Before the house comes into view, the land speaks first. A long private drive winds beneath a canopy of mature hardwoods and the world outside simply falls away. The light changes. The quiet deepens. Something in you settles. This is the feeling of arriving somewhere that was meant for you.

At the end of the drive, the home reveals itself: a custom Charleston inspired estate built by Artisan Homes, set on 3.22 wooded acres in the Sunset Lake community of Fuquay Varina. The 60 foot rocking chair front porch greets you with a beadboard ceiling, gas lanterns, and columns that stand like a quiet welcome. Cedar siding, copper gutters and flashing, working shutters, arched transoms, and French doors across the facade tell you that the people who built this home cared about every detail, not just the ones you notice on the first walk through.

MAIN FLOOR

The Arrival

The front door opens into a stately foyer where the grand staircase rises directly ahead, the dining room presents itself to the right, and the executive study opens to the left. But what draws your eye is straight ahead. At the far end of the corridor, the Great Room opens before you.

As you move down the hallway, graceful arched openings line the corridor, each one framing the next space and pulling you forward through one of the most beautifully proportioned entry sequences a home can offer. Rich Brazilian cherry hardwood floors stretch beneath your feet. Detailed millwork and solid wood doors finished with Baldwin Brass hardware speak to a standard of craftsmanship that reveals itself gradually, room by room, detail by detail.

The Great Room

The Great Room is the architectural centerpiece of the home. A cathedral ceiling rises above a dramatic composition of arched Palladian windows that pull the sky and surrounding landscape directly into the room. Custom built ins anchor the space, while an automatic powered solar shade softens the afternoon light when desired.

Just beyond, the rear of the home opens to a series of connected outdoor living spaces. An elevated balcony extends from the primary suite, while two covered porches create sheltered places to enjoy the landscape. Beyond them, expansive brick patios and terraces reach farther into the gardens.

Together, these spaces create a natural connection between the Great Room, Keeping Room, Breakfast / Sunroom, primary retreat, and surrounding landscape, allowing life inside to move easily outdoors.

The Executive Study

To the left of the foyer, the executive study is a room of conviction. At nearly 19 by 16 feet, it commands its own presence: every surface paneled and built in, wall to wall and floor to ceiling, with custom cabinetry, shelving, and millwork of exceptional quality.

A gas fireplace with a marble surround and flanking built in cabinets anchors the room with warmth and intention. Solid wood pocket doors open the study to the foyer when the home calls for it and close it completely when the work does. Working French doors connect directly to the front porch.

The Formal Dining Room

To the right, the formal dining room offers grand proportions at nearly 21 by 16 feet: a room built for the kind of gathering that fills a table and lingers long after the meal. A crystal chandelier, textured wallcovering in warm tones, and beautiful hardwood floors create an atmosphere that needs no embellishment.

French doors open directly to the front porch, so the evening can extend outside when the occasion calls for it. A butler's pantry connects the dining room to the kitchen, making service seamless and the formal dining experience effortless.

The Kitchen, Keeping Room and Breakfast / Sunroom

The kitchen was designed for the way people actually cook and gather. White painted cabinetry, dark granite countertops, a beadboard island, built in wine lattice, generous walk in pantry, and butler's pantry make this kitchen as practical as it is beautiful.

A large side window draws natural light across the countertops and frames a private view into the trees. A premium appliance suite including Sub Zero refrigeration, Dacor cooking, and two Asko dishwashers completes the picture. A powder room and dedicated laundry room are tucked on this side of the home, close to the garage entry and out of view from the main living spaces.

Through an arched opening, the Keeping Room draws everyone in. A fireplace anchors the space with warmth, and custom built in cabinetry lines the walls so the room feels both generous and gathered. This is where the meal finishes and the evening begins.

Beyond the Keeping Room, the Breakfast / Sunroom opens the home to the landscape in a way that the rest of the house only suggests. At over 17 by 15 feet, it is wrapped on three sides in windows with views into the hardwoods from nearly every angle. Morning light fills it completely. With covered outdoor living and expansive brick patios just beyond, the room becomes a natural transition between the interior of the home and the landscape.

It is the room that earns the most time without asking for any of it.

PRIMARY RETREAT

The Bedroom

The primary suite occupies its own wing on the main floor and it earns that distinction. The expansive bedroom, nearly 23 by 23 feet, is complemented by a sweeping bay window grouping along the rear wall that draws in the treetops and the quality of light that only a hardwood canopy can produce.

