Your very own Grand Tennessee Lakehouse on Dale Hollow is located on a two-acre lot in the Sherwood Shores neighborhood just outside Byrdstown, Tennessee and very near the mouth of the Obey River.  It is as close to the water as private residences are allowed to be on Dale Hollow and will delight you with breathtaking views of the lake. 

A main road loops around the Sherwood Shores Neighborhood and most of the homes on the outer perimeter have views of the lake.  There are inside roads that dice up the neighborhood, and all the roads were freshly repaved in the fall of 2003.   

Construction was completed in 1999 and significant enhancements were done in 2005 and 2007.  You will immediately relax when you experience the gentle sounds of nature in the surroundings.  There is also something about the look and feel of the rustic western red cedar and crab orchard flagstone exterior that encourages one to kick back and unwind, particularly in this little corner of the world! 

With your first step inside, you will understand this home was designed to be a permanent residence, not some ordinary rental property.  We first greatly admired the home from the water with the large 2-story prow windows facing the lake.  After purchasing and furnishing the home, we decided it was just too nice not to share with others.  In fact, we sometimes joke the only thing that would have been better than buying this home and doing what we have to it, would have been if someone else had bought it, set it up the same way, and we could just rent it from time to time! 

We really enjoy rising early and having our first cup of coffee or tea on the expansive 3-level deck in the back facing the lake as we reflect on the serenity and watch for the first boat of the day to come by.  Breakfast on the deck patio furniture is awesome and dinner in the evening with a glass of wine in the light of the setting sun is a peaceful way to end a wonderful vacation day.   Also with the 2007 upgrades came the addition of an awesome concrete patio under the deck which will undoubtedly provide the coolest outdoor place to relax in the summer heat.  The patio is shaded by the deck above and is stocked with comfortable patio furniture.  After the final grade work was done and the back yard expanded, for the first time since we purchased the property there is an awesome view from the walkout lower level on the patio…in fact almost as good as from the deck above.  Deck, porch and patio space totals nearly 2,000 square feet!

Configuration

The 2007 upgrade work created two available choices with regard to space.  Guests can decide how much of the home they would like and choose accordingly.  Complete rate details are listed in the Rental Information Tab. 

Base Option: 

The Base Option will accommodate Sleeping arrangements for a comfortable thirteen consisting of a king size bed in the master suite on the main floor,         three upstairs bedrooms; one with a king size bed;           another with two twin beds,   and a third with four twin beds (we call this one the ‘dorm room’).  A full bathroom upstairs serve guests there.  The great room on the main floor has a plush La-Z-Boy sectional sleeper sofa making a queen-size bed.  Finally, there is also a La-Z-Boy loveseat sleeper in the main floor great room.  The bathroom off the MBR is quite spacious and has a Jacuzzi tub.  The Base options provides access to all the exterior of the home including the patio off the walk-out lower level.

The kitchen is fully stocked with quality cookware for those who enjoy preparing wonderful meals.  There is a breakfast nook off the kitchen with a table and chairs for four.  We can’t say enough about the Holland Grill we decided to mount down on the back deck.  It is different from other grills, and perfect for cooking any kind of meat to perfection without the risk of burning, and also is capable of cooking many other components of your meal.  The kitchen is complete with dishwasher, coffee maker with filters and a variety of coffees that vary from time to time, as well as a blender and tea brewer.  The dining room has a uniquely shaped table…square, and is designed to accommodate two people on all four sides for a total of eight, which we have found perfect for larger family meals. 

You will enjoy many small amenities in this fine home, some of which were decisions made at the time of construction, like high quality Maytag appliances throughout including washer/dryer, and sink and bathroom fixtures made by Kohler.  The floors in the great room, entryway and dining room are gloss finished oak hardwood, and the kitchen and bathrooms are all ceramic tile.  We also decided to go the extra mile with a home theater system in the great room which in 2007 was upgraded with a 47 inch 1080 high definition flat panel LCD television.  This is paired with a DVD player capable of also playing audio CD’s and a DirecTV high definition Satellite receiver.  Yamaha audio components provide full surround sound.  This is all topped off with a Harmony universal remote simplifying operation of the system.  Never knowing quite how the acoustics will work out in a room until you are done; we have been very pleased, probably due to all the wood in the sound environment.  DirecTV satellite pay-per view programming is available should you choose.  We have taken great care to create detailed operating instructions for the home theater system as well as well as other components in the home.

Should you enjoy reading, we have found it particularly satisfying to enjoy a great book in the summertime outside on the covered porch in the front of the house by the main entrance, or now maybe on the patio under the deck in the back.  There is eastern red cedar furniture there, and it is a perfect place to spend a rainy summer day with a great novel.  During the fall or winter, it is wonderful to curl up on the cozy sectional sofa next to the gas log fireplace with piece of fine reading material.  Something about the stone fireplace visible for the full 2-stories of the great room, the wood ceiling and exposed beams is simply warm and relaxing. 

