Community

14 Comments

Comment by Anne on August 18, 2008 at 10:20am

Hi Shad - You sound like a great neighbor! What about ya'lls white picket fence, though? We are building our beautiful log cabin and our neighbor is living in a double wide. To clarify - we are in the middle of 30 acres which is surrounded by several hundred acres, so that neighbor is a good distance from us - shared driveway, though. Our primary residence is in suburbia (Norfolk, VA) and I always hear about the dangers of out-building the neighborhood. We so loved the piece of property we have in Charlotte County and the seclusion it offered, that we didn't mind the double wides in the area. Being from Virginia, you may be familiar with our state's rural areas. You drive for miles and see trailers next to farm houses, next to equestrian estates - an architectural hodge-podge. All separated by acres of fields, then forests, then cut-overs. Anyway, our cabin is in the middle of one of these eclectic architectural/landscape areas. Our first priority was the land, not our nearest neighbors. I agree with Rita - live where you love it. A great plus is that our nearest neighbors are fantastic people who watch our cabin for us when we aren't there. By the way, if you're looking, land prices in Charlotte, Prince Edward, and Lunenburg counties are some of the cheapest in VA - except for way, way out west. ~ Anne

Comment by Tom Heatherington on August 18, 2008 at 12:47pm

Shad,

Great comments and I can really empathize with your situation. We live in NW Montana outside of Kalispell - a little town near Glacier National Park and Flathead Lake. In the rural areas of Montana, many areas have adopted formal "Neighborhood Plans" because zoning is minimal. The plans are usually recognized as binding, legal documents and spell out what kind of businesses or industry can be located in the area. As an example, our plan permits no industrial business and requires that all residential properties be no smaller than 5 acres. Consequently, our neighbors all live on 5 - 40 acre plots. Although I can see two homes from my place, it is not what you'd call a suburban street :-)

Prior to moving to the boonies of Montana, we lived in Texas. In hindsight, I introduced my bride to living 'out' in small steps. She was born & raised in N. Dallas, a city gal through and through, but I convinced her to move about 30 mi. north of Dallas where we bought 20 acres. That was a learning experience for her as she was introduced to wildlife close-up and living further than 20' from your neighbor.

When she okayed the move to Montana, she was ready. As long as she has her Lilly Belle (our Great Pyrenees pooch featured in our group, "Log Dogs, Cats & Critters"), she now sleeps with doors & windows wide open and no outside lighting. Coming from a place where alarms and motion sensors were the norm, this was a big change from Metro-Dallas.
http://www.loghomeu.com/group/logdogs

We too are 'empty nesters', so living here is easier not having to worry about schools and all the extracurricular activities kids have. My goal was always to live 'out' when the opportunity presented itself, so I've never considered building a log home in a neighborhood environment. As you probably know, there are new communities springing up around the country that focus on log and timber frame homes exclusively, and offer most of the same 'benefits' of HOA communities. Additionally, these communities are typically targeting high-end buyers, which leaves me out.

I would guess that the majority of people who pursue the 'log home lifestyle' are looking for many of the same things such as privacy, seclusion, natural surroundings and being far away from the sound of traffic and other distinctly urban problems. That's my opinion only, not based on any scientific research, but if the ads we see in magazines and the people we meet here in this community are indicative of the norm, my assumption is probably valid.

As to escaping the HOAs, even in the most rural of areas there are often informal HOAs to manage such things as paying to get the road plowed in the winter and repairs in the summer. If you live off of a county road, the county will almost never plow a private road - exceptions are made if enough people live on the private road - always a case-by-case.

Good luck with your dream... you might need to tweak some of the details to make it happen :-)

Comment by Joe on August 18, 2008 at 1:13pm

Good question Shad. I have been doing a lot of research on log homes in the East TN. area and have found that there are log home communities and standard home communities. Many of the log home communities are just like your subdivision while others have 1 or more acres. We have been confining our searches to lake front and most have 1/2 acre to 2 acres which is fine with us, close to neighbors but not too close. We visited one nice community in Spring city, TN that had log homes and timber frame and we even found a lot that we liked but walked away. They were building, of all things, an Italian villa next door. A real turnoff. That house would have been great in Sarasota where we lived by not where it was in TN. A year later that lot is still for sale.

A good real estate salesperson can give you advice as to neighborhoods but you can also use Lakehouse.com to find log homes and regular homes. Take advantage of the satellite views of the neighboring properties as it can save you a lot of grief. I found one log home that looked like a really good buy but when I backed further out I discovered that the river finger it was on required you to go past a mile long marina that almost blocked the entire river with moorings. It would be a boating nightmare to go fishing. The old adage, buyer beware.

You are correct in that in many cases, these planned communities in TN, as an example, have all of these parcels and no homes on them. When they show you the community centers and marinas, there is no one in them yet they are sold out. There have been many dreamers and speculators who have bought into these and now are having second thoughts which is good because there are deals to be had. The deed restrictions and architectural reviews is something that I like because I don't want the Italian villa built next door nor the double wide, but that has nothing to do with the quality of people in them only what I want to see when I drive down my road which is the point you were making.

