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Circular structure a perfect fit

June 1, 2007 12:35 am

BY RICHARD AMRHINE

For Terry and John Heib, the fact that the house they had built three years ago can resist hurricane-force winds is merely a fringe benefit. They just like everything about it, especially that it is round.

Well, make that two round units with a connecting foyer. And while there are similar homes sprinkled across Virginia, its floor plan is unique because Terry Heib designed it herself.

"It just feels good. We love everything about it," Terry Heib said during a tour of the Spotsylvania County home earlier this week.

She said the couple wanted to do something special for the sixth home they would own together, and considered log homes and other different sorts of houses.

Then they learned about Deltec, manufacturer of round, hurricane-proof homes, and decided to visit the company's Asheville, N.C., plant.

"We had a tour of the plant and we could see how meticulous they were," she said. "They had an aerial photograph from an area of South Carolina where a hurricane had come through. There was nothing left standing except a row of Deltecs," she said. "One of them had lost a roof shingle. That was the extent of the damage."

A visit to the Web site, deltechomes.com, explains why the homes perform as they do. Because they are round rather than having flat walls, wind tends to roll around and by them. Those built in coastal or otherwise particularly hurricane-prone areas can get a special package that supplies extra roof anchoring and other storm-proofing features.

Unlike conventional homes, the circular design requires the ceiling and floor joists to be laid out in a pie-like or wagon-wheel design that provides serious structural strength. In truth, the home is not actually round, but multi-sided--22 sides, to be exact. Because the design requires no load-bearing walls, the floor plan can be as open or as walled-off as one would like.

Heib said that after considering the topography of the six-acre building lot they had chosen, selecting Deltec was easy and immediate. Three years later, the house and setting seem to be a match made in heaven. Located on Bear Lake Drive in a gated, large lot community off of Robert E. Lee Drive, the house is built into a gentle hillside that leaves nearly all lower-level living space above grade.

Such a home is, by definition, "contemporary," but the Heibs have blended in traditional features. The upper, main, level consists of a huge, open living area that includes the kitchen and the living and dining areas. Having no walls or partitions, it is perfect for entertaining.

The kitchen features a large granite-covered island with plenty of counter and cabinet space. A large gas fireplace is among the living area's focal points.

Separated spaces include a home office, a powder room and a main-level master suite. The master bath is a combination of marble, tile and glass.

Heib said the company offers many floor plans, or lets the owner have at it. She was given grid paper to plan with and miniature furniture that let her know in advance how things would fit. She noted that round-house floor plans can be especially innovative in the way its "quirky spaces" are put to use. Walk-in closets, storage spaces and small rooms end up having unique shapes with welcome nooks and crannies that are functional as well as visually interesting.

Heib said she wanted the home to feel as spacious as possible, and for that reason chose Deltec's 10-foot wall option, rather than the 8- or 9-foot versions. By starting with 10-foot walls, the cone-shaped ceiling rises to 18 feet at its center point. Even small, peripheral rooms share the benefit of vertical space.

Rather than have a such an expansive, and mundane, drywall ceiling, the Heibs chose the warmth of tongue-and-groove, knotty pine boards.

The ceiling harmonizes with the maple hardwood flooring. Also built of maple is the custom-designed "half-turn"--not spiral--staircase that leads to the lower level. That required some extra communication between the company and contractors.

The circular theme extends to the many half-round transom windows, and even a porthole-style window to brighten otherwise darker areas.

The downstairs floor plan is less wide open, but offers a large recreation area with two more bedrooms and a substantial storage room and workshop area. A single column at the center of the lower level that supports the upper level is the home's only true load-bearing feature.

outside features

Much thought went into the exterior design and how it blends with the terrain. The lower level opens to a covered patio. Accessible from the main level is a deck that goes halfway around the house and provides relaxing views of the forested backyard all the way down to the Bear Lake shoreline.

A feature the Heibs added separate from the house is a woodstove-heated, screened lakefront room, the perfect place to kick back with a cold beverage and watch the boaters and skiers.

Heib said she realized the right touch for adding curb appeal would be a series of arbors, laced with grape vines that actually produce grapes. The arbors also provide a shady, cooling effect for the front of the house.

An entrance foyer connects the main portion of the home with the circular garage, which is designed to hold two cars, but because it is round has much more storage space than the conventional two-car garage.

Heib said the house arrived at the site in two tractor-trailer loads with all parts inventoried upon arrival. The company helped locate contractors who were willing to take on the unusual project. A company foreman was on-site the throughout to make sure construction went smoothly, and it did, said Heib.

"Any time we had a question is seemed like we were the most important people to them," she said.