Normally, you don’t see too many boats on Dale Hollow equipped with a marine radio, however, you may wish to consider adding one to yours before you come.  Mobile telephones are just not very reliable with the obstruction of all the hills and very spotty coverage by most carriers, so we have furnished a permanently mounted marine radio inside the house between the great room and the kitchen.  We have been just delighted with how it has helped us stay in contact while out on the water.  We can reach Sunset Marina and down the lake nearly as far as the junction of the Obey and Wolf Rivers, thus covering several miles of water.  The marine radio is also helpful for getting up to date weather broadcasts from the National Weather Service.  Additionally, we have researched and placed in the instruction book the channels monitored by the various marinas; handy information to know in case one gets in a bind while out on the water.  It actually happened to us once when a rented pontoon boat and our old run-about went down at the same exact time way up the Obey River.   

Since we are on the topic of communications, we should mention there is a landline telephone inside the house, although we did have to think twice on this one!  Should you wish to be totally out of touch, just don’t mention the home has one to others who might be tempted to track you down!  You can always turn the thing off when you arrive, too.  Local calls are free, and a calling card will get you long-distance service.  Additionally, Wireless Broadband is available to guests who bring along a wireless–equipped laptop.  A DSL connection is broadcast through a Linksys Wireless-G Router.  The signal is 64-bit encrypted and the access code rotated.  In the ‘dorm room’ on the upper level, a 19” external color monitor, keyboard and mouse can provide a functional workspace in the event you must.  Also notable, there are lots of jacks around the house for those who need to access the web via a dial-up connection. 

Also the bedroom above the garage upstairs we affectionately call the ‘Dorm Room’ since all the kids seem to migrate there has a wall-mounted TV and DVD/VCR in the event you want to ship them off with their own movie.  There is a built-in bookcase in the ‘Dorm Room’ where we have started a recreational reading collection for guests.  Please feel free to use any books here, and we also invite you to add to the collection if you wish! 

There is a cabinet in the utility room stocked with several games.  We welcome our guests to contribute to the inventory or offer suggestions for future additions.  Currently we have Sequence, Rook, Playing Cards, Uno, Skip-Bo, Dominoes, and a beautifully handcrafted wooden checkerboard with hand-turned wooden checkers. 

Plus Option:

lower level which walks out to the back patio.  Construction on the lower level was completed in June, 2007 and adds some cool amenities over and above just more space.  Sleeping configurations in the lower level consist of a large master bedroom with king-size bed in a very quiet place in the home.  This room is perfect if you are in real need of rest since there are no windows and it is tucked in a far back corner of the lower level and soundproofed.  The second bedroom on the lower level has a twin trundle bed which can be pulled out and accommodate two.  There is a wonderful Catnapper queen-size sleeper sofa in the gathering area bringing the additional sleeping arrangements to six for a grand total of nineteen.

There is a kitchenette complete with refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker.  There is also a second washer & dryer in the lower level. 

Additional with the plus option is a full-blown office!  In a nice tucked-away room we built-out lots of counter desk space and configured a 19” flat panel LCD monitor along with keyboard, optical mouse and an HP 1100A printer / scanner / copier.  There is a desk phone also.  Just plug in your laptop to the provided equipment and along with the wireless signal you can become highly effective in the event you need to squeeze in a little work while you are away.  Although this is not the goal, it does provide an element of flexibility and real convenience. 

Perhaps the highlight of the entire lower-level project in 2007 was the conception and build-out of what turned out to be an incredible walk-in tile, stone and glass block shower with double heads.  We cooked up the layout, selected the materials & equipment, and our carpentry crew built it.  Two of the sides and the floor are against concrete exterior of the home.  The two shower heads have dual Kohler control valves which automatically adjust for temperature as well as pressure and work perfectly to maintain consistent water flow.  The colors are earthy and the design layout involves some unusual angles.  We used a clear Basco swing-out shower door which has no ‘head-buster’ rail across the top like most doors.  Also the tall folks of the world will appreciate the high placement of the shower heads to avoid having to stoop down to rinse!   The shower is illuminated with a sealed light in the center which really sets off the colors in the tile and stone.  As of this writing the project has been completed a little over a week and we have already had two folks including one 35 year real estate veteran say it is the coolest shower they have ever seen! 

With approximately 4,000 square feet of living space with the Plus Option, large family groups are no problem.  The setup is perfect for two or three families, and can be great for large groups of extended family to gather for perhaps a family meeting.  Also corporate retreats work well.  Two additional notes about the lower level…you will notice we covered all the outside walls with ½” knotty pine grooved paneling which gives a nice rustic look.  We also cut hickory saplings from a family farm nearby, hand hewed and aged them for a year and then sanded, lightly sealed and installed them as hand rails on both the lower and upper level stairways.  We had seen this trick done with pine poles in a cool home we rented when visiting Breckenridge, Colorado and wanted to give it a try.

All linens are provided, and the bathrooms are fully stocked with towels, washcloths, etc.  A half bath is on the main floor off the main entryway.  Also notable, the environment inside the home is kept comfortable with dual heating and cooling units.  The main & lower level is served by one large unit and upper floor by another.  Temperature is independently adjustable, and allows everyone to be comfortable.  Dual hot water heaters keep a huge supply of H2O, and we have yet to hear of anyone experiencing a cold shower.   

Weekly housekeeping service is included as well as trash pickup a couple times weekly.  Note:  The lakehouse is fine for infants and well-behaved school-age children, but not for toddlers, who could easily hurt themselves bumping into sharp table edges or climbing up stairs.  We simply haven’t done the things necessary to make the place truly “toddler-friendly.” 

No Pets, No Smoking and No Fireworks, Please.

©2007 Performance Unlimited, LLC