I live in an old florida ranch of about 1700 sq ft. Our deed restrictions expired so they were able to build a 3 story, 3600 sq ft., McMansion, 15 feet away from us that has eliminated all of our morning sun. I don't want to walk into this again even though the owners are great people.

So, it all comes down as to what you are looking for and where because you will be able to find it with some internet research.

Joe

Comment by Ted on August 18, 2008 at 4:25pm

Boy, are you folks right on. HOA's are as different as flatlanders are from mountain people. I can only speak from personal experience but living in Sarasota FL, in a deed restricted community, is 180 degrees different than working with the HOA in the Maple Springs Subdivision in Waynesville, NC. The "association" in Florida is so restrictive that they want to tell a person what wattage light bulb to use in the "approved" light fixture and this is but a small example. On the other hand, I recently contacted the president of my association in NC and he didn't even have a copy of the community plat plan (I did and offered it to him). He told me that someone had recently bought 10 acres with a small piece of the acreage abutting my property. When I asked him what the 10 acre owner was planning, the president had no idea except that the 10 acre owner was planning to subdivide into three 2 acre plots and save 4 acres for himself. My point being that you really have to do your research regarding the reason for the association and the power they have to enforce the association "docs". I, for one, don't want any association telling me how to run my life but I do want my association involved in such things as the type and size of homes going into my neighborhood (ie double wides) and I certainly wouldn't welcome a commercial business being built down the street from me. By the way, the last point I made is what my NC association actually does as well as maintain the roads and (as I understand it) sponsor great community cookouts.

The other point that I found interesting concerned living in a community with nothing else but log homes. I don't know about you but I would find this a bit boring. I think what makes this country great is diversity ... in people and in architecture. I happen to love log homes but I'm grateful that my neighbor loves cape cod style homes. The part of Florida I currently live in happens to be a cookie cutter kind of place. There are big versions and small versions of virtually the same thing. The layouts are the same and you can shake hands with your neighbor from your kitchen window to his. Guess why I want to move out of Florida and into the mountains. By the same token, my son and his wife rented a log home near Pigeon Forge, TN last year. My wife and I, in one of our property searches, stopped at the home he had rented. The place was beautiful but it was on a quarter acre and there were similar log homes on similar pieces of property all aver the area. I couldn't help but thinking, wow, a log home version of Florida except on the side of a steep mountain.

The bottom line is that you have to know yourself. That is, know what you really want and then do your research which includes getting to know your HOA and finding out what they are all about. Cause once it's done, it is really done.

Not an easy task.

Ted

Comment by Shad on August 18, 2008 at 9:13pm

Thanks for all the great, well-thought-out feedback folks. I didn't really mean for it to turn into an HOA-type of conversation, but that's not a bad thing. And as far as the HOA, it really does depend. I was just reading an article about a Texas HOA that won't allow specific kinds of trucks to be parked in driveways. In Texas no less. There are some strange, crazy HOAs in this country.

Before moving to Northern Virgina, I lived in Tucson. I owned a condo, which was really converted apartments. I paid $115 bucks a month in HOA fees for a pool that was cracked, an unusable jacuzzi, and 'landscaping'. The landscaping in this community (hell, most of southern AZ) consisted of rocks and cacti. Which, obviously, don't need much attention. That really soured me on HOAs, but the one here, in which I pay about half what I did back in Tucson, has been very worth it. Three pools, playgrounds, tennis courts, free concerts with free drinks and ice-cream. It's nice. Hell, compared to the HOA back in Tucson, it's heaven. I think the HOA board was ripping us off.

Joe, we had something similar happen to close friends of ours; they had a nice lot in an unrestricted neighborhood. Someone purchased the lot next door and built a three-story house that was a complete eyesore. They have since moved.

Ted, I think you're right, a log home neighborhood could be boring. If there were several variations to that theme - timber, hybrids, even rock - it could be doable, but all logs would feel like one of those dealers you visit that have three or four models available to walk through.

Thanks again - and keep the feedback coming!

Comment by Shad on August 18, 2008 at 9:15pm

Meant to post that article about the Texas HOA... it's quite ridiculous:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-friscopickups_17met.ART0.West.Edition1.4d8a269.html

Comment by Marla on August 18, 2008 at 10:31pm

As a Canuck I am unfamiliar with what an HOA is. If I were to hazard a guess I would have to say that it is similar to a gated community that has a covenant that restricts the type of home you can build, whether or not you can have a clothesline, or park your RV in your drive or sets time limits on how long your guests can visit ??

