'08 HOME OF THE YEAR
'08 REGION 3 South Atlantic - AL, FL, GA, MS, SC
'08 Best ONE-OF-A-KIND CUSTOM HOME (BUILT FOR CLIENT), 4001 TO 6500 SQUARE FEET

Project Name: Palmetto Bluff Retreat
Project Location: Bluffton, S.C.
Designer/Architect: Wayne Windham Architect, Johns Island, S.C.
Builder: J.T. Turner Construction, Savannah, Ga.

It’s decidedly simple and true to its roots. Not a “Gone with the Wind” plantation but a laid-back, Lowcountry design, this home in Bluffton, S.,C., earned the highest accolade from the 2008 Best in American Living Award judges: Home of the Year. As one judge noted, “You’d never get tired of driving up to this house and walking in.”

The homeowners, a couple from London, England, are active adults who were looking for a second home in the United States. They decided to build in Palmetto Bluff, a conservation community located on a sea island between Hilton Head Island, S.C., and Savannah, Ga.