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Reclaimed Beams Charms Idea House Living Room

With construction well under way at the nation’s only Southern Living Idea House at Nashville’s Fontanel, project builder Castle Homes continues to research materials big and small helping creating a unique and beautiful home opening in mid-June.

A five building complex surrounding a pretty quadrangle garden area, the Generational Farmhouse style main home is complemented by charming bunkies, a guest house and garage with a caretaker’s residence according to Alan Looney, president of Castle Homes.

Stepping inside the main farmhouse, the formal keeping room has a soaring 18 feet ceiling. Castle Homes’s Production Manager Brett Wright said architects Historical Concepts have incorporated four 23 feet long beams into the ceiling design.

Southern Living Idea House Keeping Room Construction
The large Keeping Room offers plenty of entertaining space in the Southern Living Idea House at Fontanel being built by Castle Homes in Nashville.

While researching old farm beams, Wright visited Eagle Reclaimed Lumber in Murfreesboro.

“It is standard for Castle Homes to weave an interesting architectural element into a house. Many times, we find unusual newel posts. Reclaimed beams, over a century old, will add an intriguing element to the open Keeping Room ceiling,” Wright said. “Over 100 years ago, the beams were used to keep the walls stable and from spreading. In the home today, the beams will be used decoratively to help bring definition and add charm.”

During the research visit, Wright found a Civil War era oak peg used to tie together wood beams.

The antique peg from Eagle Reclaimed Lumber is a great reflection of craftsmanship from the era.

Wright was amazed at the craftsmanship in the antique peg and how it didn’t mushroom when pounded into the beam.

“It’s not mushroomed at all on the end where it would have been pounded into the beam. It shows great skill in making sure the hole was created in an exacting fashion so it was a snug fit,” Wright said.

The craftsmanship reflected in the repurposed and well-harvested materials are a good choice for the important project. “From a construction standpoint, it is really neat to be able to showcase this work well-over 100 years later,” Wright reflected.

The nation’s only 2013 Southern Living Idea at Fontanel in Nashville will be open for tour mid-June through December.

Castle Homes, a Nashville-based design-build firm earned the 2012 Southern Living Custom Builder of the Year Award. With Fontanel Properties, LLC as project developer, the 2013 Southern Living Idea House team includes architect Historical Concepts, interior designer Phoebe Howard, Page | Duke Landscape Architects with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as the benefiting charity. Continue to follow the build here.

Southern Living celebrates the essence of life in the South, covering the best in Southern food, home, garden, and travel. Reaching more than 16 million consumers each month, Southern Living connects consumers with the region’s rich culture through a variety of print, digital, mobile, tablet and event platforms. Headquartered in Birmingham, AL, the rapidly expanding Southern Living brand is part of Time Inc., one of the largest content companies in the world and the largest publisher in the United States. TimeInc. is a Time Warner company.