Lake house on Tellico Lake
Tellico Village, 2,640 sq ft, 13 months, $910k-$960k
BEFORE
AFTER
THE BRIEF
A retired couple from Ohio, a steep lakefront lot and a house they would only see during the build through a phone screen.
WHAT WE DID
A stepped foundation with a walkout lower level, a steel beam carrying 22 feet of lake-facing glass, cedar and fiber-cement outside. A video walkthrough every Friday, so they saw every wall before the drywall went up.
RESULT
Moved in 13 months after the permit. Final $938,700 against a $931,400 estimate; the difference was a dock lighting circuit they added in month nine.
THE SCOPE, LINE BY LINE
Stepped foundation and walkout lower level
22 ft lake-facing glass wall on a steel beam
Cedar and fiber-cement exterior
Friday video walkthroughs from permit to keys
Loudon County and shoreline approvals coordinated
WHAT THE OWNER SAID
“We built a house from Ohio. The Friday walkthroughs meant we knew every wall before the drywall went up.”
Bettina Crowe, Tellico Village, Lake house, May 2026
LOCATION
Tellico Village
PROJECT TYPE
Custom home
SIZE
2,640 sq ft
DURATION
13 months
BUDGET RANGE
$910k-$960k
SCOPE
Full build, steep-slope foundation
WARRANTY
1-2-10 years, in writing