by Megan Venable | Photography by Ben Finch, Finch Photo
Once you live in Riverbend, you understand being away from the main road.” Scott and Andrea Torbett love the peace and quiet of their home near the Tennessee River in West Knoxville. The couple were introduced to the house when it was in a bit of transition. With a clear architectural plan, a well-managed budget and 18 months of dedicated work, they transformed the home into a place they could finally call their own. They have lived in the home for a year and are proud to call it their home, and they especially enjoy the occasional visits from neighboring deer, coyotes and turkeys.
The house was very dated and needed a lot of work, causing them to gut the entire structure and start from scratch. As the Torbetts (of Torbett Home) are real estate entrepreneurs with a passion and experience in all aspects from investing, renovating, buying, selling, design and development, they approached the project with a careful eye when starting the work. The couple have overseen six full home renovations in the past.
From a personal perspective, Andrea’s father was in commercial real estate and her mother was an interior designer, and Scott’s father worked as an architect, so the two have had a keen sense of home development from the cradle. “This is what we do on the side,” Andrea says. “Our clients come first, then our home is next if there’s any steam left at the end of the day.”
Their favorite part of the house is the kitchen and patio area. “We wanted an easy open space to have friend gatherings and dinner parties,” she says. “There’s a good flow from the kitchen to the patio.
While the two don’t rule out the possibility of selling the house one day, they are taking advantage of its potential as an event venue, and host family and friends as often as possible. Andrea mentions the most recent holiday season where the couple invited their entire family to the house for a warm Christmas morning celebration. She laughs, “the third floor was where I could make design mistakes and go for something funky.” The space boasts an at-home theater that doubles as a guest room with an adjoining luxurious bath her sister claims when she stays overnight.
Both Torbetts are dedicated to seeing the spaces they evolve live their best lives possible. “This is certainly a labor of love and a work in progress, but we’re enjoying it constantly changing,” Andrea says.“ We have a passion for a mix of the old and the new."