ABOVE The history of the 1815 house appealed to
both Sherri and Doug. RIGHT The original limestone
fireplace remains the focal point of the parlor even
though the space was expanded by 6 feet. The
Lackeys used 14- to 16-foot-long smokehouse logs
ripped lengthwise to dress the expanded space. “It’s
all conventional framing on the outside,” Doug says,
“so the logs are on the inside for cosmetic appeal.”
HEN SHERRI LACKEY FIRST SAW
the house her husband, Doug, wanted
to renovate, her reaction couldn’t have been
clearer. “We need a bulldozer,” she told him.
The couple had taken on remodeling
challenges before, but this 1815 home hadn’t
been lived in for almost a decade. Tarps were
draped over the roof to prevent leaks, and “it
looked like hoarders had moved out,” Doug says.
“You could hardly walk through the house.”
He couldn’t resist the property’s 90 acres,
though, including one of the highest spots
in Williamson County, Tennessee. And the
significance of the home—it was built by
the father of the man for whom the town of
Thompson’s Station was named—appealed to
Doug and Sherri both. “We love history and
bringing something back to life,” he says.
Despite its crumbling countenance, the house
had 12-foot-high ceilings in places and an 8×9-
foot fireplace, indicating that it was grander
than most in its day. Historical records revealed
it took three years to build and used locally
harvested timber and limestone. “Ironically,”
Doug says, “it took us about the same amount of
time to renovate it.”
Adding on and doubling the original 1,500
square feet meant taking the old house apart
and putting it back together again, repurposing
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COUNTRY
HOME
28 SPRING/SUMMER 2019
