Creating a Home – John and Mary Hardesty do it their way

John and Mary Hardesty like to come to the Lake of the Ozarks and kick back. “We don’t go to the Lake to go out,” Mary said.

The couple, who have been married for five years, had a house on the 33-mile marker but said their location was just too busy. “It wasn’t any fun anymore,” Mary said.

So, on rainy days in 2007, the two would look at houses for sale. One day, after showing the couple several houses, their Realtor said she had one more located at Pinnacle Point in Climax Springs. John, who is in the electronic component manufacturing business, said he didn’t want to live out that far. At first, he was reluctant to go look, but finally agreed. He liked the house, but was more interested in the lot on the point. Several months later, after looking at even more houses, the Hardestys decided to build on the point.

John and Mary worked with architect Jeff Winter and Donn Nelson, developer/contractor of Pinnacle Point. Construction began in March 2008.

Mary saw the home as a destination for their friends and combined family of three daughters, one son-in-law and their 2-year-old grandson. Her overall goal was to create a space that was appealing to the eye, yet put visitors at ease.

“I wanted people in the house to feel they can kick off their shoes, put on some comfy clothes and have a glass of wine,” she said. “To feel at peace was the overriding theme for me.”

To create this ambience, Mary devised a plan. During the drywalling phase of construction, workers saved 3×3-foot sections of textured drywall. Using her Sherwin Williams color wheel, Mary said she “attacked” each room. She picked out seven or eight colors, which were then purchased in pints. Each color was painted on the 3×3 pieces. Then she took the samples into the designated room. She moved the swatches around, noting the effects of natural and artificial light on the colors and also how the hues played off one another. She asked anyone who happened to be in the room to offer an opinion about her color choices.

“Construction guys like to build, but they can be hesitant to help decorate,” Mary said.

Once the colors were chosen for a particular area, Mary got out her color wheel (she likes to call it her dance card) and started the whole process over in another room. “I generally stayed on a single card and then danced my way up and down that card,” she explained. “Therefore, much of the house, while it has 23 colors, is quite monochromatic in the room/suite scale.”

The couple bought magnificent mahogany double doors that feature a carved circle in the center. They selected pebbled glass for inlay around the circle and the transoms. The result was so appealing that they extended the design to the garage doors and entry gate.

The great room is highlighted by its wall of windows showing off the spectacular panoramic view of Coffman Bend. The room features a 23-foot cathedral ceiling with structural beams wrapped in hickory. The massive fireplace is natural stone. There are authentic Navajo rugs on the walls and floors throughout the house. One major highlight of the home is its various ceiling designs. Every room’s ceiling was designed with different angles. “I didn’t want flat,” Mary said. “I wanted character.”

The entire first floor is tiled in travertine. The open kitchen and dining area features custom-made hickory cabinets and granite countertops. Mary wanted to interact with her guests while she cooked, so she had the five-burner Wolf stovetop with a downdraft hood installed in the island. Small pin lights that resemble ivory reeds hang above the island. They give light yet are unobtrusive. There is a garden window with a travertine base above the farm-style sink. On the opposing wall is a wet bar with a wine refrigerator and custom-built cabinets featuring open display shelves.

Double doors open to reveal a pantry just off the kitchen. Behind the kitchen is a laundry room, which also serves as Mary’s office for now. She insisted that there be a large window in the room to let in natural light, as she wants someday to use the space as a craft room.

John’s office, just off the front entrance, has custom-made knotty alder cabinets and bookshelves. He used leftover travertine tile to enhance one wall. The room features a domed ceiling created by using a recycled satellite dish that was then plastered, faux painted and backlit.

The master bedroom suite has a coffered ceiling with rope lighting. A raised see-through fireplace separates the bedroom and bath areas.

“We wanted a fireplace in the bedroom,” John explained, “but had a hard time finding a place that didn’t take up too much space.”

The bathroom has a raised, jetted tub flanked with windows overlooking the Lake, and a large open shower with a wavy axed-edge glass wall. The large master closet features custom-made cherry cabinets and shelving with a recessed ironing board and upper clothing racks that can be pulled down to eye level. The closet also has a stacked washer-dryer set and a small wet bar with an apartment-sized refrigerator and coffee maker.

“At first, it reminded me of a Howard Johnson’s,” Mary laughed. “But now I like it.”

The stairs to the lower level are covered with Berber carpeting. Framed slate and travertine tile divides the upper and lower floors because Mary wanted a transition to the differently styled downstairs.

“We have two different houses,” she said. The great room in the lower level has a retro feeling. Done in shades of black, gray and taupe, the focal point of the main area is the domed ceiling (using another recycled satellite dish) above the freeform “amoeba” bar made of heavy-gauge aluminum with a granite countertop. The metal was bent, then painted gunmetal gray with a compound that hardened the aluminum. The ceiling, which was extended out and down two steps to add more interest, reflects the lines of the bar. Behind the bar is a wall of cabinets with a maple-glazed rub, a large refrigerator sink and dishwasher.

One of John’s two pinball machines is located in a recessed area near the bar. There is a seating area with black leather furniture in front of a gas fireplace. In one corner is a retro gas pump. An arched ceiling welcomes guests into the pool room. The pool table sits on textured carpet tiles.

The floors throughout most of the lower level are covered with porcelain tile that is warmed by radiant heat. There are three bedroom suites on the lower level, two of which feature hand-hewn pine furniture that was brought from Colorado. Mary’s inspiration for the lower-level master suite came from seeing hickory trees in bloom.

“There is a feeling of hope and life in that shade of green that contrasts with the freshness of the brown tree trunks,” Mary said. “These colors offer me the hope and tranquility that summer has to offer.”

After Mary saw the movie “Mamma-Mia!” she was inspired to paint another bedroom suite in colors of the sunset. She had the coffered ceiling painted one shade darker blue than the walls. “Just like the sky is just before sunset,” she said.

In addition, she used shades of melon and orange in the room. “I love the way those colors splash across the sky at sunset,” she said.

Also on the lower level is a home theater with lighted columns that replicate theaters in the 1950s and 60s.

There are two storage areas. One houses the boiler for the radiant heat and also a commercial icemaker; the other has a second washer and dryer set with a large capacity for quilts and bedspreads.

Outside, the property is lined with 900 feet of decorative retaining walls. An oversized stairway ends at flagstone paths. One path leads to the lower-level garage, which houses their Polaris four-wheeler. Another path ends at the 22-foot-diameter firepit circled with concrete benches. Yet another path leads to the dock that covers the 32-foot midcabin Sunsation, a 26-foot Bayliner Rendezvous and two personal watercraft. There is also a satellite television and radio.

Both levels of the home have covered decks featuring knotty cedar painted with marine varnish. There is an outdoor kitchen on the top level with an adjoining screened eating area. There is another small screened area on the lower level.

In addition to the two-car attached, heated garage, there is a separate building on the property with a four-bay garage. There are stairs going down to a lower level that has a full bath and a large bedroom with two bunk beds. The two buildings are separated by a large star compass painted in the driveway.

When the couple moved into their new Lake house at the end of June, there was no hot water, no driveway and little furniture.

The next week, on the Fourth of July, John and Mary held a party and invited everyone who helped with the home, along with neighbors, friends and family. They hosted more than 250 guests, served barbecue from a trailer and danced until morning to a live band set up in the detached garage.

The Hardestys now have spent several months in their new Lake house, and it has everything they desired: a panoramic view spanning several miles, a great sunset and quiet, peaceful water. They realize they have created a home.

Tags: Coffman Bend, custom home, Lake of the Ozark's, Pinnacle Point

Category: Blog, Featured, Homes