It is a room that does not simply look out at the landscape. It lives inside it.

The Closets and Dressing Room

Two generous walk in closets are fitted with custom built in cabinetry from floor to ceiling: open shelving, hanging sections, drawers, and the kind of intentional organization that makes every morning feel effortless. One closet is cedar lined, adding a layer of quiet luxury and natural fragrance that only improves with time.

A separate dressing room with custom built in cabinetry and a custom vanity adds a private layer to the suite, a dedicated space to begin and end the day with ease. The dressing room opens directly to the elevated rear balcony, extending this private part of the suite outdoors.

Powered exterior room darkening shades provide additional privacy whenever desired, while the surrounding hardwoods and natural light remain just beyond the glass.

The Primary Bath

The primary bath is a daily ceremony set against a backdrop of warmth and nature. Heated floors greet you before the day has fully started. Custom double vanities with dual sinks anchor each end of the room with generous counter space and refined detail. A private water closet is tucked discreetly within the suite.

The oversized soaking tub is positioned beneath a window where the sky opens above the treetops and morning light falls across the water. It is the kind of view that makes staying a little longer feel like the only reasonable choice. A double entry walk in shower with multiple heads and a full tile surround is generous in scale and designed for the way this room was meant to be used: without hurry, without compromise.

The Outdoor Passage

The primary suite opens onto an elevated balcony approximately 18 feet wide, creating a private outdoor extension of the retreat. The treetops are at eye level and the gardens unfold below.

From here, the outdoor experience continues across the rear of the home through the covered porches and onto the expansive brick patios and terraces beyond the Great Room and Breakfast / Sunroom. Rather than feeling like separate outdoor areas, these spaces create a larger relationship between the house, gardens, and wooded setting.

SECOND FLOOR

Upstairs, three generously sized bedrooms each carry a personality entirely their own. Vaulted and cathedral ceilings give these rooms a quality that secondary bedrooms almost never have, the kind of space that feels chosen rather than assigned.

Each one has been finished with imagination and intention, so that whoever lives there feels like the room was made for them. One closet is so generous and so beautifully done that children have been known to treat it as a room of its own. Each bedroom connects to a full bath, and multiple walk in closets provide excellent storage throughout.

The Catwalk

The catwalk is one of the most memorable architectural features of the home: interior balconies overlooking both the soaring Great Room and the stately foyer below, with a warm wood railing, open sightlines, and light from the Palladian windows crossing the air below.

Standing here, looking down at the arched openings, hardwood floors, and scale of what was built, is a moment that does not lose its effect. It reminds you, every time, that this is an exceptional home.

The Attic

A substantial unfinished walk in attic offers valuable storage and the potential for additional finished space when the time comes.

CARRIAGE GARAGE & PRIVATE BONUS SUITE

A covered breezeway connects the residence to the detached three car carriage style garage, designed with three deep bays and extensive built in storage cabinetry. One bay was formerly used as a woodworking shop, offering excellent flexibility for a workshop, hobby space, additional storage, or simply a remarkably functional garage.

Above the garage, approximately 827 square feet of finished space offers something rare: a completely self contained suite removed from the main house. The great room is approximately 25 by 22 feet, large enough for a billiards table, seating area, and room to move. The wet bar, at nearly 10 by 7 feet, functions more as a kitchenette than a bar, anchoring the space as somewhere people can actually live rather than simply visit. A full bath completes the suite.

For one household, this becomes the ultimate game room and entertainment destination. For another, it becomes a private guest apartment, a multigenerational suite, or comfortable accommodations for an extended stay. It could also serve beautifully as a studio, home gym, creative space, or private office genuinely removed from the main residence.

The covered breezeway keeps it connected to the home while maintaining a sense of independence.

There is also exciting potential to continue building upon this part of the property. A future bedroom addition could further expand the suite, while a deck off the bonus room could create its own private outdoor living space overlooking the grounds. Behind the garage, the expansive setting offers an opportunity to explore a future pool and covered outdoor living area, creating another destination within the 3.22 wooded acres.

The space and the setting are already here.

THE GROUNDS

The outdoor spaces unfold across the wooded acreage in layers. Expansive herringbone pattern brick terraces at multiple levels step down from the rear of the home, each one a distinct space for dining, gathering, or simply being outside without any particular plan.

Two covered porches extend the living experience outdoors, creating sheltered places to enjoy the gardens and hardwood canopy. Beyond them, expansive brick patios provide additional room for entertaining and quiet afternoons outside.

