Last Thursday was a red letter day for Rick Andrews of Bayside Joinery in Cobbs Creek. He and his crew finally saw the raising of a cupola they had built several years ago for a lighthouse-style home in Ware Neck for Richmond resident Gene Cooke.

The home is similar to others that Andrews has built in various locations using his own design specifications, but it was more ambitious because of the extra features and embellishments, such as a round lookout room with a circular stairway inside a circular stairwell. The home was also designed to accept a circular, clear-tube pneumatic elevator in the center of the stairs.

Also included in the lighthouse design are a manufactured all-wood structural beam that’s large enough for windows in the middle and an octagonal deck around the lookout room that forms a compression ring to equalize the force of eight roof panels. Although not the largest lighthouse-style house he’s built, Andrews said it’s the most elaborate and intri...