Widow says goodbye to ‘forever home’
Robin and Dennis Dahl built their “forever” home in 2004. Located on 5 acres off Old Hillsboro Road, the family moved from Belle Meade to that “last” house with every intention of not only enjoying it with their children, but also with their grandchildren in the future.
Equestrians, members of Hillsboro Hounds, avid steeplechasers and fox hunters, the couple was on a hunt on a glorious sunny day in February when things forever changed.
Dennis Dahl died suddenly astride his horse.
“He had no history of heart disease,” Robin Dahl said. “There were medical people in our group on the hunt. They performed CPR and worked for what seemed like forever — to no avail.”
Dahl, now a widow and an empty nester, is a Realtor with Pilkerton. She has just listed the home for $1.58 million.
“It’s just too much for me to manage and keep up on my own,” she said. “I will downsize. I’d love to stay in Williamson County, and I think I would particularly enjoy downtown Franklin.”
The custom-designed and built 3,600-square-foot home has four bedrooms and three and one-half baths. The custom-built barn features six stalls, a kitchen and a bath. Both are perched on 5 acres on a dead-end street.
Betty Brothers, an equestrian herself and a Realtor with Worth Properties, says not only are the house and barn sheer perfection, but they also make the very best use of the land.
“It’s a compact — and perfect — setting,” she said. “It was all designed to live and take care of your horses easily and comfortably. You easily move between the house and the barn, both of which are just done beautifully.”
“It’s the perfect location,” Dahl said. “We’re out in the country, but yet so close to everything. Everyone on the street has a minimum of 5 acres.”
Porches a highlight
Lisa Culp Taylor, a Bob Parks agent, says the porches are her favorite part of what she calls a “one-of-a-kind” property.
“The porches add entirely new rooms and spaces to the house,” she said. “The front porch is so wide that it can easily be furnished as a room. The screened porch in the back is equally fabulous. It’s obvious that the home and the barn were meticulously planned and thought out and built sparing no expense anywhere. It’s just a wonderful place.”
Dahl said the porches were very important to the family, from the design stage to the finished home.
“We worked with Mike Marchetti to design and build the house,” said the owner/agent. “He had helped us with our Belle Meade home. He’s just incredible and so top-notch.”
The porches are among Dahl’s favorite things about her home.
“We have a table on the front porch; we eat out there a lot,” she said. “The dining room opens to the porch. We designed it with double French doors so we could move the dining room table out to the porch for big family gatherings and to entertain. It’s such a pretty place to have dinner with candlelight. We’ve moved that table out many many times.”
She has even moved that table out onto the lawn for seated dinners, both casual and formal.
“We love to eat outside, be outside. We designed the house and the barn with that in mind,” she said
The barn also sports its own big porch, where the family has had many parties, meals and picnics.
“It was always great to sit out there and watch the children ride and train. The barn, though certainly designed for equestrian purposes, could easily morph into a party barn. The walls between the stalls could come down and you could have ping-pong, billiards tables, all sorts of room for games. We’ve actually had a ping-pong table on that porch for parties in the past,” she said.
Beautiful memories
The home faces east, so the sun sets behind it. Dahl said watching the sunrise from the front porch in the morning or having dinner outside on one of the porches in the evening with the sun setting are equally special.
Taylor says the house and barn are perfect for horse lovers, for family and for gracious entertaining.
“The house is not too large, not too small. It’s warm and inviting and comfortable. It feels like home from the minute you arrive. The gourmet kitchen opens to an inviting family room with old beams and a beautiful stone fireplace,” she said.
The beams are reclaimed and hand-hewn. The wide-plank hardwood floors also are reclaimed. They are varying widths, up to 6 inches. The home has 10-foot ceilings on the main floor and 9-foot ceilings on the second story. The master suite is downstairs, and the home has two wood-burning fireplaces equipped with gas starters.
“We put a great deal of time and thought into the house and the barn,” Dahl said. “Our children enjoyed living here so much, and we had looked forward to watching our grandchildren ride and play here.”
Dahl grew up in a large family — five girls and one boy. They lived on Old Hickory Boulevard and had horses and ponies.
Dahl’s sister, Cathy Obolensky, a Realtor with Christian, Patterson, Courtney, says Dahl is a horse woman through and through.
“All of the girls in our family were into horses; our brother was not. Our dad was a developer, so we grew up with horses and knowing about land and houses,” she said.
“Robin knew what she was doing in designing the house and barn. She and Dennis planned every detail perfectly. It’s all beautiful and tucked away with so much privacy. We’ve sure enjoyed large family gatherings out there for years.”
Dahl says she’s sad to leave this special place.
“My life and world were just changed so unexpectedly in an instant. Dennis was only 62. He loved this place as much as I. I just can’t afford to keep and maintain it on my own,” she said.
“I hope another family comes in to love and enjoy it like we have.”
SOURCE: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130927/WILLIAMSON06/309270154/Widow-says-goodbye-forever-home-
January 2014
Wallace Cartwright - Keller Williams Realty 