Photo by Abby Sands Miller
You Can Be Beautiful and Strong: As Scott Brunner’s contemporary country digs clearly demonstrated during Katrina.
Hidden on a country road in the community of Bush, Scott Brunner built his dream home on part of his family’s 150-acre compound.
“Nothing about this house is ordinary,” he explains with pride of the striking contemporary home that has sprung from his vivid imagination. “Even the corrugated aluminum outer shell is unique. It’s something I found very interesting as I traveled across much of the South as a territory manger for Nestle Purina. No, I never saw it used on a house, but it was the timeless agricultural buildings that I saw that definitely caught my eye. I often thought corrugated aluminum would make a great exterior for an interesting house.”
He was right, although Brunner’s request for such an unusual product to be used on the exterior of his house did take Covington architect Henry Fry by surprise.
“I was excited when Scott contacted me about designing a home for him on a picturesque vista overlooking a lake on his portion of his family compound. I quickly learned that he was a visionary and free spirit, so when he said he wanted the exterior to be corrugated aluminum, I simply answered, ‘Why not?’”
Then Fry adds with a smile, “I never had a client who wanted corrugated aluminum for the exterior of a home, and I don’t mean aluminum siding, I mean commercial corrugated aluminum sheeting. Turns out it was a genius idea since it perfectly withstood the wrath of Hurricane Katrina.”
“The trees seemed to fall on the house and just bounce off,” Brunner says. “Before Katrina the land was like a tranquil forest of cypress, oak, magnolia, hickory, pine, pecan, cherry, and sweet gum trees. We lost a lot of trees during Katrina, but the house proved to be very sturdy.”
Built by contractor David Noggerath in 1993, the house has stood the test of time. “I have made changes such as adding a swimming pool and deck at the rear of the house and added a roof above the original front deck to provide more shade inside the living area after the loss of trees from Katrina, but the basic floor plan has remained the same,” Brunner explains. “The house has practically been maintenance free. The only thing I have done in the almost twenty years since it was built is to put a little waterproofing on the cedar.”
The 3200 square-foot house is comprised of three pavilions or modules. The core of the design is a 36-by-36-foot living area featuring a roof peak of twenty-two feet. A large fireplace is flanked by two six-foot high clear glass doors that have been left uncovered as have all but one of the other windows in the space. “The interesting view out of each window is part of the charm of my home,” he says. “Only the kitchen has a blind that was needed because of the bright morning sun.” Since no hanging cabinets define the kitchen space, it blends perfectly with the rest of the large room. Handsome heart of pine floors add warmth to the dramatic room.
The master bedroom and bathroom are in the second module, with two additional bedrooms and a bathroom in the final pavilion. Once again Brunner’s imagination was at work when the plans were drawn for the master suite. “I thought it would be great to step out onto a deck just off the master bathroom and take a shower on a moonlit night, or have a brisk shower on a cool fall day, not to mention to shower outdoors after working in the garden. The outdoor shower has been a conversation generator for almost everybody who has toured the house.”
Bailey, Brunner’s daughter who turns eighteen this month, loves having her own private wing in the house. “I sometimes say that it’s like having my own secret house because my bedroom is in a separate wing where I have complete privacy.” Brunner is pleased that his daughter feels a genuine affection for the house. “I see this as a generational home place where I hope someday Bailey will live and raise her children.”
Brunner is proud that everything in the interior is very personalized. “I especially enjoy the furniture that my brother Rick built,” he notes. “His studio is behind my house and he has galleries in both Covington and Shreveport. He is one of the most talented and respected furniture makers in Louisiana. I also like the fact that I did some of my art and furniture myself. Actually, my home is a work of art to me. But it’s still the exterior that I always find most exciting when I return home from a business trip,” explains Brunner. “It can go from appearing cool and gray at midday to looking orange as the sunsets over the lake and reflects off the metal.”
Another thing worthy of note is that Brunner is somewhat of a gentleman farmer. “Part of me is a farmer at heart,” he says with pleasure. “I often proudly note that we live off what we produce. One of my favorite things is to sit down for dinner and realize that we harvested everything on the table but the meat,” quickly adding, “And we often serve our own meat such as venison and elk, or duck and chicken from our yard, and fish from our lake. We never lack eggs for baking or breakfast with generous laying chickens at our backdoor.”
Jacqueline Godefroy, Brunner’s girlfriend, is the master residential canner. “Nothing ever goes to waste,” Brunner proudly says. “Jacqueline is always busy canning what we can’t eat in a timely fashion. She is also great at making preserves from the fig trees and blueberry bushes on the property.”
Another plus for Brunner is that his sister and her husband (Dale and Ray Raterman) also live nearby on the family compound, and he is happy that Rick’s studio is behind his house. (Rick and Susan’s home is in Covington.) “It’s good to have family nearby,” he says.
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According to Brunner, living on pastoral acreage, overlooking a well-stocked lake in a picturesque setting and enjoying the comforts of an exquisite contemporary home is what the good country life is all about.
“There is a lot to be said for the peace and tranquility of living in the country,” Brunner adds with a smile. “This is the good life.”
