3540 Country Estate Dr Nw, Kennesaw, GA 30152

For years she clipped pictures from magazines. California ranch houses. Walls of glass. Long rooflines. Warm wood. She kept every piece, waiting for the house that would finally match the pile. Her husband was an architectural engineer for Coca-Cola. Handy person to have around when you're building a house. They broke ground in 1972 and by 1976, the pictures had become a reality. A special mid-century ranch on a 3.1 acre wooded lot. Fifty years later, you can still see their fingerprints everywhere. The private drive slips beneath mature hardwoods. Then the house appears. Low. Long. Almost hiding. The roofline stretches through the trees instead of competing with them. Stone rises from the earth. Wide windows pull the woods into nearly every room. Steel beams stay exposed inside and out, architectural honesty on display. The stone came from the land itself, excavated and placed by hand, piece by piece, into massive accent walls and two of the three wood-burning fireplaces. The living spaces connect easily, designed long before "open concept" became the trend. Warm wood softens the steel. Stone gives the rooms weight. Handmade tile remains in the primary and secondary baths. Little artifacts of original character everywhere. The custom shelving in the family room was built precisely for this space. Then there's the chain. Everyone notices the chain. A massive industrial length of it appears to support the dining room above, like it was borrowed from an old factory. Because it