A Lifetime of Memories

Sam and Suzie deGeneres sit on the side porch of their Acadian cottage, their favorite spot for drinking coffee reminiscing about “the house that love built.” As Suzie shares, a lifetime of memories lives here.

Purchasing the property eight years prior to moving in during the Spring of 1987, the family has fond memories of Sam cutting the grass and the family enjoying a picnic lunch while dreaming of their yellow raised cottage with white porches.

After enlisting artist and draftsman Ronald Melancon to draw the plans, Floyd Luke built the framework, Joey Yesso completed the interior finishes and Joe Bello did the brickwork, including the home’s double fireplace that rises all the way through the roof.

“These extremely talented individuals came into our lives at the right moment, each bringing their special talents,” Suzie recalls.

With a vision of creating a timeless home, antique and repurposed materials were used throughout the cottage. Heart pine floors and stair treads, antique fixtures, vintage door knobs and backplates, an antique ceiling fan from Thatcher Hotel and bricks salvaged from an old Catholic church, are among the details that give this home instant character. Individually hand turned by Sam, the interior staircase spindles were meticulously created as well as the scroll cut corner blocks on the risers.

Recently, the couple enlisted master builder Joey Yesso again to complete the vision that they always had for their cottage by adding paneling to the foyer and up the staircase as well as repurposing their attic as a beautiful hobby room with ample built-in storage. The kitchen was renovated during this process as well.

“Watching our long held dream become a reality is pure joy,” Suzie says with a smile. “Getting to live in this house has been such a blessing.”  POV

Photos by Misty Leigh McElroy