The year 2020 sure had a lot of ups and downs but for one couple from California, this year turned out to be one of positive changes, and Cheatham, Fletcher, Scott Architects and Designers played a large part in that. Ginny & Bill Laliberte decided to take a road trip from their home in Manhattan Beach, California, because they were 100 percent locked down and needed a break. Familiar with the area due to golf ties, they had been to visit the area many times. However, this time Ginny met with a realtor to take a look around and, on that same day, she and Bill became proud owners of two lots in Hammonds Ferry.  The adventure had only just begun.

After asking around about builders and architects, Ginny decided to call Cheatham, Fletcher, Scott (CFS) Architects & Designers. She spoke with Elizabeth McGee, principal architect, where she found an instant connection. “My first phone call with Ginny was memorable. To paraphrase, she called and said something like, ‘We are moving from California and we want a  true southern-style home with a wraparound porch,’” said Elizabeth. Ginny provided an image of a Beaufort, SC, home that she admired which served as a jumping off point for CFS. “We try to draw inspiration from our clients and transform their vision into something beautiful and functional,” adds Elizabeth. 

As to why Ginny and Bill decided on hiring CFS, Ginny says, “To me the personality is what it’s all about — it’s the person you are going to be working with, whether they are going to be willing to work with you or whether they are going to try to persuade you to go in their direction — because I have a really strong idea of what I want. I just needed help putting it in the design, and they gave me my creative freedom.”  She says that she and Elizabeth hit it off from the very start. She also liked the way Cheatham, Fletcher, Scott worked as a team and allowed her to show her vibrant personality in the design of her home.

While Ginny’s plan was to handle the interior design of her home, she realized early on that she did need some help with lighting and other interior details. Elizabeth connected her with CFS Interior Designer Meghan Thigpen who was able to incorporate Ginny’s favorite colors of red, yellow and black in much of the design of the home, especially in the bathrooms, kitchen and other living areas. Ginny’s favorite room in the house is the laundry room where Meghan was able to design it with bright yellow painted cabinets and a coordinating small print wallpaper. This cheery room truly makes doing laundry seem fun!

As beautiful as the 12-foot ceilings and unique design of the interior of the home is, the exterior’s wrap around porch is equally stunning and is definitely Ginny’s favorite feature. Elizabeth agrees and says, “The porches really give the home a grand presence, and they create wonderful spaces for approaching the home, rocking chair visits with neighbors, entertaining with pond side views, and enjoying a nice evening screened in with a cozy outdoor fire.  We really delivered on the wrap around porch!” The red front door and porch ceiling’s stained natural wood only add to the warmness of this home.

“Hiring Cheatham, Fletcher, Scott was a very big investment but not hiring them could have been much more expensive,” says Ginny. They were with her every step of the way including site visits during the building process to meet with the contractor in order to check the progress of the home. They were extremely accessible and easy to work with, especially with The Lalibertes not being in town for most of the building period. “We are here to help the client from the very inception of the project to the very end. One of the greatest satisfactions of our career is the experience of walking through a completed project with a happy client and contractor — it’s largely a team effort,” says Elizabeth. 

When asked to describe CFS in one word, Ginny says “perfect.”  “I called Elizabeth one day a few months back almost in tears and told her she was my blessing. She really is my blessing,” adds Ginny. Cheatham Fletcher Scott Architects and Designers was definitely the perfect fit for the Lalibertes!