By Emily Beckett
Stepping into Roy and Belinda Price’s home is like stepping into an Italian villa in the terraced lands of Tuscany.
The couple intended for their Clanton home to resemble one that could be found in this scenic region in Italy, one of their favorite vacation destinations and the primary inspiration behind their Mediterranean-style manor.
Coincidentally, the couple’s current home is not their first to bear the clay tiles on the roof, the sherbet-colored exterior and the arched windows and breezeways that mark a typical Mediterranean-style house.
Their former home—where their daughter Sonja and her family live now—is located right next door and is where Roy and Belinda were able to look out the windows and chart the progress of their “dream home” during its 12-month construction.
As a general contractor, developer and owner of Price Ceilings Inc. and Alumni Developing in Clanton, Roy spearheaded the project and maintained an active role in the building process. Roy’s propensity for building was the main catalyst for their move.
“Since I’m a contractor from the beginning, I love to build and I always knew I was going to build my final house one day,” Roy said. “This was it.”
If Belinda has her way, she said they would downsize to a smaller house for their final one. Regardless of what happens, the Prices and their family have plenty to love about their luxurious Tuscan retreat they have called home for nearly four years now.
A gated driveway inlaid with bricks and the letter “P” for Price leads up a small hill to the house and opens into a circle with a fountain at its center.
Two dark-stained wood front doors open into the foyer and formal living room with high ceilings, an ornate chandelier and lavish furniture.
Cream-colored travertine tiles line the main level which includes the formal living room, family room, study/music room, master bedroom, kitchen, pantry, mother-in-law suite and the spacious, screened-in patio encompassing the pool, Jacuzzi and a full kitchen.
Crown molding runs throughout the house, and tall windows in every room provide views of the patio and the backyard complete with a small vineyard Roy planted in keeping with the Tuscan theme.
With help from Cullman-based interior decorator Amy Wood, the couple found one-of-a-kind, rustic materials to incorporate in their house such as old wooden beams that run across the ceiling in their kitchen, and hand-carved mantels made of wood from a pine tree formerly located on Belinda’s parents’ property in Clanton.
The rich, dark brown walnut cabinets in the kitchen bear intricate designs carved into the upper trim by Nathan Kempter, a member of a local gospel singing group called The Kempters.
Belinda said they were about to give up finding a cabinetmaker who could also do the carvings they wanted by hand instead of with a laser machine until they found the Kempter family.
“When he got through with this, he said, ‘I never want to carve again,’” Roy said, laughing.
The cabinets mesh well with the smooth, black, brown and beige granite countertops along the walls and on the island.
Next to the kitchen is the family room with comfortable seating and a television. Possibly the best features of the family room are the retractable glass doors that, when opened, seamlessly join the interior of the house to the patio area—an ideal situation during the warmer months of the year and during family get-togethers and grill-outs around the pool in the summertime.
Belinda said she often takes her morning coffee to a sitting area next to a fireplace on the patio—an outdoor retreat protected by the roof and screening over and around the pool.
The multi-depth pool has features that appeal to both adults and children. Roy designed an offset ledge near the water large enough for his wife and two daughters to lie side-by-side on their lounge chairs, and “bubblers” that stir up water in the shallow end are favorites among the couple’s grandchildren.
A waterfall near the sun ledge cascades down into the pool, as do small water spouts in each corner that light up different colors.
Palm trees line the patio and add a tropical element to the home.
Back inside, a staircase is not the only means of passage from one level to another.
A small elevator accessible on all three floors is a not only a luxury but sometimes a necessity when Roy and Belinda have heavy loads or items to move.
“You think this is just a novelty,” Roy said. “When you’re carrying something from one floor to the other, you don’t go up and down the stairs with it. I’ll never have another house without an elevator.”
Guest bedrooms fill the upstairs level of the house, along with a fitness room and a playroom for the grandchildren.
The basement is a Mecca for the Prices’ grandchildren because of its spectacular entertainment options.
A Brunswick bowling alley dubbed “Price Lanes” sees much use and offers hours of fun for the family and their friends.
The lanes are identical to the ones installed in commercial bowling alleys across the country because Brunswick only makes one type of bowling lane. The accompanying furniture, bowling balls and shoes are from Brunswick, too.
A theater room next to the bowling alley contains a large screen, reclining leather seats and a shooting star LED-light ceiling.
The wall stretching from the theater to an enclosed basketball court is covered with old metal basketball goals and team pictures and paraphernalia from Roy’s basketball days at Thorsby High School.
Old signs from THS and Chilton County High School (Belinda’s alma mater) hang on the court’s walls, along with a “possession” light that was used in the THS gym when Roy played for the Rebels.
The basement also has a snack bar area with bar stools, two televisions and leather couches.
“With the grandkids coming over and football season, we use this room a lot,” Roy said. “We enjoy the whole house. We thoroughly enjoy living here.”