Native Californians find next best thing to beach home at Fernwood Creek

Native Californians find next best thing to beach home
Woodstock home exudes coastal style

By JULIE B. HAIRSTON
Published on: 04/19/07 Landlocked Atlanta wasn’t exactly where George and Nancey Enell envisioned themselves living when they said their vows barefoot on a California beach almost 10 years ago.So when they moved to the rolling hills of Woodstock after George’s transfer to become a senior architect of advanced decisioning at TransUnion, the credit reporting company, they surrounded themselves with the relaxed seaside setting that would help a couple of lifelong shore lovers feel right at home.

“You can take the girl away from the beach, but there’s a lot of beach in the house,” said Nancey, 45, now retired from her job in neonatal intensive care. “Surfing is the thing I miss the most.”

Every facet of the Fernwood Creek house George, 44, and lifelong surfer Nancey bought last October for $500,000 offers a connection to their former life by the sea. Breezy wicker furniture perches lightly among paintings and photos of coastal locales. Magnificent shell specimens gleaned from favorite shorelines grace surfaces in every room.

Native Californians, the Enells gravitated to the authentic Craftsman styling of the charming cottage they stumbled across while looking for nearby Mountain Park.

“When we walked in the door, I said, ‘I want this one,’ ” Nancey recalled.

The couple was delighted to learn that housing dollars go a lot further in Atlanta than in California. And they were pleasantly surprised to learn that Georgia’s geography allows for decorative flourishes, such as the great room’s coffered ceiling, which are uncommon on the West Coast because of earthquake protection.

An enthusiastic cook, Nancey enjoys the open flow of the kitchen, its granite counters and its subway brick backsplash.

“We liked that the kitchen didn’t have an island to bump into,” Nancey said.

Georgia’s winter weather has been a bit of an adjustment for a couple accustomed to the perennially toasty climate of Southern California, but the Enells are looking forward to the warmer months ahead when they can spend more time on the screened porch and the discreet patio out back. Already the outdoor areas are bedecked in beachside colors awaiting a summer sun to reflect their jeweled brilliance.

Since Fernwood Creek is a conservation community, built to preserve wide swaths of green space, there’s lots of room to roam with Casey and Disney, the family dogs.  Fernwood Creek is marketed by Jenny Pruitt & Associates New Homes Division.

The Enells are looking forward to roaming more widely around metro Atlanta, visiting the attractions and getting acquainted with the community they now call home.

So what was at the top of their must-see local attractions? The Georgia Aquarium, of course.