Women Realtors Visit Mullenix's Enclave Home, Tell Plans for April 6 Talent Show Dinner

By Irby Park

Members of the Chattanooga Women’s Council of Realtors (WCR) were guests in the new home of Chattanooga Realtor Jim Mullenix Jr. in the Enclave at Riverview for a membership tea this month at which Marguerita Riggall, state WCR president, was an honored visitor.

Mr. Mullenix, one of the first to buy a lot in the Enclave, has since marketed seven other properties in the development. He named his two-story manor-style four-bedroom home “River Meadow,” a combination of the former golf course’s two names, Rivermont and originally Meadow Lake.

The location was chosen, said Mr. Mullenix, because of its proximity to downtown and to Northgate. He said it is four miles from downtown, three miles from Chattanooga Golf and Country Club, and four miles from Northgate which is the location of his real estate office, Coldwell Banker First Chattanooga Realty.

Gathering at the Enclave residence just off Hixson Pike near Rivermont Elementary, the local WCR members were joined by Ms. Riggall who is with Harpeth Realtors in Nashville.

Members gathered for the tea as they prepared for the 5th Annual Talent Show sponsored by WCR which will be held April 6 at St. John’s United Methodist Church beginning at 6 p.m. Reserved tables are being sold at $120 and non-reserved individual tickets are $15. The event will include barbecue dinner by Shuford’s Smokehouse. For information, contact Amy Young at Franklin Financial Mortgage, 894-2300.

The home designed by Mr. Mullenix was started in early 1999 and took 25 months to build with completion earlier this month. In designing the home, he said he penciled floorplans, exterior designs, interior features and then enlisted the help of his cousin, architect Larry R. Burke of St. George Island, Fla., to provide the structural blueprints.

He said the plan for the home is a compilation of his observations in real estate and his trips to Europe. Michael Dowlen of Dowlen Construction L.L.C. was chosen as the contractor for the construction.

The home was built on what was formerly the 18th fairway at Rivermont Golf and Country Club and Mr. Mullenix included in his landscape design a miniature golf hole with tees, sand trap, dog legged green and cartpath incorporating original course distance markers. The “18th hole” occupies his back yard.

The front and side of the home features a European style cobblestone and concrete brick paver courtyard and driveway leading to the large 4-car pass-through-design garage with two oversized entrance doors along with a back door to the patio area.

Among the special features of the home are the automation systems for remote access to lighting, security and climate control, exterior camera monitors and fiber optic wiring. A voice-activated stereo intercom system is interfaced with two home theater systems with a total of 32 speakers. There is wiring for a mobile generator, pocket doors in 10 locations in the house and a central vacuum system.

Faux wall painting in the home was applied by professional artists Christian and Claire Bradford of C.W. Bradford Studios. The Bradfords relocated here from Atlanta and purchased the home previously owned by Mr. Mullenix.

The home includes a formal living room and dining room, huge gourmet kitchen, morning room, den, office, laundry, recreation and billiards room, exercise room, master bedroom with Tudor stained double trey ceiling and recessed arched headboard wall and master bath with oversized triangular whirlpool tub, shower with body massage system and two large walk-through closets.

The spacious gourmet kitchen is fully equipped with features including stainless cooking appliances such as double 30-inch convection ovens and six-burner cooktop, microwave, four separately controlled dishwashers, ice machine, 48-inch built-in refrigerator, 24-inch glass-front wine cooler, garbage disposal, in-cabinet and undermount lighting and solid granite countertops.

The den includes a built-in, granite-topped entertainment center, home theater sound system and cut stone fireplace with solid stone mantel and hearth.

In the laundry room are solid surface countertops and a laundry chute from the upstairs bath. The home design, Mr. Mullenix noted, allows the laundry to be within 14 feet of the downstairs bedrooms.

Features of the upstairs spacious recreation and billiards rooms include a stone-faced entertainment bar-kitchen with a granite countertop and a second cut stone fireplace and second home theater system.

An outside balcony accessed from the recreation room through double sliding doors provides an overlook for the “18th hole,” the number one fairway at Chattanooga Golf and Country Club, the Tennessee River and some downtown buildings.

A handicap-sized elevator with an electric gateway connects the kitchen with the upstairs bar and Mr. Mullenix pointed out that it doubles as a dumb waiter.

Energy efficiency has been incorporated in the design with high efficiency heating and cooling, ample insulation for both energy savings and soundproofing and even the garage has R-19 insulation and gas heater.

Light switches are installed 38 inches high instead of the standard 48 inches for easier operation.

Floor drains are installed under the washing machine and the upstairs refrigerator to prevent any damage in case of a leak.

All vanity tops are granite and the laundry and garage have solid surface counters with integrated sinks and backsplashes.

At the rear of the residence is a maintenance-free powder coat aluminum fence finished in bronze with Old World features such as arches, imperial finials and ball caps.

Mr. Mullenix said he spent a lot of time planning his new home and incorporating in it many of the features he had seen and liked in homes he had worked with as a Realtor as well as homes he visited while vacationing in other parts of the country and in Europe.