Southport Magazine

The Kellys’ poolside tiki bar, built by a local Boiling Spring Lakes contractor.

Navigating roads which wind through the country club of Boiling Spring Lakes—streets which are only interrupted by slim pathways for golfers and their caddies—a car settles in a quiet cul-de-sac. The sun relaxes into a glowing orange-red. Natural forest shepherds the few dwellings on this lane, and nestled just away from Patricia Lake, the Kellys call one white house their home.

The walls of Stacy Kelly’s three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath house were built by the hands of her father and two younger brothers in 1997. Her husband, Rick, completed the heating and air, while his friends handled electricity. Stacy’s mother and sister-in-law helped with keeping the lot and building neat. “It has more value to me because it was built with love,” the mother of twins, Cameron and Zachary, says.

The house has seen a lot of changes over the years—some came even during construction. The Kellys realized their plans didn’t factor in a bonus room, so they pushed the laundry room back to add stairs and a space over the garage. Today, it’s the 12-year-old boys’ playroom.

“I stayed home with them until they started school, and they love the neighborhood—well, I love it, too—because we have the cul-de-sac and there’s no traffic,” Stacy shares. “They rode their little tricycles all up and down the street. I didn’t have to worry about cars while they were running out in the yard, kicking around the ball. They love the woods; they have forts built everywhere.”

She says everyone recognizes her sons, and they refer to them as “the boys.” “So if anything is done to the sand traps or the golf course,” she notes, “of course they know my boys have been out there.”

One of the greatest things about the Kelly home is their kind, supportive neighbors. “Judy, she’s been the guardian angel from the time I had the twins,” Stacy recalls. “I just needed an extra hand one day, and she happened to knock on the door and say, ‘Can I help you with one of them?’ It was like every time I needed her, she was there.”

The Kellys, like their growing home, continue to build upon their family customs. Last Christmas, three days before the holiday, they threw a shindig just for adults. “I thought, Why not have the parents over and unwind from all the hustle and bustle? We had a signature drink called the Poinsettia, which was champagne, cranberry juice and real cranberries.”

On Valentine’s Day, Stacy and Rick used to go out to eat and get a sitter for the kids. “Now we pull out the fine china, and we’ll decorate the table for Valentine’s—table runner, place mats, flowers, everything. It’s just tradition to do that.”

The Kellys celebrate each holiday—from Halloween to Valentine’s Day—with decorations, traditions, and certainly lots of love. Photo by Bethany Turner

Rick remodeled the kitchen when the boys were around 5 years old. He designed every aspect of it, from Stacy’s dream to have a chimney-style range hood and a large griddle, to extending the back wall by eight or nine feet.
“We use it all the time,” she says. “The boys enjoy cooking, too. They love to cook hibachi chicken and broccoli. They’ll get the zucchini out and both chop it up. When we have friends over, we all congregate in here.”

Three years ago, the Kellys tackled the master bathroom. “I just walked in and had a vision: ‘We should add an arch and some columns,'” Stacy says.

The sunroom in the back used to be an open deck, but the Kellys extended the roof and closed in the room, complete with screen. Photo by Bethany Turner

They added copper-colored metal roofing around the house, including the pictured back deck, to accent the white siding. Photo by Bethany Turner

Photo by Bethany Turner

Cameron & Zachary Kelly. Courtesy photo