Beauty in every step. . .

There in the background you can see the working barn built in the 1920's when the house was built. Inside are 4 stalls that were used by the goats and sheep who roamed the property. We had a field day with that old manure when we cleaned "that" out. Still today, our gardens flourish because of it! Old wooden steps inside the barn lead to the upper level which is a wide open space surrounded by only the trees and sounds of nature. We had hoped to transform the barn to a working studio/living area however the years passed and although our idea is still a good one, time is not something we have a lot of these days. I could always imagine taking our teachers into the barn to retreat for the evening during their weekend teaching events at the shop. A glass of wine on little porch, looking out over the trees, only to be secluded, rested, refreshed and re-energized for another day of teaching... ahhhhh.
Notice the stone path in the foreground as it meanders around a large maple tree. Along the path are plantings of hydrangea, hostas, ivy, astilbe,l enten rose, azalea, laurels and dogwoods.
A small shady spot with 2 brightly painted adirondak chairs welcome an afternoon rest. Just another "outdoor" room to enjoy the many beautiful seasons here in the mountains on Western North Carolina.
So, now you have another little peek of the beauty in n my little mountain retreat in Saluda. Maybe after all this thoughtful contemplation about this sweet little space of mine, I might change my mind and decide to stay. Hmmmmmmm......Until then we are progressing with the sale.

From the beginning

The time has come for us to sell our house in Saluda. After 13 years and the trials and tribulations of a complete renovation we have decided to move onto something smaller. It's odd how after pouring our heart and soul into this project we can let go emotionally to all that is here. When we moved here in 1994 our visions were much different than they are now and not to mention that we were 13 yrs younger and full of energy and enthusiasm.
In 1924 someone took the time to situate and plan this craftsman style home in the perfect location in relationship to the sunrise and sunset. We noticed this early on when we first moved here and began "doing our thing" with the gardens. Actually there were no gardens here, just overgrown trees, underbrush and lots of poison ivy. We took down huge pine trees that were planted on the corners of the house, by tying ropes to the trees and pulling hard. Yes, the two of us did that and more including pouring a new foundation on the back of the house and constructing a french drain system. That was the beginning for us and now that we have a complete master suite with built in window seats and storage, skylights a soaking tub and a separate shower and heated tile floor. All of the oak floors have been stripped and finished and all the original windows with leaded glass have been restored to perfect working order. Some windows were replaced with custom Marvin windows in keeping with the craftsman style of the home.
The main level also has a living room, dining room, kitchen and laundry room and a full bath. A full length country porch invites afternoon tea with a wicker swing and white pickets rails.
Upstairs are 3 full bedrooms and a bathroom with pine floors and storage closet in the attic area.
Outdoors there are 3 wooded acres completely untouched except for the woodland paths complete with wildflowers such as lady slippers, trillium and jack in the pulpit.
A paved driveway leads the way to our house through rhodedendrons, azaleas, english ivy and mountain laurels. The original barn still stands along with a drying shed, workshop and garage, on this once working farm.
A covered back porch was completed to provide outdoor dining and an enclosed hot tub area and several feet away is an unattached pergola perfect for additional entertaining. Near our back door is the pump house that houses the water supply equipment and a garden shed for easy access to all our gardening supplies.
Beautiful plantings are everywhere including iris, wisteria, hostas and guided stone paths and a small pond which now has 2 really cute frogs.
So, all in all that's our house in a 500 words or less located in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains in western north carolina in Historic Saluda.
Thanks for looking at my blog about our house here in Saluda and if you are interested please email me for more information.

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