Kevin and Belinda Reaves had talked about building a log home for years. In fact, the Lizella, Georgia, couple had a design drawn and builder lined up waiting for the go-ahead. What they didn’t have was land. With three young children and a stay-home mother who home schools, the Reaves hesitated leaving the convenience of their Macon suburb.

“We had looked at land in the country, but we worried about being too far out for emergencies,” Kevin explains.

One fall day in 1998, they realized the secluded, wooded world they sought was just a few blocks from their house. Fifteen months later, the family moved into a sprawling two-story home on 14 acres of rolling hills and hardwood trees, with two creeks meandering through the property and amazing views of a 6 1/2-acre private lake from three sides of the house. Best of all, they’re still 15 minutes from shopping, doctors and other suburban amenities.

It’s amazing how well it worked out, considering the Reaves did the process backwards. In fact, an architect friend visiting the construction site noted that the design placed the house perfectly to take best advantage of the location. He was dumbfounded when Kevin told him they’d actually planned the house before they found a site.

“It turned out exactly how we wanted,” Kevin says. “We feel truly blessed that everything came together.”

Next: FAMILY TIES