A fully equipped outdoor grilling station and kitchen, solar shade along the rear elevation, four exterior ceiling fans, and extensive landscape lighting make the outdoor spaces usable from the first morning coffee until long after dark. A fountain anchors the rear garden as a focal point, its sound carrying faintly through the trees.

From the lower terraces, a rock trail winds beneath the mature hardwood canopy toward Sunset Lake. In fall, the canopy ignites, the light goes gold, and the trail through those trees becomes one of those simple pleasures a family carries for years. In winter, the hardwoods open and the lake appears through them: wide, still, and silver on a clear afternoon.

The view asks nothing of you. It simply rewards the walk.

THE STORY OF SUNSET LAKE

At the end of the trail is Sunset Lake: 125 private acres owned and managed by the Sunset Lake HOA, with a history stretching back more than 200 years.

Its story begins in 1822, when Woodson Clements dammed a stream to create Clements Mill Pond and built a water powered grist mill. In 1923, fifty prominent Raleigh families purchased the property, rebuilt the dam, and formed Sunset Lake, Incorporated, creating a private country retreat where members gathered to fish, hunt, and entertain at the Sportsman Club.

The name Sunset Lake is said to have been inspired by the beautiful view looking down the lake in the afternoon as the sun set across the water.

The lake even played an unexpected role in Raleigh's history. During the severe drought of 1953, arrangements were made to use water from Sunset Lake to help supplement Raleigh's threatened water supply, with miles of pipe installed to carry water toward the city.

Today the lake remains at the heart of the community. Residents enjoy access to the clubhouse, historic dam, walking trails, boardwalk and pier, boathouse, and boat storage. From 4332 Basal Creek Lane, a rock trail winds through the wooded property to the water, where you can put in a kayak or non motorized boat and enjoy the lake just beyond your backyard.

The lake and surrounding landscape are alive with North Carolina wildlife. Herons stand motionless at the water's edge. Turtles sun themselves along the banks, and ducks move through the shallows beneath the hardwoods. For anyone who pays attention to the natural world, this setting offers something that no neighborhood amenity can manufacture.

Looking ahead, the Sunset Lake HOA has plans to replace the historic dam and dredge the lake by 2029, a significant investment intended to restore the lake to its full depth and help ensure its vitality for generations to come.

RECENT IMPROVEMENTS

The property has continued to be maintained and updated, including recent painting in the Great Room, kitchen, hallway, front porch, and bonus room.

• Four new exterior ceiling fans • New bonus room blinds, 2025 • New washer and dryer, 2025 • Pressure water tank replaced, 2025 • New well pump, 2024 • Gutter guards installed, 2024 • Water softener control head replaced, 2023 • Primary suite HVAC compressor replaced, July 2026 • Kitchen HVAC thermostat replaced, July 2026 • Well and water inspection completed, July 2026 • Septic inspection completed, July 2026

ROOF & MAJOR SYSTEMS

The roof was replaced in 2016 with 30 year architectural shingles. Copper gutters and flashing further complement the home's exterior.

The residence is served by five central heating and cooling systems plus a wall mounted garage system:

• Kitchen: AC 2020, heat 2016 • Center: AC 2021, heat 2016 • Primary suite: AC 2020, heat 2018 • Second floor: 2023 • Bonus room over garage: 2005

All HVAC systems have historically been serviced twice annually. The primary suite compressor and kitchen thermostat were replaced in July 2026. A gas tankless water heater with whole house hot water circulation was replaced in 2016. The well and septic were both professionally inspected in July 2026.

LOCATION

Set within the established Sunset Lake community in Fuquay Varina, 4332 Basal Creek Lane is genuinely close to everything the Triangle offers while feeling entirely apart from it. Quick access to I 540 puts Downtown Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and RDU International Airport within an easy drive. Fuquay Varina and Holly Springs are minutes away for everyday conveniences. Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are a short drive away.

Jordan Lake, with its thousands of acres of open water and nature trails, is practically a neighbor. Tennis clubs and golf courses round out a lifestyle that rarely requires leaving the area for anything. The restaurants, shopping, recreation, and energy of one of the country's most dynamic metro areas are available whenever you want them, and completely out of mind when you don't.

The family who finds this home will quickly understand that the long drive through the hardwoods is not an inconvenience. It is the beginning of coming home. Every single time.

Timeless Architecture. Remarkable Privacy. A Storied Lake.