Twist of Fate

            Donna and Jim Jasinski grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., where winters are harsh and mountains of snow build up from storms blowing off Lake Erie. Jim always dreamed of building a ski chalet somewhere out west — a place for the couple’s family to gather. But fate brought them to the Blue Ridge Mountains instead.

            Now, just two years after building their retreat at Smith Mountain Lake, the Jasinskis will open it Oct. 2-3 to visitors on the Smith Mountain Lake Charity Home Tour, an event that has raised more than $3.5 million for area charities over the past 19 years.

            The Jasinskis first were introduced to Smith Mountain Lake in 2006 when their daughter, Nicole, chose Mariners Landing Resort Community and Conference Center for the site of her wedding. While a student at Virginia Tech, Nicole had found a wedding planner who knew the area well and thought it would make the perfect spot for her to tie the knot with fiancé Scott Fulcher.

            During the festivities, Donna and Jim Jasinski fell in love with Smith Mountain Lake and discussed how it would make a much more convenient spot for family getaways, close to the newlyweds in Martinsville as well as their other daughter, Alexis, a student at West Virginia University.

            Ever the romantic, Jim enlisted Nicole and Scott to scout out some houses at SML that he could consider buying as a surprise for his wife. Although the first house-hunting trip didn’t result in a purchase, the couple ended up buying a lot at Southwind Key in September 2007. That’s when they called again on help from the wedding planner, Sandy Joyce, who is also a Class A Contractor with Dream Homes Unlimited in Martinsville.

            Jim’s "house in the mountains" became a lake home with a view of Smith Mountain. Construction began in November 2007 and was completed just eight and a half months later. The 8,000-plus-square-foot French Country-style home, which also features a view of Christmas Tree Island, was a collaboration of ideas from the Jasinskis and Joyce.

            "She took us to neighborhoods to look at brick, stone, roofing, everything," Donna said. "When we expressed preferences, she brought us samples to help us coordinate everything. Even after we decided on the red oak flooring [featured throughout the main and second levels], she brought samples stained various colors from light to dark to help us decide which to use."

            Jim added, "This was a weird lot with valleys and strange topography, but Sandy saw the potential. We had to bring in 75 truckloads of dirt, and Sandy’s husband did the excavating to make the lot flatter and useable."

            Inside the home, in addition to the outstanding view from the open living-dining-kitchen area and master bedroom, other interesting features include a study with a personalized map from Nicole pinpointing places the Jasinskis have visited.

            "We love to travel," Donna said. "Our most recent trip was with Overseas Adventure Travel to Tanzania. It was just terrific."

            Pictures in the hallway and a safari-themed guest room attest to their love of the African country. Another guest bedroom has a serene Asian look. Thanks to clever design, upstairs guests can simply toss their sheets in the chute that takes them to the main-floor laundry room.

            Beautiful details such as the spectacular coffered ceiling add to the home’s elegance. The arch of the stone entryway is repeated in lake-facing windows and in interior moldings. The master suite with sitting area has a tray ceiling with waves that resemble those on the lake. Kashmir Gold granite sparkles in the kitchen; bathrooms and laundry rooms sport New Venetian, Geallo Ornamental, Uba Tuba and Verde Butterfly granite. Downstairs, Volgar Blue granite is used in the kitchenette.

            While also beautifully furnished, the lake level with tile flooring is more practical, catering to outdoor activities with the couple’s grown children and their friends. There’s a family room, kitchenette, exercise room, theater with lush seating and a drop-down screen, wine cellar, a second laundry station and even a dog room.

            A hot tub with a lake view sits outside, and a gently sloping walkway of stamped concrete leads to a fire pit and the dock. The dock's Evergrain decking is maintenance-free, and a white vinyl beadboard ceiling hides lift mechanisms and brightens the area under roof.

            "I told [dock builder] Mike Dillon I really wanted a dock ceiling to keep the birds from sitting on rafters above the boat," said Jim.

            Also needed to complete the house were finishing touches such as window treatments, landscaping, an irrigation system and retaining walls.

            So how did two lake newcomers find local pros for the jobs?

            "We went on the Home Tour last year," Donna said. "I noticed who the sponsors were, and I saved every bit of information that was handed out, so I had several leads for the work we needed done. It was very helpful."

The 2009 Smith Mountain Lake Charity Home Tour will take place Oct. 2-3 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The eight homes on tour may be visited by boat or car. Tickets are $25 and will be available in mid-August at the SML Visitor Center at Bridgewater Plaza, other local outlets and online at smlcharityhometour.com. For more coverage of the Home Tour, including a by-boat guide, pick up the September/October Laker.