2006 On Magazine

Grand Estates: Building and Decorating to Feel Like Home
By Jackie Kennedy

Extravagant size shouldn’t detract from a fine property’s cozy appeal. Even the grandest homes in the area’s finest neighborhoods should create warm, inviting retreats for their lucky owners.

The exquisite estate property at 6435 Shady Oaks in Frisco’s exclusive Chapel Creek enclave is one that successfully achieves the fine balance between creating a grand statement on the outside while offering a welcoming lifestyle on the inside. Caldwell Family Custom Homes of Carrollton constructed this Country French manse to span almost 9,000 square feet under roof, which includes over 7,000 square feet of air-conditioned interiors, extensive outdoor living areas, an attached two-car garage and an additional single-car garage attached to the main house via a porte-cochere.

Pat Caldwell (principal and founder of Caldwell Family Custom Homes) opened his family-operated homebuilding business in 1997. With wife Linda handling marketing, son Benjamin helping develop house plans, and daughter Kelly lending her expertise to color selections, the Caldwell family collectively offers an eight-hands-on business. Equally important, says Pat, are their eight eyes. “The more people you have go through a home, looking at it in both the design and construction phases, the more eyes and input you have, resulting in a better product in the end,” he says.

He builds just two homes a year, focusing on quality rather than quantity. This latest Chapel Creek home offers the best of his efforts. When Pat Caldwell began building his expansive homes in 1997, a 5,000-square foot house was considered quite large; today, what’s considered large has grown, and his typical custom residence now measures 7,000-square feet or more. “People want additional living spaces, such as media rooms, larger kitchens and great rooms,” says Pat. “Most floor plans now call for combining the kitchen, breakfast room and great room, then integrating these three to enable one large entertaining area. The challenge is to merge these rooms while at the same time retaining their individual spaces.”

Priced at $1.85 million, the Chapel Creek home offers lavish amenities including a wine cellar, media room, three fireplaces, granite and marble countertops, travertine marble flooring, red oak cabinetry, and a majestic chandelier in the family room. The expansive terrace with commercial gas grill overlooks a landscaped pool and wooded creek lot. Appointed with five bedrooms, many of its spaces offer bode, or accent, lighting.

The home’s gourmet kitchen with a Viking commercial cook-top, Dacor ovens, two Sub-Zero refrigerators, and matching dishwashers creates an additional central gathering place with its 52-foot long nook featuring a 14-foot island.

Pat and his family pride themselves in creating custom homes that are user-friendly. This particular residence showcases its extra-high ceilings with light fixtures positioned on lifts. With the touch of a remote button, the fixture descends, allowing homeowners to change bulbs without the necessity of an extension ladder.

“I like people to go through one of my houses and say, oh, I never would have thought of doing that; nor do I ever want someone to go through a house and say, I wish he would have done this,” says Pat.

“When you start building a house, you begin with a single line on a piece of paper, and this line eventually evolves into the final set of plans, which then becomes the final product. When I finish a home, it’s a one-of-a-kind creation; we never build that plan again. It’s a masterpiece I can take pride in, from carpets to cabinetry to amenities.”

One component contributing to the over-all success was award-winning designer Gary Riggs, who assisted with the final interior detailing on the Chapel Creek home. With 20 years of experience in the industry, Riggs accepted the challenge of creating an inviting ambience for the sizable residence. “Often, homeowners make the mistake of under-furnishing large spaces, creating a commercial feel, as in a hotel lobby,” says Riggs. “But the beautifully scaled interiors of this home provided us a perfect opportunity to create comfortable spaces for both grand entertaining and intimate daily activity. We filled the spaces with specially selected pieces to create upscale yet welcoming living areas, resulting in a distinctly ‘homey’ feeling throughout.”

In this newest Caldwell home, Riggs found ample space in the master bedroom for a generous sofa grouping, which not only provided an intimate sitting area but also created the feel of a retreat, he says.

In the business for 20 years, Gary Riggs Interiors opened his impressive 17,000-square foot showroom in Allen one-and-a-half years ago. Showcasing upwards of $2 million in inventory, the elaborate showroom showcases his signature use of rich fabrics and distinctive color palettes. Among other notable projects, Riggs has decorated Presbyterian Hospital of Plano’s prestigious Sue A. DeMille Diagnostics Center as well as the hospital’s pediatric wing, which he brought to life with enchanting, multi-hued murals.

 “Any space, if utilized wisely, can feel warm and comfortable, without overwhelming those enjoying it,” says Riggs.

Caldwell Family Custom Homes attributes its success to their hard-working team of dedicated contractors whose combined expertise and experience are essential to making sure the finished product is exceptional.

Pat chose Dallas-based Caperton Johnson Designers, a firm specializing in larger, high-end home designs to provide the architectural services for this project. “I like their massing of the house in that their rooms are large and open, which creates a friendly atmosphere,” says Pat. “When you build a large house, rooms need to flow together to give a feeling of continuity.”

Caldwell has used A.A. Porter Lighting of Addison as their lighting supplier since 1997. “They not only supply high-end light fixtures but they custom design/fabricate fixtures to fit the architecture of the property,” says Pat. “Porter took the lead and designed and fabricated the grand chandelier for the Chapel Creek family room.”

Caldwell relied upon Copeland Carpets of Carrollton to provide the turn-key services for all of the flooring and tile work in this house, including the procurement and installation of the distinctive imported Italian marble for the master bathroom which added a special grandeur to this private area. “Every bathroom was designed to have a distinct tile pattern and it was very important to me to have the finished product reflect these unique designs.”
“Structured wiring is now just as important as any other mechanical/electrical system in a new home. Current homebuyers expect a totally integrated structured wiring system to include voice, data, video and sound. Plus with the almost daily changes in technology, it is important that any new home contain a structured wiring system that will not become obsolete,” says Caldwell. Pat trusts DM Home Entertainment of Carrollton to provide structured wiring throughout his homes. “DM Home Entertainment not only has the ability to provide the structured wiring, but a major portion of their business is to provide/install the end user equipment for these systems. This, coupled with their CEDIA certification, makes them a perfect choice to provide these services.”

“I wanted to create the feeling that the rear terrace and pool area were part of the actual living space of the overall home while at the same time, retain the feeling of intimacy and privacy of the area naturally provided by the existing wooded creek lot. Masterpiece Pools provided a design that incorporated three water features and a bridge that accomplished my goal.”

This grand estate at 6435 Shady Oaks is available for viewing from 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and by private appointment during the week.

For more information, call Caldwell Family Custom Homes at 214.215.1421 or visit the Web at pat@builderpat.com. Gary Riggs Interiors may be contacted at 214.547.1054 or at their showroom, 505 Century Parkway, #250, in Allen.