Sports

New digs for ol' Roy

Home of Roy and Wanda Williams is under construction in Berwick Downs next to Kenmure.

By Bill Moss, Published: May 15, 2012

FLAT ROCK — Flat Rock residents are about to get a celebrity neighbor.

UNC basketball coach Roy Williams and his wife are building a 5,600-square-foot home in Berwick Downs, a development by Kenmure Enterprises next to the Kenmure Country Club.

"He's one of our business partners," said H. Lee King, managing partner of the Kenmure development. "He bought a couple of lots over there right after we got that section open."

Williams, along with former Carolina basketball players Eddie Fogler and Buzz Peterson, owns a 25 percent stake in Kenmure Enterprises, with Williams owning the largest portion among the three.

He and his wife, Wanda, grew up in Asheville and graduated from T.C. Roberson High School. Her parents, Cleo and Fred Jones, a 1941 graduate of Flat Rock High School, live in Mills River.

The home, valued at $1.3 million, is close to being finished on the outside. The builder is Buchanan Construction of Arden. Designed by architect Edward White of Hendersonville, the house has four bedrooms and six baths, and a setting that Williams, an avid golfer, is sure to enjoy.

"Right out of his study is the 13th green," said the builder, Rick Buchanan. "It has a covered porch with a wood-burning fireplace and a grill. It's going to be a really nice entertainment area." It will also have a backyard pool.

Buchanan described the home as "mountain rustic and western style," reflecting Coach Williams' interest in the culture of the American West. Wanda Williams has had a lot of input in the home's designs, and has driven from Chapel Hill several times to check on the progress. Coach Williams first saw the house when he was in the area two weeks ago.

The house is going up on a double lot. Williams' son, Scott, has a third lot, next door, and the coach's longtime friend and 18-year assistant, Joe Holladay, owns a lot a couple of lots down Shipman Parkway.

King and his partners bought the land for the 41-acre development in 2007 from Gertrude Shipman. Berwick Downs, which is gated, has 38 homesites winding around four park areas.

"We're really pleased that he's building here," said King, who is also golfing buddies with the Hall of Fame coach. "Obviously he'll spend a little time up here since he'll have a house."

The Williamses are hoping the home will be finished by October for a planned fall golf outing with friends before the basketball season tips off. Once the season starts, Williams has no time for anything else and doesn't play golf, King said. When he last saw the Tar Heel coach, Williams gave no sign that he was thinking of retiring. The family is expected to use the Flat Rock home for golf outings and short mountain getaways.

Buchanan said Wanda Williams and her husband declined to use Carolina blue or add other touches that bring to mind his day job.

"She said no basketball in this house," the contractor said. Buchanan, who describes himself as a Carolina fan, said he did promise Mrs. Williams one thing.

"I told her no Duke fan would be allowed on the job," he said.