CityView Magazine

CityViewNC.com | 23 S usie and Prescott Godwin's Forest Lakes dream home is built on a solid foundation, featuring materials like steel and cast-in-place concrete. at's due in part to having a structural engineer in the family. "When we saw the architects' design and what they were going for, we felt it was important to incorporate some design elements from a structural viewpoint to compliment the architects' vision," said John Kells of Fleming & Associates, who happens to also be the Godwins' son-in-law. "It was important to me that they have a home that would perform well structurally. It's at least a 100-year design." But this home, filled with collectible artwork, priceless family heirlooms and countless lovely touches, is built on something that's stronger than even the solid trusses that bolster the structure. Love. More than anything, it's a home built on love. Just ask the Godwins' next-door neighbors. ose would be the Godwins' daughter Lacy Kells, who is married to John, and their three children, 9-year-old son John Palmer and 7-year- old twin daughters Simonne "Simmie" and Mary Prescott, who love to frequent the little path that leads from their yard to their grandparents' house. e Kells live in Lacy's childhood home, where Susie and Prescott Godwin raised their family long before the lot next door came for sale, and long before they decided to buy the lot and build. e Kells' home dates back to when Prescott's grandparents lived there. "Lacy and I grew up together and were always friends," John Kells said. "Her house that we live in was the gathering place for our friends. We watched the millennium turn there, had dinners there. Her parents have always treated me like I'm their son. We all get along really well." e Kells' golden retriever, Zuzu, who also feels welcome to mosey back and forth, is named for the youngest child in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life." A wonderful life, indeed. The Godwins can toast family and friends from this balcony off the family room. The home is a mix of the whimsical and the priceless.

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