I am happy to say that I live on a 1320 acre ranch on a gravel road that dead ends at the neighbours a 1/4 mile away. The neighbours place was homesteaded about the same time as ours, late 1940's. We are 30 miles from the closest hospital and 90 miles from a cinema, Costco or Wal-Mart. I love it !!
Our community is close-knit, everyone helps one another when needed. From the deck of our new home I will be able to watch the deer watering from the creek and the coyote pups play on the bank. And if I walk up the creek I can admire the intricate architecture of the beavers. I will post some pictures as soon as hubby develops the film in his camera. (He prefers SLR to digital, says he will leave technology to our girls - LOL)

Comment by Shad on August 19, 2008 at 8:04am

Hi Marla,

Wow, sounds absolutely fantastic! And yes, an HOA is very similar to what you've described. But let me ask you this; not knowing how old your girls are, do you worry that because of your remote location, they might not be getting the social interaction children usually get growing up? In my current neighborhood, both my daughter (11) and my son (15) have a lot of friends they can call up and go visit, without my wife or myself having to drive them. If my closest neighbor was 1/4 mile away, I'd feel the need to make sure they got there and back OK. Do you find this to be an issue?

Looking forward to seeing some of the developed pictures! And thanks for commenting :-)

Comment by Neighborhood Host on August 19, 2008 at 10:34am

This is such an awesome discussion that I hesitate to jump in with this, but I did come across an article the editors just put online profiling 5 log home communities. (I would say it is a "Top 5" list, but at the end of the day, that's an opinion - and we'd rather hear what you guys have to say anyway.)

So, check it out or ignore it - I just wanted to add it to the conversation! Click here to read it.

Comment by Dianne on August 19, 2008 at 11:28am

Shad...I think most people who want to build and live in log homes do so because of a love of nature. When I think of log home it always brings to mind looking out your windows to see trees, birds, and wildlife. I also think that people still need to be within a "reasonable" distance to their jobs, shopping, and medical facilities. Using that criteria we chose our land for the first log home.

The first log home was on 2 acres of woods in a small rural town about 10 miles from shopping and 18 miles from our jobs. In the summer you couldn't even see our neighbor's home on one side, and the other side was a 4 acre lot full of trees, that was owned, but never built on for 25 years. Alas, times change. Our wonderful quiet neighbors (of 25 years) retired and sold the home. The new owners had 2 teenagers and cut down most of their trees to install a swimming pool. The weekend parties at the pool were just that...entire "weekends" and sometimes mid-week get togethers of splashing, loud music and even louder conversations that always went well past midnight. To make matters worse, the vacant lot on the other side changed hands just about the same time and all those trees were cut and the home was built as close to our property line as they could get. Our peaceful little neighborhood was suddenly not the quiet retreat it once was. Still, given all that...we would have stayed anyway had things been different in Corporate America. What that experience did teach us was that our next piece of land should be larger and more protected from the whims of others.

When we considered our "next" piece of land we took all this into consideration. We suddenly knew we would want to protect ourselves from the same thing happening. We were looking for enough land that even if the surrounding land were developed it would still be far enough away not to affect us. On the other hand, we didn't have the $$$ to do this in CT. We began looking out of state in very rural locations. Of course we fell into the perfect 10.5 acre parcel with a rear boundary being a river...the right boundary a cliff...the left boundary a creek with wetlands (protected from ever being built) and the front 4 acres of meadow that we own all the way to the road.

The community...gee that was the question...sorry I guess I got off track! The new community is mostly rural farms, lots of farm animals, barns, horses and corn fields and a thriving Amish population. The closest larger towns in the north, west or east direction are 20 to 30 miles away and to the south lay the Adirondack Mountains (we are considered to be in the "foothills" of the Adirondacks). There is a little convenience store for those "oh my gosh I'm out of milk days" and a local hardware store when you just have to have that screw or nail NOW! Other than that you do have to plan you meals and stock your freezer and a trip to the mall will take more time (and gas) than you'd probably like!

Back in CT log homes were around...but I can't think of any place that had an entire log home community. Mostly (back there) the log homes were all built deep into pieces of land surrounded by trees and rarely visible from the roads.

Here in North Country you see many more examples of log homes. Some are very old, and many appear to have been built by owners cutting their own trees and heavily chinked over the years. Many appeared to be heavily coated with creosote or left natural with no protection to the wood at all (or maintained too infrequently). I do know there are many newer log homes here in North Country, but once again they are tucked away in the woods and hidden, so although I'd love to be able to look them over, I'm not into invading someone's privacy by driving down a private driveway just to look!

I do have a good friend who purchased a log home in Maine in a log home community. He loves it! If memory serves me he as a one acre lot in a development of log homes. His back yard leads into the woods and his view is of log homes in all other directions. They are not all the same, as the developer had about 6 different styles and floor plans and if you purchased soon enough you could modify certain aspects of the interior to what you wanted. This friend is extremely happy with his home and neighborhood. He's sent pictures of moose and deer wandering through his yard.

Hope that helps...and answers your question! I know you've been over to my blog so you can see what we are building and how we've gone about it.

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