Smith Cooke
3000 square-foot Modern Lake home on Lake Nottely in Blairsville, Georgia.
Contractor : Mountain Life Builders
Partnered : Reynard Custom Homes
Smith Cooke is a full renovation and rebuild located on the shores of Lake Nottely in Blairsville, Georgia. What began as an existing structure was completely stripped back to its foundations and reimagined into a 3,000 square foot custom lake home designed to fully engage its waterfront setting.
The redesigned home balances comfort, flexibility, and connection to the outdoors. With five bedrooms and four bathrooms, the layout supports large family gatherings while still offering quieter moments of retreat. Multiple living rooms and sitting areas are distributed throughout the home, allowing occupants to spread out, unwind, and experience the house at different scales depending on the moment.
A defining feature of the project is the expansive, multi-level rear deck that steps down toward the lake. These outdoor living spaces create a seamless transition from interior to exterior, providing shaded lounging areas, gathering zones, and uninterrupted views across the water. Screened and covered spaces extend the usability of the decks throughout the seasons, making the lake a constant presence in daily life.
Architecturally, the rebuilt home blends traditional lake-house character with updated detailing and materials, grounding the design in its setting while elevating it for modern living. Every aspect of the renovation was approached with construction clarity and long-term durability in mind, transforming the original footprint into a cohesive, site-responsive home.
Smith Cooke reflects our approach to custom renovations in North Georgia: honoring the potential of an existing site, reworking structure and layout from the ground up, and creating homes that feel deeply connected to their landscape and the way they are lived in.
