Overcash home shows planning, perseverance, patience
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOSHUA BERRY
In 1992, “it was love at first sight” when Tommy and Debbie Overcash found their house at 110 Sanoma Drive.
Specifically, they liked the symmetry and classical details of the house’s Georgian architecture.
The original house was 2,700 square feet with 13 rooms and an open rear deck. “Our home is now a bit over 4,000 square feet under roof, not to include a 42-by-12-foot covered back porch and a 36-by-12-foot pergola that accommodates the outdoor living we love,” Debbie said.
A Southern essential
The Overcashes’ first addition was the back porch. “Tommy and I grew up in Mississippi, where porches are essential,” Debbie said. “We knew a dedicated outdoor space was important to our family’s outdoor style of living. The porch has two seating areas for conversation or football watching, a dining area and a bed for afternoon naps and spring/fall sleeping.”
They next added a swimming pool, additional patios and the pergola to further extend entertaining space. The arbor has two seating areas and a dining area.
“Our backyard has hosted our children and grandchildren’s birthday parties; rehearsal dinners; supper clubs; back-to-school neighborhood parties; and debutante, engagement, bridal and baby showers – as well as political and non-profit events and fundraisers,” Debbie said.
A lesson from nature
Landscaping is a shared hobby; Debbie is a Master Gardener. “We designed the landscape plan, which is still a work in progress and labor of love,” Debbie said. “We planted every blade of grass, shrub and tree and planned outdoor structures to make our home look like a very old, established Southern home.”
Tommy and Debbie love “shared” plants, such as dogwoods, cherry laurels and cast-iron plants from Debbie’s parents.
Debbie’s grandmother gifted a wisteria, which covers the pergola so thickly raindrops can’t permeate. “Many years ago, longtime friends Brenda and Gregg Parker gave us a beautiful white shrub that blooms in early spring and is a showstopper,” Debbie said.
Defining traffic flow
Indoors, their next improvement was a coffee bar in the back hallway. They changed the laundry room into a bar and added a new laundry room and bathroom. Hardwood floors run throughout the house. Their preferred retailer is Madison Flooring & Paint.
The rec room accommodated their then middle-school sons. “We wanted a space they and their friends could ‘take over’ – and did they ever,” Debbie said. “Now it’s a perfect spot for our six grands.” Opening directly onto the back porch, the rec room easily accesses the backyard and pool for “a circular flow that’s perfect for larger gatherings.”
Tommy and Debbie flip-flopped the dining and living rooms. The larger dining room accommodates seating for 14 guests – perfect for entertaining.
Heirlooms and hand-me-downs
Tommy’s study is the latest addition and his favorite spot that holds sentimental grounding. A portrait of Tommy’s grandfather, Thomas Bolton, oversees the room. Built-in bookcases hold books by Tommy’s favorite authors, family and friends’ photographs and treasured mementos.
Tommy’s desk anchors the study, but his poker table, a gift from his mother-in-law and sister-in-law, has provided many hours of fun for his 20-plus-year poker club.
Rooms echo their pride in family. A roll-top desk and Seth Thomas clock that belonged to Tommy’s grandfather are cherished pieces. For Easter, Debbie sets the dining table with her paternal grandmother’s china; her maternal grandmother’s crystal; and silver handed down from Tommy’s maternal grandmother.
Tommy works as a senior systems engineer with Willbrook Solutions, and Debbie’s job is an executive administrative assistant at Torch Technologies.
The Overcashes’ eldest son Cameron, who works for the Veterans Administration, and wife Destanie live in Littleton, Colo. Chandler works as an architect with wife Sarah and their children in Tuscaloosa. Mason, an art teacher at James Clemens High School, wife Ashley and their children live in Madison.
“Our pet ‘menagerie,’” Debbie added, “includes our oldest little man, Puppy; his little sister, Rowdy; and our rescue favorite cat, Eloise Claire.”
