Designed for Family Friendly Comfort Lake of the Ozarks

Bryce and Carol Hayes first came to the Lake of the Ozarks in 2002 to see      their son’s new Sea Ray. They liked the area so much they decided to buy a 48-foot Sedan Bridge Sea Ray and sell the motor home they used to travel around the U.S. “We couldn’t keep a lot of toys,” Carol says.

They lived on the boat, which was docked at Port Arrowhead, for three years before they decided to buy a house. The first house they bought was at Porto Cima, but after a few years the couple began looking for one that would suit them better.

Bryce and Carol own Hayes Oil and Gas LLC. They have been married for 27 years. Their blended family includes six children, 14 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. “We are very proud of our children,” Carol says. Sharon, the oldest, is the director of the nurse anesthetist program at Kansas Newman University. Sandi is a CPA for Hayes Oil and Gas, and will be taking over Carol’s accounting position. Susie is a medical technician, Tammi is a lawyer and Bryant is a dentist. The youngest of the brood is Shayne, who is the production supervisor for the family business.

Each family takes turns staying with Bryce and Carol. Their 8-year-old twin grandsons say stay- ing at the Lake is their favorite vacation. “They’ve already booked their time for this summer,” Carol says.

With all the guests they entertain, the couple definitely wanted a home with bedroom suites so each guestroom would have its own bathroom. They also wanted an extra-large lot. Their home in Attica, Kansas, sits on 40 acres. And finally, they wanted a spot where they could put a dock on “quiet water” away from the churning of the main channel.

Bryce spent a lot of his free time going to open houses trying to find the perfect match. One day, he was driving around when he “stumbled” upon an open house. That was the day he met John Elliott and started on a wonderful journey. Bryce was so excited when he toured the house that he called Carol and had her come look at it. After several viewings by both land and water, as well as a bit of negotiating, the Hayeses bought their dream home.

John Elliott and his brother Bruce had built the French Country Manor-style residence as a spec house. The siblings hired Chris Derek, a Chicago architect, to design the house using John’s vision. Thomas Construction broke ground in April 2007, and the house was completed in August 2009.

John knows every inch of the home and boasts of its uniqueness like a father talking about his first child. He can recite the amenities of the properties, from the 400-foot natural rock seawall to the copper gutters and Da Vinci slate composite roof, which has a lifetime guarantee. The exterior of the home is cedar shake tiles, brick and limestone. Limestone is one of the key elements of the property. Not only is it used for the home’s façade and landscape, it also has been applied on the walls supporting three of the fireplaces. “We used one-quarter million pounds of limestone,” John says. “That’s 72 semitrailer truckloads.”

John used 12 different granites throughout the house, and all of the cabinetry is custom-made from cherry. There are three custom-curved glass windows with curved cedar moldings on the exterior. The house has its own website and there are six security cameras placed strategically throughout the home.

The solid mahogany front door opens to a barrel-vaulted entry. Large cream-color marble slabs cover the floor throughout the main living area. The weight of the extra-thick marble required strengthening the subfloor. All the baseboards have been custom milled and painted linen white.

Off the living room is the open dining room and gourmet kitchen—Carol’s favorite room. She loves to cook, but wanted the work area in the kitchen to face her guests. “Now I’m part of the family activities,” she says. Adjacent to the kitchen are a breakfast room and a hearth room with natural cherry floors. The hearth room has a 20-foot beamed ceiling and a limestone fireplace.

The library is the first room on the master-suite wing. It boasts a coffered ceiling and a custom- made desk featuring a double-thick black galaxy granite desktop and ceiling-high bookshelves. Double doors open to a walkway of colored concrete pavers that leads to what John calls the “cloister”—a small enclosed patio.

Across from the library is a glass door that opens into the elevator. John found the solid brass gate, reminiscent of the 1940s and ’50s when elevators employed operators to control the lifts.The master suite includes a large sitting room facing the Lake. A gas fireplace with a granite hearth warms the adjoining bedroom. A mini-kitchen with a wine bar and microwave oven com- plete the room.

It took 14 coats of paint to achieve the chocolate leather look on the walls of the master bath. The spa-like room boasts a four-sided infinity tub that constantly reheats the water, ensuring the bather never gets cold. The walk-in shower is made of marble and travertine with decorative stones and a glass-block window. The large walk-in closet includes a washer and dryer, as well as a window with a view of the courtyard.

A magnificent French country-style iron lantern hangs above the staircase leading to the lower level. As you descend, hang onto the cherry handrails fastened to black wrought-iron spindles. A stately, gleaming, black, babygrand player piano has been placed in front of the stairwell.

The greatroom has a limestone wall and fireplace featuring a 1,200-pound round, double-thick, granite hearth. A bricked alcove showcases Bryce’s antique slot machine. The Ushaped bar with a three-inch-thick black granite countertop seats 11 comfortably. Behind the bar are backlit stairstep liquor shelves. The bar is fully equipped with two refrigerators, a microwave drawer with a cooktop and a two- drawer Fisher Pickel dishwasher.

The lower level includes four master suites each with a different ceiling design. Two of the bedrooms open to a stone veranda, while the other two open to the pool area.

A hobby room features built-in cabinets, a long Formica counter and a washer and dryer. The grandkids love the home theater with its karaoke stage, theater lights and 60-inch flat-screen TV.

Behind a set of double glass doors is a workout room with one full wall of mirrors. Another wall features a blown-up photo of a jogging trail in Central Park in New York City. John had a friend take the shot, then had the photo enlarged and used it as wallpaper.

In addition to the 22- x 40-foot infinity pool with a swim-up bar, the pool area features a hot tub, fire pit and outdoor kitchen. The kitchen, topped with a copper roof, has two refrigerators, a gas grill, a large lobster-pot boiler and a commercial icemaker. Once the house was theirs, Carol was overwhelmed with how to decorate the space. “I didn’t know where to begin,” she says. “I’m an accountant, not a decorator.” She remembers John saying very loudly, “I’ll do it.” He drove to Kansas and toured their home in Attica. “He interviewed us asking about what we liked and disliked,” Bryce says. “And he realized how important our family is,” Carol adds.

Then John got to work customizing the furnishings to match the personalities of the Hayes family: He bought sofas and sectionals made of woven fabrics and glove leather in shades of caramel, brown and black. He found antique brass sconces, and even designed a one- of-a-kind coffee table made of cherry with a double, full-round-edge granite top. He bought curved bookshelves that matched the curve of the lower-level sectional. He made a family picture gallery behind the sofa, and also on the curved wall across the room. He found different styles of bedroom furniture, from a laser-carved head and footboard for one room to a Smithsonian four-poster bed with Eames Collector nightstands. Whew! One day, John showed up with a truckload of original oil paintings. Bryce and Carol chose 12 of the more than 400 offerings. The result is a home that John labels as “transitional.”

“It’s not eclectic, it’s a mixture of contemporary and traditional with a French country façade,” John says. The last piece to arrive was a 10-foot-round cherry table with white leather benches for the breakfast room. “He could have made it opulent, but he made it homey,” Carol says. Bryce loves the isolated feel of the six-acre property. He has seen deer and bald eagles. There were wild turkeys in the driveway. “I even saw a bobcat walk across the ice in the cove,” he says. Bryce and Carol plan to retire to the Lake in the next few months. And John will be happy to see them f full time. “I didn’t just sell a house, I made some dear friends.” John says.

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