One warm, summer evening the four of us were sitting on the second-floor balcony enjoying the cooling breeze that only a lake can provide during a Louisiana summer and watching the magnificent sunset paint the Louisiana sky orange, pink, and purple. The only words spoken were, “Wow, this place is incredible.”
Meet Hampton Rutland: Husband to Tiffany, Dad to two precious boys, Urologist, Video Producer, Hunter, DIY enthusiast, man with a lot of energy and dreams.
Meet Richard Heard: Husband to Lindsay, Dad to two daughters who adore him, Contractor, Home builder, Real estate developer, Outdoorsman, Man with a desire to conquer everything before him.
The common thread: Both dream big, love the Louisiana outdoors, and have two wives who never get bored of their crazy adventures.
Hampton Rutland and Richard Heard met a few years ago while Richard was building a client’s house, and Hampton was making a video of the construction process. Hampton has been making videos that focus on a variety of topics including hunting, DIY projects, and personal life stories for his YouTube channels, Hampton Rutland and Louisiana Wetlands. From these DIY videos came the birth of the pilot called Louisiana River Builds which features Hampton as the host and visionary, Richard as the contractor, and Jeff, a long time friend of Hampton, as the project manager. The team remodels floating camps on the beautiful waters of Louisiana. The pilot has been aired on DIY and GAC.
Tiffany and I were acquaintances through church and our children’s school, but we more formally met and grew closer through the production of the TV show. We quickly learned that our husbands were very similar go-getters and adventure seekers, and we had to figure out how to hang on for the ride. Tiffany and I were both pregnant with our second child during the first pilot of Louisiana River Builds and during the beginning stages of the Island House project. We quickly bonded over our husbands’ love for the outdoors and projects, and our love for supporting our husbands in their next endeavors.
During the filming for the first pilot for Louisiana River Builds, Richard and Hampton were on their way to the Ouachita River where the camp was being remodeled when Richard got a phone call from another client about a house on Lake D’Arbonne that needed to be remodeled. The client wanted Richard’s opinion on the amount of work and money it would take to remodel the house. Richard told him that it would be a huge undertaking, but in the end could be something extraordinary. The client decided not to invest in the property, but Hampton, without reservation, wanted to take the leap to give this place new life. It took a little more convincing for Richard to get on board with this massive project. Being a residential contractor, he knew the amount of work that lay ahead.
Our families purchased The Island at D’Arbonne in the summer of 2016 and completed the renovation in the spring of 2017. Hampton created the Island House series on his YouTube channel to document the demolition and the renovation of the home and plans to continue his videos to show the many wonderful aspects of The Island.
Originally the metal building home had a dysfunctional floor plan, a yard in disarray, and no outdoor living space to take advantage of its prime location and beautiful scenery on Lake D’Arbonne. Richard and I had done several remodel projects together and knew the potential that this place had. Hampton was all in and believed this place was going to be incredible in the end. However, Tiffany was very apprehensive that this place could ever be anything but total chaos.
After the intensive renovation, the seemingly chaotic, disorderly metal building had become a gem that had been restored into a comfortable, luxurious home that took advantage of the beautiful Louisiana scenery.
The Island is a majestic place with 360-degree views of Lake D’Arbonne, a Louisiana outdoorsman’s dream, a Louisiana woman’s retreat, and a massive playground for kids. The Island offers three stories of living space-seven bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, two living areas, a kitchen, a pool table, a bar, a catering kitchen, a bridal room, a sky bar that is nestled atop as a lookout point to take in even more scenery, and an enormous deck that offers breathtaking views and sunsets. It is available to rent as a vacation home or weekend getaway as well as an outdoor venue for events including weddings, receptions, corporate events, showers, and other social gatherings. The Island is also an amazing place for photographers to take engagement, bridal, and family photos. At a recent photo shoot at The Island, someone said they could not believe this incredibly beautiful place was right here in our backyard!
The Island and Lake D’Arbonne offer many outdoors activities including boating, water sports, kayaking, paddle boarding, wind surfing, fishing, and waterfowl hunting. Lake D’Arbonne has been voted one of the top lakes in the nation for crappie fishing and is a stop on the Crappie Masters Tournament Trail.
The Island has quickly become a place special to both of our families where we can enjoy the great Louisiana outdoors and spend some time with friends and family in a stunningly beautiful and comfortable retreat with endless activities at our fingertips. We want to share this 360-degree of lakefront bliss with others. One family who recently rented raved about The Island at D’Arbonne saying that The Island was “the perfect getaway.”The Island at D’Arbonne is much more than your average vacation or event rental. It is a place that has brought two Louisiana ladies together who wanted to create a place of happiness and beauty not only for our families to enjoy, but also for others to experience the beauty of our Louisiana lifestyles.
Written by: Lindsay Heard
Photo Credit: Hampton Rutland
