The Story
Chip Wade’s house, high in Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, is a modern marvel: It likely won’t require repairs, or even much in the way of regular maintenance. “Most homes are designed to last about 100 years. This one was designed to last 500,” Chip says. He built the 4,700-square-foot structure using high-tech, ultra-durable materials, including printed steel that looks like wood. Because the property is so remote (it’s surrounded by national forest), Chip and his dad tackled most of the work themselves. “This was the hardest project I’ve ever done,” Chip says, but now he loves spending weekends here with wife Pauli and kids, Mac, 15; Mara, 12; and JT, 10. “The house brings together everything that I’m passionate about — design, architecture and engineering.”