A modern house under construction with wooden siding, large windows, a metal roof, and surrounded by tall grass and trees.

The McCade House

Location: South Toe Valley, Yancey County, NC

Size: [sf] heated

Program: 3 bed / 2 bath + attached 1 bed / 1 bath artist studio

Construction: conventional, designed by Wilson Architects

Designed by Wilson Architects for a family of four, the McCade House sits at the heart of a multi-generational farm in the South Toe Valley; neighbors to grandparents and cousins, surrounded by the kind of extended family life that shapes how a house gets used every day. For one family member, it's a retreat from a demanding work life; for the other, it's a working artist's studio integrated seamlessly into the home. An attached studio connects to the main house via a dogtrot: a covered open-air passage that doubles as a generous mudroom for a household that's always coming in barefoot from the fields.

The foundation alone tells you this is no ordinary house: 26 corners give the building its distinctive, compound massing, seen clearly from the meadow below where it sits framed against the Black Mountains. Picture windows in the kitchen and living room frame that view directly. Inside, the custom staircase features built-in drawers that squeeze storage into every inch, while upstairs the kids' bedrooms open onto a dedicated Lego loft via folding ladders, and a climbing loft set high invites the whole family up. The [species] siding weathers warmly against the surrounding farm landscape, and the standing seam metal roof ties it all together.

A newly constructed two-story wooden house with a metal roof, surrounded by construction materials and uneven ground, with trees in the background.
Room with wooden beams on ceiling, a ceiling fan, a wood stove with a chimney pipe, large windows, and a set of French doors leading to another room.
Unfinished kitchen with natural wooden cabinets, large windows, hardwood flooring, white subway tile backsplash, and a modern stainless steel refrigerator.
Modern kitchen with light wood cabinets, stainless steel refrigerator, open shelves with bowls and mugs, white brick backsplash, black countertop, and a wooden kitchen island.
A bathroom with a wooden vanity, a mirror, a white sink, a soap dispenser, a window showing greenery outside, and a modern white toilet.
Indoor home climbing gym with wooden walls, colorful climbing holds, padded floor, and a window showing green trees outside.
A modern wooden house with a metal roof, surrounded by a landscaped garden with small bushes and flowers.
Interior view of a room with large windows overlooking a green landscape and trees, a wood stove with a black chimney pipe, a ceiling fan, and a sliding glass door leading outside.

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