Homes

Yancey County Dream Homes on Tour

John and Lucinda Williams. Photo courtesy of MCC Marketing and Media

John and Lucinda Williams. Photo courtesy of MCC Marketing and Media

The 10th and final Yancey County Dream Home Tour takes place Friday, October 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants travel by shuttle to four homes that are as spectacular as they are different. All proceeds support scholarships for Mayland Community College students.

“Attendees love the variety of houses that we have on the tour each year,” says Mayland Community College foundation director Margaret Earley-Thiele. “They get ideas for their own homes, as well as enjoy the spectacular mountain views that a lot of the sites possess.”

Mudville, owned by Dr. William and Kenna Anspach and designed by Richard L. Seaberg Architecture, is a mountain retreat that appears straight out of a fairy tale. Constructed of natural fieldstone harvested from the site, the structure is enhanced by twin copper- roofed spires, a locust tree porte-cochère, stone arches and a river flowing under the main living space. The home is all the more stunning because it blends naturally with its wooded surroundings.

The newly constructed residence designed by architect Jeffrey deRoulet for Warren and Larissa Bare is equally breathtaking, with 360-degree views from the top of the Mountain Air Community. To bring the outdoors in, the home boasts an entire glass wall that folds back into the living area.

“The slide-away wall is our favorite feature,” says Larissa Bare. “When the weather is warm, we can move it into a hidden pocket, which lets the center of the house connect seamlessly with the back patio and the mountain views.”

An off-the-grid farmhouse in Celo built and owned by Jon and Lucinda Williams is back on the tour by popular demand. Their spacious farmhouse runs exclusively on solar power and is cooled by the neighboring creek. Visitors can explore the couple’s full canning kitchen and wander through their orchard and garden.

Not far from the Williams’ farm is the home of David and Fran Strawn, designed by David Strawn himself. This light, open residence features a gourmet kitchen, side porch with a stacked stone fireplace and a dorm room for their grandchildren. An extensive art collection featuring many local artists is displayed throughout the house.

“The most fun area is the dorm room,” says Fran Strawn. “All the kids love it and I have yet to meet an adult who didn’t like it too.” The home tour, along with other events, provides funds for Mayland Community College’s Intelligent Choice Scholarships. These scholarships provide full tuition, fees and books to incoming local high school students who are in the top ten percent of their graduating class.

Tour tickets are $25 each. A lunch option is an additional $25. Tickets may be purchased online at Mayland.edu/foundation or in person prior to the tour at the Yancey Campus in Burnsville and the Yancey Chamber of Commerce. On the day of the tour they may be purchased at Mountain Air’s Community Garden (one of the shuttle stops).

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