For those who don’t remember, after Hurricane Katrina (August 2005) there was an urgent need for housing in the Gulf Coast. Katrina Cottages were an alternative to trailers and temporary housing. And they were adorable.
My life had just changed completely and I was starting over. A Katrina Cottage looked like the perfect next step in my life.
I decided I could buy a piece of land and live in a camper on it while my new cottage was being built.
So, I started looking for land. Which was much more difficult than I ever thought it would be. I was living with a friend in Gatlinburg, Tennessee driving back in forth to see land around Asheville, Hendersonville and Brevard in North Carolina. I started looking at houses, too.
I wasn’t really all that picky. It didn’t have to be a permanent landing.
- Not isolated, safe for a single woman living alone
- Can get a pizza delivered
- Internet available
This was in 2005. Internet was not available everywhere. And it still isn’t. Some places here in the mountains you have really limited internet access options.
- Not on a dirt road, so the car isn’t always dusty
- Not likely to lose electricity in storms, or at least where they will prioritize repairs
- Not likely to get snowed in
- Not too steep
I lived in Oakville, Ontario at one time and I really liked living where I could walk to shops and restaurants. After looking at a lot of other options, I decided I really wanted to live in town.
I found a log cabin in Druid Hills, Hendersonville. It is one of the historic neighborhoods. I had been checking the newspaper on-line every time it came out, then the addresses on MapQuest. This was the first thing I had seen that was even close to what I was looking for. And it cost quite a lot less than anything else I had looked at. I had seen steep slope vacant lots that cost more.
As soon as I walked onto the porch I could see myself living here.
So, Meadowbrook Cabin was my first Small House Project. The house was inexpensive because it needed a lot of work. But I love it now.
Now, in 2017, a lot has changed. I am married and we both work from home. We lived in Cliff’s house, then back in the log cabin. We added a little farmhouse beside the cabin and finished it.
Our Classic Manor New Day Cabin Posts >
This year we found a piece of land and we are planning and building our dream house.
Our dream house probably isn’t your dream house. Unless you dream of closets and a big laundry room. We have enough land to sell or build something else. Who knows?
