PHOTOS BY DAVID DIETRICH
There are several things you can do when you’re faced with a stone wall. You can throw up your hands in frustration and walk away. You can try to go around it, through it or over it. Or, if you’re Peggy and Herb Thornton, you can build a house beside it.
When the Thorntons arrived in Western North Carolina a decade ago, they were acting purely on instinct. Originally from Atlanta, they were living and working in Charleston when they visited the area on a road trip and found themselves drawn to the more relaxed, sylvan lifestyle the high country offers. "Charleston is very ‘old school’ formal," says Peggy. "I think that the whole time we were there, we were needing to be in the mountains."
The couple purchased a two-acre parcel near Hendersonville and set about remodeling the existing house. The project absorbed them, yet they found themselves intrigued by a particular area of the property; a horseshoe-shaped alcove of dense granite. "It was an old rock quarry, a working quarry back in the ‘20s," Herb explains, "but as a building site, it wouldn’t perc; you couldn’t get a permit because you couldn’t have septic — it’s solid rock."
Undaunted, the Thorntons continued to explore the possibility. "Finally, a neighbor down the hill gave us a five-foot utility easement," he continues, "so we subdivided, sold the house and started construction."
The idea of building in such a compromised setting might seem untenable to most, but the Thorntons were uniquely suited to the challenge. Herb had been a builder for over 40 years and Peggy was a landscape designer. They had already built three homes together, but more importantly, they possessed that rare ability to perceive veiled potential — to look beyond the obvious.
"We like to do things outside the box," says Peggy. "And we’re gluttons for punishment. Herb designed the house and we had a structural engineer look everything over, but we did most of the work ourselves. We had a framing crew frame it and subcontracted the sheet rock, heating and air — things that you really don’t want to do — but Herb did the ceilings and we did the finishing."
"We wanted something that wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill tract house," Herb adds. "Something that would look different, but would also fit the site. This design was different from the perspective that you don’t usually build houses like this in the mountains — you don’t put them up on piers, and you don’t have these rooflines."
The sheer rock face and footing presented unusual design and construction considerations. "We had some setback stipulations from the property line, so we built the house as far back into the granite as we could. The chimney is actually built into the rock face," notes Herb.
To deal with continual seepage from the façade, which becomes a virtual waterfall in wet weather, the house is elevated on pilings and the water flow is funneled beneath the structure and into a koi pond, which is visible from the outdoor deck and the long window seats in a cozy keeping room adjacent to the kitchen.
Building on rock also posed some energy-efficiency issues. "The rock stays fairly constant in temperature and blocks a lot of the wind, so we’re somewhat protected," says Peggy. "Still, we have six-inch-wide outer walls and the floors and ceilings are 12 inches. We insulated really well. Actually, we sort of overdid it."
The home’s 2,800-square-foot floor plan was adjusted to accommodate the existing undulations. "We certainly didn’t want to move any stone," says Herb, "so when the rock went up, we went up. You climb with the granite."
The result is a meandering dwelling with several levels, creating a series of discrete areas which belie the relatively modest footprint. In the great room, horizontally laid cypress plank walls and a four-gabled, 21-foot cathedral ceiling galvanize that feeling of expanse. "People walk in and they’re drawn to look upwards," says Herb. "Then the view of the granite takes them by surprise. When you first see it, it almost looks like a picture on the wall, but then you say, "‘wait a minute — that’s rock…four feet from the door!’"
Given the residence’s singular setting, the aesthetics needed to be sympathetic — and outstanding. The Thorntons chose a modified Adirondack style — plenty of wood, stone and burnished metal, imbued with craftsmanship and rustic allure — and then added their own distinctive touches.
"A big part of our inspiration came from the Adirondacks," says Herb. "Just seeing what can be done with a root or a stone. The craftsmen up there do it really well. They’ll see natural materials in a way that most people don’t. Where most people would say, ‘oh, that’s just an old, rotten tree stump,’ they look at it and all of a sudden it’s the base of a table — something they can make a piece of furniture out of. Something they can use."
In that spirit, found details abound in the Thornton residence — from repurposed architectural elements to a massive, five-foot-diameter chandelier that Herb fashioned from rhododendron branches. The couple delight in utilizing salvage. "We look for things wherever we go. We’re always on the hunt," says Peggy.
"Especially at those little roadside places that have a hand-painted "antiques" sign," Herb agrees. "We just have to stop and look around. You never know."
Taking a hands-on approach to decorating, as well as construction, the Thorntons ingeniously integrated their treasures into their structural and interior design. Exterior shutters became interior window treatments, old porch posts and balustrades were reborn as a headboard and an antique breakfront found new life as a door lintel.
"We’re drawn to anything architecturally interesting," says Peggy. "We’ll find a terrific window and then build the room around it." The transom between the kitchen and great room is a perfect example. "We dragged that stained glass piece around for years before we found the right place to put it."
Herb’s skill in the woodshop proved invaluable in creating these one-of-a-kind features, but finessing the overall look and feel of the residence was another matter. "People ask me if I worked with an interior decorator, and I did — Peggy."
"Actually, I was a journalism major in college," she says demurely. "But I do garden design and that uses a lot of the same principles — creating atmosphere and balancing texture, color and scale."
Along with pieces created or purchased specifically for the house, many of the furnishings came from Peggy’s grandmother’s home in Mexico, and from her mother, who owned an antiques shop for many years. Peggy’s astute eye for detail, skill at layering and innate color sense has meshed these disparate elements into a warm, earthy ambiance that is lush without being ostentatious. "You take whatever you have and make it come together," she says.
"The important thing," says Herb, "is that people feel comfortable when they’re here. You want to put your feet up on the coffee table? That’s fine. It’s an old heart pine door that’s been converted to a tabletop."
Certainly not your standard fare, but for this remarkable tag team, anything seems possible. With a blissful blend of talent, vision, resourcefulness and style, the Thorntons have proved that when you find yourself between a rock and a hard place, the best thing to do is make yourself at home.
