Chip Wade's Modern Mountain Home Is Built to Last

Chip Wade’s house, high in Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, is a modern marvel: It likely won’t require repairs, or even much in the way of regular maintenance. “Most homes are designed to last about 100 years. This one was designed to last 500,” Chip says. He built the 4,700-square-foot structure using high-tech, ultra-durable materials, including printed steel that looks like wood. Because the property is so remote (it’s surrounded by national forest), Chip and his dad tackled most of the work themselves. “This was the hardest project I’ve ever done,” Chip says, but now he loves spending weekends here with wife Pauli and kids, Mac, 15; Mara, 12; and JT, 10. “The house brings together everything that I’m passionate about — design, architecture and engineering.”

The surround on this 17-foot-tall fireplace is made from pre-colored fiber cement panels called Equitone, the same material used on the exterior of the house. Chip crafted the moose bust from shed antlers, foam and a Pendleton blanket!

Chip wanted something more durable than wallpaper in this heavily trafficked living room, so he installed laminate panels printed with the area’s topography. Warmboard, a type of ultra-efficient radiant heating, keeps the utility bills low. The planks are luxury vinyl from Parterre.

What looks like mahogany in the kitchen is actually PVC printed with a wood grain. “We never worry about it getting wet,” says Chip. “People often ‘decorate’ their kitchen walls with cabinets they don’t need, which is like the most expensive thing you can do!” says Chip. He kept all the storage under the counter for a more open look.