fact that their logs are cut from heartwood, which minimizes shrinkage." It was the company's 4-inch chink joint, however, that really sold Pete an Jackie on Appalachian's product.
"We've been in our house 13 years now and it still looks like new," Pete says. "We haven't had to do anything to the chinking."
Groundbreaking for the couple's 2,400 square foot house took place in May of 1990. The home, designed with a full foundation for extra storage, is located on a little knoll overlooking a ¾-acre pond and the Little Yadkin River. There's also a detached garage. "We wanted the house to look traditional on the outside so we needed to keep the garage separate from the house," Pete explains. Only eight months later - - "on Christmas Eve, but just barely," Pete says with a laugh - - they were finally able to move in.
Pete's subcontractors - - guys like carpenter Brian Roark of Lenoir, Tennessee, and cabinetmaker Chris Baker of King, North Carolina - - were so good that Pete now uses them regularly in his second career as a dealer for Appalachian Log Homes.
"Right after we finished the house, Jackie suddenly looked at me and said, "We've learned so much from this process. You know, we could do this for other people too." Now, Pete and Jackie work with eight or so families per year, helping them to design and build their own special homes. "I really enjoy doing this because I'm working with people who really have a dream they're trying to realize," Pete says. "What I try to do is the same thing Jackie and I did when we built our own home: find a place for everything and then get it down in a well-thought out plan."
To help visualize the designs, Pete uses CAD (computer-aided design) programs that allow his clients to play the "what if" game.
"We can sit right at the computer together, try out different ideas and see immediately how they might look," Pete says. "I'm a strong believer in symmetry, which I think makes things beautiful. I base my designs in part on the furniture people own so everything has a place. You know, I think a lot of people rearrange furniture because rooms aren't designed well enough. If a room - - or a house - - is well-planned, then furniture placement should be obvious."
Pete's approach to design includes paying attention to the details. "A house needs to look like it's been planned. For example, roof members need to be placed in the right location so the light fixtures that are hung from them don't look odd. This means you have to know exactly where tables and sofas will be placed. And fixture locations need to be planned in order to get the wiring right."
Even after the Pyles' daughter graduated from school and moved out on her own, she felt so comfortable in the house that she liked to come back and visit whenever she had a chance.
"You know," says Pete, "there's just a feeling of comfort when you enter our home. It feels so good to stand here. I think that feeling - - rather than a specific place - - is my favorite part of the house."
After their daughter married, she and her husband decided to build their own log home, and of course built it with the help of Jackie and Pete, who live just 15 miles away. Now, with retirement from his career as a commercial builder coming up in a few months, Pete will be able to spend more time with Jackie and their 2-year old granddaughter who visits often, Pete says, to be spoiled.
With all of the planning that went into the house, Jackie and Pete don't plan to do any remodeling, which should leave them with plenty of time to enjoy their country home. That is, when Pete isn't involved in helping yet another family build their own dream home.
