7 Must-Have Home Design Features for Your Winchester, TN Lake Home

When you think about Winchester, Tennessee, beautiful Tims Ford Lake is probably one of the first images that comes to mind. One of Tennessee’s favorite lakes, Tims Ford is well known for boating, water sports, fishing, and gorgeous lake homes. 

If you’ve ever visited the Winchester area and spent time on Tims Ford Lake, at the marina, or at Drafts and Watercrafts, you might have wondered what it would be like to live on the lake full time. In a word - awesome. We love lake life so much that we wanted to build a community known for great memories, beautiful homes, and terrific times with friends and families. 

As a developer and homebuilder in Winchester, Twin Creeks has been honored to build more than 200 lake homes and resort properties, with many more underway, and we love every minute of it. We sat down with Nate Howell, our VP of Custom Homes, and asked him to share his insights about some of the top design features to consider when building your custom home. 

Consider the life you’re planning to live. 

The first step is to ask yourself this: A house isn’t a home without, what? Time with family? Great outdoor memories? The wind in your hair on the boat? You get the idea. Think about what’s most important to the life story you want to create, and then use those images and ideas to help you dream and make decisions about the home that will be the hub of your next adventure.

For many people, lake life means relaxing and fun times with families and friends. You might need room for entertaining, his and her bathrooms, extra bedrooms for guests, or a place to install your custom-built kegerator. Your lake house design should make living your best life possible in a way that makes sense for you. Make a list of your must-haves so that you can be sure you plan room in your budget to make those possible. Then comes the fun part - designing your custom home. 

Don’t worry; you don’t have to spend the time conducting a long search to find the right floor plan or trying to find an architect to contract with. Nate and the Twin Creeks team will help you every step of the way, including helping you find the right plan and design to meet your needs, goals, and budget.  

So what are the things we're seeing in our current projects?

1. High-end vinyl plank flooring 

Living at the lake means spending a lot of time on - and in - the water. But when your family is coming in from the lake wet, the last thing you want to worry about is damaging your carpet or hardwood floors. 

High-end vinyl plank flooring is an attractive solution. Like hardwood flooring, vinyl plank is unique and beautiful. However, it’s more durable, easier to clean, and often less expensive. Don’t mistake this high-end product for some of the wood laminate or low-quality vinyl materials of the past. The right vinyl flooring has a luxurious look and feel, a long lifespan, and the comfort and quality you can depend on. 

2. Custom-built mudroom lockers

In addition to choosing the right flooring, many Twin Creeks property owners are opting to include a mudroom in their floor plan for easy access inside from the outdoors. If you're going to have a mudroom, consider including custom-built mudroom lockers. These gorgeous built-in seating and shelving areas can give you a place to store shoes, lake towels, pool toys, or lake equipment without having to tromp water or mud into the rest of your house. 

3. A great room for entertaining

If this past year has taught us anything, it’s to treasure our time with the people we love. We are seeing that many owners prefer an open-concept main floor, with lots of space for entertaining. 

Instead of a dining room, many people prefer an open breakfast nook off the kitchen. Many kitchens are being designed to be bright, spacious, and airy, with a large, counter-height island for preparing and eating meals. 

The kitchen immediately opens into a large great room that offers a clear sightline from the kitchen throughout the ground floor common areas. This eliminates barriers between rooms and will give you an inclusive feel for living and entertaining. No one has to miss out on the fun because they’re tucked away in the kitchen.

4. Relax on gorgeous screened-in covered porches

Lake living all year round means you want to be able to enjoy your home no matter the season. One great way to enjoy the outdoors in cooler temperatures is to include in your plan a screened-in covered porch with an outdoor fireplace off of your home's great room. 

Many Twin Creeks homeowners are choosing a four-panel sliding glass door that opens out to a stunning outdoor living space. These types of doors can open up the feel of your room, making it appear even more spacious, maximizing your view, and allowing you to soak in every bit of your environment. 

Your screened-in covered porch, once outfitted with a flat-screen TV, outdoor fireplace, or an alfresco kitchen with a wine fridge, can be the perfect location to relax and enjoy your lake community all year long. 

5. Maximize your views with the right windows and doors

Speaking of those lake views, you’ll want to take advantage of every opportunity to appreciate your impressive scenery. Many homeowners are opting to help achieve this with unique windows and doors. 

You might have noticed that black windows appear to be popular in new homes lately. These are black on the outside to give you a unique, stylish exterior. On the inside, however, they’re white to lend brightness to your home. Additionally, you might think that a window is a window, but it’s also a good idea to choose windows that offer larger panes with minimal grid lines so they won’t obstruct your view. 

It’s for these same reasons that many people are also choosing high-end patio doors instead of windows in your master bedroom and some upstairs bedrooms. The best doors have two full panels that slide out left or right from the middle.

6. Accommodate the whole crew with bunk rooms. 

Many owners are making room for grandchildren or friends with children and including in their house plan a longer room that can accommodate two or more sets of bunk beds. These allow kids the opportunity to enjoy indoor slumber party campouts and late-night giggle sessions in their own space. 

Not into having a full house? We hear you. We have a host of lake home rental properties at Twin Creeks that can keep your loved ones close without you having to give up any privacy. Our lake villas, waterside cottages, and sites at our lakefront RV resort offer you various options to help you create the perfect environment for your next family gathering. 

7. Make life easier. 

Lake life is about making things easier on you, and that includes things like laundry. Many of our Twin Creeks clients are choosing to build their lake home with an ensuite laundry room connected to the master bedroom. This modification can save you a lot of time and hassle not toting laundry to and from across the house. Think of all the front porch time you’ll get back!

While we’re on the subject of making life easier, remember to think about how you’re going to get to and from the marina lake. You’ve probably spotted Twin Creeks staff and residents staff “commuting” to the marina, the wedding and events site,  and the walking trails via golf cart. Be sure to plan for a golf cart outlet in your garage so that you can charge your cart before your next adventure.

We love nothing better than life on the lake, and your custom lake home should give you the perfect space to have fun and make lasting memories with the people you love. Visit our website or contact us today to get started building the lake home of your dreams. [Custom Home CTA]