Rita LeBleu

rlebleu@americanpress.com

Graywood turns 20

First home owners still call it home

Graywood turns 20 this year. One of the first couples to call it home was David and Ann Self. The opportunity for the empty nesters to downsize and live on the golf course wooed them away from their 32-year home in University Place where they were one of the first residents. The Selfs were familiar with communities planned around golf courses because they had vacationed many times in such settings.

“We always talked about living in one but thought we’d have to move out of the state to do it,” David said.

In 2001, Golf Digest named Gray Plantation the No. 3 golf course in the nation. As a semi-private club, memberships are available but non-members may pay a fee to play.

The Selfs chose J.T. Fontenot as contractor and moved into the 3,000 square foot, three-bedroom home in 2000. In 2005 they sent Fontennot a thank-you note.

“After Hurricane Rita, we had two chipped shingles and we had to replace our satellite dish,” said David. “That’s it.”

During construction Ann Self remembers explaining to suppliers Graywood was, in fact, inside the city limits.

It was only a year before the Selfs started building that the Lake Charles City Council voted to annex more than 3,000 acres of Stream family agriculture and timberland. The 1,800 acres near the banks of the Calcasieu River would be used to make a community for 1,600 families and a 7,000-yard, 18-hole golf course. The 19 separate “neighborhoods” with plenty of greenspace would target different markets.

“The city was expanding to the southwest at the time and and the size of the tract was pefect for the development of a master-planned community,” said Carolyn Marcantel, Graywood Community Manager.

In 2004, the number of homes grew to 51. In 2015, fourteen families called Graywood home. Today the number is 605.

In an American Press article, Stream said the final vision for his family’s farmland bears little resemblance to the first set of plans he sketched in the 1980s. Multi-family housing, at one time, was going to be a component of the plan. The price of construction has increased significantly since 1999. When Harold “Spook” Stream presented his plan, he said home prices would cover the gamut, from the low $100,000s to the high $800,000s. Today’s entry-level prices are in the $325,000 range. The upper end houses may be priced as high as $4,000,000. The largest house, which has been recently approved for construction will have over 15,000 square feet.

According to the original plan, the 19 neighborhoods have been designed to suit a style of living according to size and price point. Those neighborhoods are Azalea, Blue Sage, Camellia, Cypress Turn, Dogwood, Indigo, Jasmine, Lemongrass, Magnolia, Myrtle Bay, Oleander, Persimmon, Primrose, Palmetto, Sawgrass, Sassafras, White Oak and Willowbrooke.

The Selfs downsized 500 square feet and went from four bedrooms to three when they moved to Blue Sage. Children had grown up and moved out. One of the bedrooms is used as an office.

The large, arching windows at the rear of the house that face the golf course are the Selfs favorite home feature.

It is a house built for entertaining large groups of friends and family. The furniture in the open living/dining room has been pushed back and the space used to seat at least 50 for brunch. A fireplace separates the oversized dining and living room from the huge kitchen with plenty of seating and workspace.

“That’s the only thing we bought before we purchased the lot, said David. “We knew we wanted a two-sided fireplace.”

“When David’s in the kitchen cooking, there is only room for one,” said Ann. “When I’m in there, for some reason there’s plenty of room for three.”

The art, including pieces from Will Hinds and Kevin Leveque; heirloom furnishings; hand-sewn quilted shower cornice; quilt and wall-hangings created by Anne (who also pilots planes) and miniature “rooms,” are only a few of the things that fill the house with character.

The framed 4 ft. x 4 ft. Ann Wallis Self family tree, hand-drawn with hand-written names is the work of three generations, is as moving as any work of art.

“Everything I put on the wall has meaning,” said Ann.

The Selfs are building a pergola they’ve been wanting for some time.

David remembers the earlier Home Owner’s Association rules, including the architectural guidelines as extensive and detailed.

“How detailed where they, you ask? Let’s put it this way,” David said. “After Karl Marx wrote Mein Kampf, he wrote the Graywood covenants, conditions and restrictions. But all the ridiculous things have been changed now.”

The HOA’s guidelines are a plus to residents interested in maintaining certain standards.

“It gives Graywood a very clean and orderly look,” said Rick Eisner. “I think the guidelines will certainly help to increase property values in the future.”

Eisner heads the family newest to Graywood. He and wife, Amy, wanted to live in a neighborhood that would have plenty of kids with whom their kids could play. The Eisners also appreciate the golf course, tennis club, sports club, swimming pools, park and two restaurants.

“Everyone has been so friendly,” Rick said. “I see lots of families playing golf, tennis or riding bikes as a family. Some of them ride through the neighborhoods in their golf carts. It’s a beautiful place to live. We should have done it years ago.”