A Perfect North Carolina Mountain Retirement Community

My husband and I began our search for a retirement community about two years ago. We had a very detailed plan of the mountain community we were looking for. We knew that we needed a gated community that was convenient to medical facilities, shopping, entertainment etc. We wanted a community that was within 30 minutes of the thriving, eclectic city of Asheville. We wanted to see snow occasionally, but not be homebound by it. We wanted all this but at the same time we needed to feel secluded, safe and entirely surrounded by nature.

We looked at many mountain communities that had fantastic views but they were difficult to get to and too far away from stores and medical facilities. Other communities seemed like they could be the one, only to find the view totally ruined by new construction at the next visit. Some of the communities had developers who had questionable practices and were selling entirely to investors. While some developers were selling land that had limited water availability.

After extensive research and searching we found the community of Pinnacle Falls in Hendersonville, NC. While talking to the sales team at Pinnacle, I immediately felt they were professional, friendly and extremely helpful. I was very impressed and could not wait to see their community. As soon as I drove into Pinnacle Falls, I knew we had finally found what we had been looking for! Located just 30 minutes from Asheville, 10 minutes to Flat Rock and Hendersonville, this lovely community had the perfect location. Pinnacle is situated on 350 acres. With only 147 carefully selected home sites, over half of the community will stay completely natural!

Hiking the property is a wonderful experience. It is full of easy trails with carefully designed footbridges over large streams. Large stone outcroppings line some of the streams and I can’t wait to slide down them on a hot summer day! Some of the trails end at the impressive Pinnacle Falls, others lead to a few carefully designed fire pits with a small area cleared for camping. I am planning to camp there with my future grandchildren and tell ghost stories by the camp fire! The trails are professionally done to give the appearance of a natural trail with carefully placed rocks, steps and carved seats made from fallen trees in the community. All the trails are lined with beautiful wild flowers, mountain laurel and rhododendrons.

The homes designed in Pinnacle Falls will be required to achieve a natural look that blends into the surroundings utilizing outdoor living rooms with fireplaces, a mix of log, cedar, stone and wood. Several craftsman homebuilders are available including “Natural Element” homes.

The best thing about Pinnacle Falls is knowing that it will never change. The design of the mountain that surrounds the community will never be built on. I won’t have to worry about new roads, homes or any other construction that may ruin my little piece of paradise. I think fondly of the future when my grandchildren and their children will be able to see and feel this special community just as it looks today. Hopefully, they will regard it with the same respect and awe for nature that I have! I want my special little home in Pinnacle Falls to become the legacy that I leave to them. As you can see, my husband and I feel Pinnacle Falls is a special place and I hope you can visit there soon. I think you will come to love it as much as we do.

If you would like to visit this beautiful community, please contact me. I would love for you to be my guest! A three bedroom antique log cabin is available in the community starting at $99.00 a night. Bring your hiking shoes, and bathing suits!

Paula and Marty Dusharm
Homeowner Pinnacle Falls, Lot 101

Healthy Built Homes In The North Carolina Mountains

Healthy built homes with silver certification, Energy Star certified homes, NC passive home certification, green home builders, NCHBH testing. What does it all mean and how can I get it for my new North Carolina mountain home?

With the rising cost of energy, daily warnings of air quality, increase of childhood asthma, increasing complications with allergies and lung cancer, this is a questions many potential home buyers are asking.

I have found several builders in the North Carolina Mountains that are committed to designing a high performance home that will answer all your questions about a healthy built home. They begin with foresighted architectural planning to design your house as a “whole system”; where everything works together in unison for a healthier, sustainable, energy efficient and environmentally friendlier home. As a result, many potential homeowners are choosing a home with lower utility bills, healthier indoor air quality, ample day lighting, and the warmth of a passive solar heating environment.

One of the first things to consider when building an energy efficient and environmentally sound home in the North Carolina Mountains is proper site orientation. The builder of a high performance home will be able to correctly place your home for optimum solar alignment. The correct orientation will allow passive solar heating in the cold weather and passive cooling of your home in the summer as well as enabling day lighting to naturally light the interior. This is also accomplished with carefully designed and calculated overhangs that will minimize your summer afternoon solar gain and allow for calculated solar winter gain. Individual window sizing and glass type depending on the location and orientation of your home should also be considered.

Once the site has been chosen and the design of the home complete, envelope construction technology should be utilized. This includes extensive sealing of the crawlspace to improve efficiency and resist mold. Cellulose insulation is reccommended; R-30 in the ceiling and R-13 for the walls. The floor system should be built using using a passive heating and cooling BPEX tubing system such as Therma floor. This system can be used on tile, hardwoods and even carpet! The passive system produces warm consistant heat from the floors and minimizes the need for forced hot air systems that spread pollen and other harmful particles throught the air of your home.

Interior humidity and ventilation strategies should be used such as ERV (Enthalpy Recovery Ventilation) to provide fresh air into the house and improve air quality. Paints and finishes that have a low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) will also help to maintain healthy air quality. HVAC units should have a minimum MERV9 rating for better filtering as well as being placed in ” Conditioned” spaces for better efficiency.

The use of solar panels for energy is also a must with a high performance home. There are many local solar companies with updated solar technologies to choose from. Utility bills can be greatly decreased using solar. The government is providing tax credits to increase the use of this technology. Many companies in the North Carolina mountains are combining the solar technology with wind power to create a unique energy system for homes.

As a owner of property in Pinnacle Falls, Hendersonville, North Carolina, I plan to build my own healthy home in the near future. I would be happy to give you more information on this topic. Please contact me or you can visit my website for more information.

Tips for purchasing a second home in the North Carolina Mountains

Right now owning a second home is more affordable than ever! The average price of a second home is down 23 % since 2007! The median price of a typical second home is $150,000 and is significantly lower than the median price of 195,000 in 2007.

Many gated communities in the North Carolina Mountains have reduced prices more than 30%. Hundreds of builders in the Lake Norman area of North Carolina are out of business. Those surviving builders are desperate for work and willing to sharply discount their prices. Prices won’t stay low for long so right now is a great time to get a bargain house, build a home or purchase a home that may have been out of your price range only a few years ago.
There are plenty of ways you can easily afford a second home without depleting your financial resources. Here are some ideas that can make your dream of owning a vacation home in North Carolina become a reality!!!
Purchase a fixer-upper. Rather than buying the perfect vacation home, save a bundle of money by making needed improvements on a less than perfect property.

Buy a second home with family or friends. This is a great idea for many people as long as you plan everything ahead of time. Decide before buying how to split the cost of the home. Make sure to have contracts written to cover the finances, maintenance and usage of the home.

Rent out your second home. The income earned can help cover the home’s initial cost. The IRS offers great tax deductions for both short and long term rentals! If you are unfamiliar with the rules regarding rental agreements or don’t have time to check on tenants, a vacation rental management company can handle the details for you.

Purchase land instead of a home to begin with. If you are unsure about how much you will use a vacation home, you might want to consider purchasing land instead of a house. You could bring a camper or tent and camp out on your property to allow you to get a feel for the area and to see how often you will really visit. Start out by building a small cabin and then if you need something bigger, build a house or expand onto the cabin later on.

For more information on North Carolina Mountain communities .

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COMING SOON: WATCH FOR MY BLOGS AND PICTURES AS I BUILD MY OWN SECOND HOME IN THE BEAUTIFUL COMMUNITY OF PINNACLE FALLS, HENDERSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA!!!

Some information in this blog credited to high south realty company.