This handcrafted home is a getaway worth remembering. When approached about the project, Gabriel Builders and the architects at LS3P | Neal Prince Studio had their work cut out for them. In order to accommodate a growing family, the challenge of this home was to make it large enough to hold as many as twelve people, while also having the ability to close off large portions of the home for privacy.
The solution was to create “bothy” houses. Bothy houses are a vernacular housing type found in the United Kingdom and are defined in Scotland as a small hut or cottage. The concept of these bothy houses tied nicely with the homeowner’s Scottish heritage. So, now sitting on Lake Keowee in South Carolina are four, interwoven bothies. All chained together, they allow for both open function and private retreats.
The main floor of the home holds the living and dining spaces while the lower quarters of each bothy contain expansive family guest suites. Two room-sized porches with wall-width sliding doors emerge from the home to provide even more space and connection to the outdoors.
Keowee Falls Getaway, photo by Will Keown 
Keowee Falls Getaway, photo by Will Keown 
Keowee Falls Getaway, photo by Will Keown 
Keowee Falls Getaway, photo by Will Keown
Including the outdoors in this project was of the upmost importance to the clients. Having spent many years in tropical Florida, they knew that they wanted to incorporate outdoor living spaces as much as possible. The family getaway ‘lives’ to the lakeside allowing for daily engagement with Lake Keowee. The homeowners, one having been a Coast Guard Command Officer, found the perfect combination of passion and functionality in this home as it was designed to maximize time on the waterfront. Of course, there is ample recreation space and storage to accommodate activities as well.
Keowee Falls Getaway, photo by Will Keown
The exterior of the home compliments the waterfront setting with a lightly stained shingle siding punctuated by timber and bracket detail. At about 4,700 square feet, there are five bedrooms and five bathrooms – enough to accommodate the whole family. Perhaps one of the most unique and captivating parts about this home is the “look through” to the lake. The main level floor system joins three separate foundations offering glimpses of Lake Keowee, even from the front entry of the home. This award-winning, handcrafted home built by Gabriel Builders of Travelers Rest, South Carolina, is a one of a kind beauty. It is located in the Cliffs at Keowee Falls – one of the seven Cliffs Communities.
Project Team
Architect/Designer: LS3P | Neal Prince Studio
Builder: Gabriel Builders, Inc.
Interior Designer: ID Studio Interiors
