Craftsman in Acworth hits the right notes

After renting a variety of houses, middle school orchestra teachers Mark and Nicole Burroughs knew the right notes to hit in their home search. Getting in rhythm when it came to the financing process was a little more difficult. Nicole, 32, chatted about their purchase in Acworth’s Lochshire neighborhood. Q: Where did you move from? A: We’re both originally from Chattanooga. We had gone to school in Indiana. Then I worked in Pittsburgh for the Pittsburgh Symphony. We had been away from home for 10 years and we decided it was time to move back down here. We got jobs in Cobb County, which led to us renting a home. [Mark works at Barber Middle School; Nicole works at Awtrey Middle School.] We were finishing up our year in the home, and we said, we think it’s time to buy a house. We had lived in houses built in the 1890s and 1930. We rented a newer house. We thought we knew exactly what we were looking for. Q: How did you find this house? A: I started looking on Trulia.com just for fun and I came across the picture. I said, oh my gosh, it’s perfect, and I’m in love with the Craftsman style. We were driving to have dinner with my parents. We drove by it, and it just happened that the Traton Homes representative was here. Q: What did you think when you walked in? A: It had a basement. It had a fireplace. The kitchen was updated and gorgeous. The master bathroom is gorgeous with the tile and the granite countertops. It had a big, sprawling backyard. In Pittsburgh we had a postage stamp, so this was just amazing. Of course, the closet was to die for. Again, in Pittsburgh we had a shoebox. They say you’re supposed to look at lots of houses and shop around, but we had lived in so many different houses. We knew what we wanted, and as soon as we saw it, we were like, we want it. Q: Why did the Craftsman style appeal to you? A: To me, it just says the South. Just the symmetry of it [such as the pillars on the front], it really appeals to my eye. Of course, our house, the coloring is dark brown with navy blue shutters. In my mind, I’ve never seen a house that looks exactly like this one. Q: How did it fit into your price range? A: We knew we would be between $200,000 and $300,000. The appearance

PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER OQUENDO / SPECIAL The formal dining room of Mark and Nicole Burroughs’ home in Acworth. The couple found the Craftsmanstyle home to their liking as soon as they saw it.

The kitchen of the Burroughs’ new home had been updated, which they found appealing.

Mark and Nicole Burroughs both teach orchestra classes in Cobb County middle schools. They originally had lived in Chattanooga.