I hate clutter. It took me a long to to realize what to do about it though. I was a bit of a pack rat and over the years, accumulated lots of junk. I could always justify keeping something around, thinking that someday I would need it. Unfortunately, I had so much junk, that when I did need it, I couldn’t find it. Any of this sound familiar to you?
A few years ago, we sold our house and moved to a smaller one. The new one is not tiny by any stretch, but much smaller than the one we sold. We wanted to downsize. When preparing for the move, we had an online estate sale and sold much of what we had. What remained was still overwhelming. I filled a large construction dumpster to the brim with stuff I didn’t need but couldn’t sell or give away. That was a wake up call.
I also learned to simplify my life in other ways by un-cluttering my digital life. Most of my professional life was centered around my computers, having been in the software business. I started out with Windows computers, then migrated to Macs about 8 years ago. That helped a lot, but I still had mountains of data and computer programs that were cluttering up my virtual desktop, and thereby, cluttering my mind. Then, a year or so ago I purchased a Chromebook, something I previously thought was a joke. It cost me a little over $200. It didn’t take long to learn that this little laptop computer would simplify my life in many ways. Chromebooks are basically nothing more than a computer with a tiny bit of storage and a browser to access the web. I found that I could essentially do 90 percent of my work on this little jewel. I had effectively downsized most of my work life. It can boot from a complete power down state to ready to work in less than 30 seconds. It was refreshing and liberating.
Between my move and my computer life, I had begun a journey toward minimalism. I just didn’t have a word for it yet. Then a few months ago I decided to resurrect the Enclave I had developed 10 years ago. The original development project was a bust, having completed the development just as the real estate market collapsed. I waited ten years before the market surged back and made further development possible. But, I believed the age of the McMansion was coming to an end.
Instead of building status quo homes, I took a calculated risk of doing something dramatically different. The Enclave is located near Blue Ridge, in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. It is a popular weekend destination for city dwellers from Atlanta, Knoxville, and Chattanooga and as such, has many communities of vacation home owners. Most of it is geared toward log cabins in heavily forested areas, near water, or with majestic mountain views. Most of them range from standard size to large size, allowing luxurious accommodations for large families.
So, rather than compete with every other developer or builder, I decided to differentiate the property with a twist not found elsewhere nearby. I would build homes with small footprints that are not log cabins. I was soundly criticized for making a decision like this that challenged the status quo. But my instincts told me there would be others like me, that would like to simplify their living experiences. Yes, there are disadvantages to downsizing, but I won’t focus on those here. Instead, I’ll focus on a few of the advantages. Let’s examine them here:
- Affordability. It’s hard to imagine a new construction home on a beautiful wooded lot of 1.5 acres or more, in a safe, gated community costing less than $150,000. But that’s what we’re offering here. And don’t forget the lower tax assessment that accompanies a smaller home. Who wants to spend $300,000 on a home that might sit vacant most of the time and bears all the necessary maintenance costs associated with the size?
- Time. How much is your time worth? It’s the one asset that once used, we can never get back. How long does it take you to clean an 800 square foot, single floor, two bedroom home? Maybe 30 minutes. Try that with a 3,000 square foot, multilevel, 3-4 four bedroom home. Why not spend less time cleaning and maintaining and more time doing things more enjoyable.
- Un-Cluttering. When you have no place to store junk, you won’t keep it. It’s a bit of a challenge, but once you do, you’ll be amazed at what you can live without. There’s a lot more to life than accumulating stuff.
- Energy Efficiency. Some want to have a smaller footprint. Some want to be more responsible citizens of the earth and save energy. Others just want to spend less on energy. Smaller homes require far less energy. Regardless of the reasons, less energy is a benefit to all involved.
- Intimacy and Coziness. Instead of yelling to your housemates, simply talk. People won’t be scattered all of the house, who knows where. Smaller homes afford the opportunity to more easily spend time with those you love, instead of holing up in an office somewhere, while still offering enough personal privacy when it’s needed.
- Uniqueness with Style. Here in the Enclave, we don’t intend to build typical log homes. We think they’re “so yesterday.” While we allow them, none of them we build on spec will be of log or log siding exteriors. If you want to act like a pioneer or lumberjack, there are plenty of other homes available for you nearby. However, we still want our homes to blend in with the beautiful, outdoor atmosphere. This is why we don’t cut everything down, strip-mine style, just to make it easier on the builders. We’re building the homes for you, not the construction crews. Each one will be designed to take full advantage of it’s unique placement, offering exterior and interior designs that are both fashionable and functional. There’s no need to give up style with smaller homes.
Our first model home is well underway, just now having reached the dried-in stage. We expect completion in mid July. We’ve had many visitors and inquiries about purchasing homes or lots and there’s a lot of buzz around town about what we’re doing. It appears as if my gamble is going to pay of. Now, I could just build them faster.
If you’re in the neighborhood, we encourage you to stop by. While we will sell lots without homes, we’re trying to focus on building the homes to meet our vision. Bring us your plan or your idea and we’ll see if we can make it work for you. Then perhaps you can learn to enjoy the benefits of small home living.