Hi. I’m Burt Walker, the developer of The Enclave at Winding Brook. I would like to introduce Steve and Kelley Morgan – 179 Winding Brook Trail. They were among the first to purchase a lot and build a custom home in our beautiful community. When we opened for business a little over a year ago, the notion of a small, intimate community, designed especially for people with downsizing in mind, was just a dream. We were told by the experts in real estate it was a crazy idea–that it would never work. They couldn’t quite grasp our idea of smaller homes, often confusing them with tiny homes. Our team here at The Enclave couldn’t be happier to have proven them wrong. Judging by the sales and more specifically by the ones who have taken the plunge, it is a resounding success. Their beautiful new home can be seen below. Scroll to the end for a slide show of the indoor charm.
I conducted an interview with the Morgans shortly after they moved in to their new permanent home. I wanted to know what they think about living in a small home, The Enclave in particular, and the Blue Ridge area. I think you’ll find their story compelling.
BURT: Where did you come from and what attracted you to the Blue Ridge area?
KELLEY & STEVE: We came from Florida, vacationing frequently in Blue Ridge…the beauty, peace and hospitality of the people of Blue Ridge is what attracted us.
BURT: Why did you decide to build a home in Blue Ridge?
KELLEY & STEVE: The number of times we visited and the yearning to return helped in the decision to build a home here.
BURT: Why did you choose to build instead of purchase an existing home?
KELLEY & STEVE: We wanted to find the perfect place and build a home the way we desired.
BURT: How did you discover The Enclave?
KELLEY & STEVE: My husband was searching the internet for property and accidentally came across The Enclave, we decided to make a power trip up to check it out. It was perfect!
BURT: Why did you decide to choose The Enclave?
KELLEY & STEVE: We did not know where to begin with utilities and clearing … The Enclave had all the answers …. prepared and ready to build.
BURT: What attracted you to downsize to a smaller home?
KELLEY & STEVE: Honestly…Watching Tiny House Nation and coming to the realization that the kids are grown and we only occupied half of our home…we wanted to enjoy life and not be a slave to our house. The idea of a tiny house sounded interesting, but we were hoping to find something in between a traditional tiny home and a conventional home. That’s what we found at The Enclave.
BURT: What are the advantages of small home living?
KELLEY & STEVE: Having everything you need and being able to enjoy time together…smaller home…smaller utilities…smaller needs. We have discovered that a smaller home creates bigger hearts …excess square footage… excess distance. We value our time, and frankly, being able to deep-clean our entire house in less than an hour is amazing. Compare that to what used to be an entire day in our old house, and it’s a huge payoff. I’d rather I didn’t have to spend one seventh of my life cleaning something that doesn’t even get full use.
BURT: Are the recreational opportunities nearby important to you?
KELLEY & STEVE: Somewhat… as we have more time with each other …we have found the desire to seek new adventures together. Having just moved here permanently, we have plenty to choose from and we’re looking forward to exploring more.
BURT: How would you rate the following about your experience at The Enclave?
○ Noise level
○ Beauty
○ Solitude
○ Charm
○ Size of lots
○ Homeowner’s Association Rules
○ Building Requirements/Rules
○ Distance to attractions
KELLEY & STEVE: We can honestly say that all the above helped us in our decision making…we would rate them all a 10.
BURT: What are some of your favorite restaurants in the area?
We enjoy many restaurants in the area …we frequent Tin Loong, Blue Jeans Pizza, Flying Trout @ the Copperhead Lodge, Mike’s Seafood and Chester’s… with so many more to try.
BURT: What are some of your favorite entertainment activities in the area?
KELLEY & STEVE: The local areas are very active on the weekends with all kinds of events to attend. We enjoy gathering with our neighbors in the community and enjoying dinner and local band entertainment at the Copperhead Lodge. The list of things to do is almost endless and we’re very much looking forward to doing more.
BURT: Please feel free to add anything you like regarding your experience as homeowners in The Enclave.
KELLEY & STEVE: We cannot explain how much we enjoy sitting out on our deck reading a book and listening to wildlife while the breeze rustles the leaves in the trees. We live far enough out of town to feel secluded but not too far…also with the opportunity to visit North Carolina and Tennessee within 30 minutes. Thank you for creating such a special place as The Enclave of Winding Brook… we are so very proud to be a homeowner in the community.
This is exactly the kind of result I was hoping for with these interviews. If you like the idea of small home living and enjoy the Blue Ridge area, I encourage you to give us a visit. I think you’ll like what you see. And I can’t share something like this without mentioning my wonderful real estate agent Donna Dillard-Grimsley (Anchor Brokerage). I like to think of her as a partner in this great adventure. She was one of the few who shared my vision and she goes well beyond what can be expected of an agent. She is my right hand in this initiative and I literally could not do it without her. She is a seasoned agent and has a thorough knowledge of our community and the surrounding area. If you’d like to arrange a visit, please give her a call. I promise she won’t invade your space. She’ll be happy to introduce herself and our community, but she won’t pester you. And if you decide to join the community, you won’t find a harder working person to help you make it happen you can find Donna’s contact information on our Contact page.
Check out the interior of this amazing home. Comfort and beauty need not take a back seat to living small.
