Laid-Back Living

            When Bill and Patty Bundy bought their Smith Mountain Lake home in 2002, there was no question they were ready to begin enjoying life at the lake. But, they wondered, would they like it enough to live here full time?

            Patty, a psychologist, and Bill, whose company, The Bundy Group, helps people buy and sell businesses, still had their home in Roanoke where they had lived for 25 years. Having the lake house meant the couple could try out living in a picturesque Betty’s Creek setting while commuting to work in Roanoke.

            "The 35-minute drive each way turned out to be a non-issue," said Bill, who commuted for four years before the couple began an extensive renovation of their SML home. "The beauty of the surroundings at the lake just can’t be beat. When we would leave Roanoke and cross Windy Gap, we’d feel like we had left all the tension and stress of that world behind."

            Once they decided they liked being resident Lakers, the Bundys worked with architect Jennifer Smith-Lewis for more than a year, planning a remodel of their one-story ranch that would retain its original footprint but expand from 3,100 to 4,500 square feet.

            "She knew we were changing not only where we live, but how we live," Patty said. "We were downsizing, leaving our formal days behind to enjoy a more relaxed way of living, and we wanted our home’s spaces to be efficient and multi-purpose."

            The Bundys, who have been married for 38 years, put everything except two seasons of clothing in storage. They lived in the home’s basement during the renovation, which was handled by Roanoke-based Pitman Construction Company. The timeline and task list for the work, which began in June 2007, was posted on a kitchen wall. The Bundys, the architect and the builder met every Thursday to assess progress.

            "The builder never got behind. We did not even have a ripple. It was a very positive experience," Bill said.

            Six months later, the couple and their Labrador retriever, Joker, a mental health service dog who goes to work with Patty, moved up stairs into their remodeled home.

            The Arts and Crafts-style bungalow, which was featured on the 2009 SML Charity Home Tour, includes additional living space to meet the needs of family and guests. With their master suite on the main floor, the couple can live on one level. The newly added second floor has a guest parents’ bedroom, Jack-and-Jill bath, children’s bedroom and a den. There is a similar guest area on the lower level.

            The Smurf-blue carpeting and the interior walls of the original ranch, built in the early 1980s, were torn out, and the rooms reconfigured. The new rooms were designed around five pieces of antique furniture: a 1700s pewter cabinet with homemade nails in the entryway; a desk and an 1800s cherry corner cupboard in the dining room; antique beds in the upstairs suite; a rope bed in the downstairs guest area; and, in the living room, a 700-pound farm table from Utah.

            The living room is a large, glassed-in, porch-like space with no curtains to obstruct the lake view. The large home office has a glass wall above his-and-her desks that lets the Bundys gaze out at the lake through the living room windows.

            The dining room, between the kitchen and living room and accessed from both the study and entry hall, is multipurpose – a gathering place, an intimate dining area with a cozy fireplace nearby, a dining area for a crowd when table seating is expanded, and a display space for antique furniture and collectibles in cabinets which dictated the exact room measurements.

            Though the kitchen is located on the street side of the house, the sink was angled to allow a view of the living room fireplace and the lake. There are double dishwashers in the kitchen and drawers with built-ins and cabinets made to precisely accommodate the couple’s glasses, dishes and kitchen accessories.

            Downstairs, a large outdoor patio is dominated by a lovely stone fireplace with a short stone wall that provides extra seating for a crowd. There’s also an outdoor shower/changing area because, as Patty said, "We have lots of skiers in the family." The crew includes daughter Melany and husband Jim Mullens, who live on the Blackwater, and son Clint and wife Holly Bundy of Charlotte, N.C.

            Since the renovation, this house really feels like home," Bill said. "It reflects our change in lifestyle and accommodates our guests and family in such comfortable ways."

For additional images of the Bundy home, click here.