Article: HOMEMADE HOUSE: ; When Chris and Sandy Smith decided they wanted a brand new home, they built it themselves. Now - 10 years, 8,200 square feet later - it's done

sandyw@wvgazette.com

THE pillared, porch-swept brick manor sits atop Mount Alpha at the end of a picturesque country road. Behind it, directly across the river, the Capitol dome gleams in the autumn sunlight. The view stretches to the John Amos power plant. The home has 8,200 square feet, a 30- by 50-foot swimming pool, 18 pillars, 24 French doors, tile baths, cherry cabinetry, red oak floors, all the amenities you'd expect in a showplace worthy of Southern Living magazine.

And they built it themselves, from the footers to the 52-foot trusses, inch by inch, piece by piece, every pillar and post and floor plank, one nail at a time.

Chris and Sandy Smith's do-it-yourself dream house took ...

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