Spotlight On Luxury: The Blue Ridge Mountains

PrecisionCraft designs and crafts luxury homes around the world, and has been doing so since 1990. What you may not realize, however, is that there are specific regions around the globe that naturally attract a PrecisionCraft residence. Our ongoing Spotlight on Luxury series seeks to both assist your understanding of these special areas and to provide insights into why you may wish to consider one of these locations for your next luxury home.

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We first explored the ascending popularity of Puget Sound in America’s Washington state. We detailed the extraordinary views of this area and the large number of Mountain Modern homes in-progress there. Subsequently, we headed east in the United States, to Colorado, learning that more PrecisionCraft homes can be found in the stunning Centennial State than anywhere else in America. This third article in our series continues our eastward, American journey to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Appalachia. (i)

Did you miss Puget Sound? Click here. Need to catch-up on Colorado? Click here. 

While the Blue Ridge Mountains are considered a physiographic province of the Appalachian Mountains, they have a singular identity, both in their geographic make-up and in the hearts of those familiar with their unique look. With two national parks within their borders, Shenandoah National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it is likely that the Blue Ridge Mountains are what you picture when thinking of America’s storied Appalachian Range.

Shining Rock Wilderness Area, Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina by Jan van der Crabben (Photographer)

There Is Something About The Blue Ridge Mountains…

Known for their characteristic mist and distinctive blue color, the Blue Ridge Mountains rest amid the central Appalachian ranges. In fact, the tallest mountains in eastern America are in the Blue Ridge range. Indeed, it is the range’s beautiful Mount Mitchell and its 6,684 foot (2,037 meters) elevation that claims title to the tallest peak in the entire Appalachian chain.

View of Mount Mitchell from the Blue Ridge Parkway by Famartin

In addition to its famous mountain tops and enormous swaths of protected, park land, the Blue Ridge Mountains also offer a milder, mountain climate. In fact, the range actually has no alpine zone– allowing even its highest peaks to adorn themselves in a lovely, dense, vegetation, including spruce and fir forests in the southern stretch, and oak and hickory forests farther north.

Additionally, these mountains are home to the world’s most botanically rich mixture of temperate climate plants outside of Asia. Combined with the close proximity to several cities, including Charlotte and Asheville in North Carolina and Knoxville, Tennessee, and it is easy to understand why so many PrecisionCraft homes are located here. In fact, past clients have shared with us that it is the area’s beautiful blend of city, climate, and countryside which first attracted them to building in the Blue Ridge range.

Why Build In The Blue Ridge Mountains?

Walking, hiking, and climbing are big activities in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Scottish tradition known as peak bagging arrived here much earlier than in other parts of America. For those a tad less daring, fly fishing in one of the many, stocked, streams and rivers (ii) can be (literally) a stone’s throw away from your front entry. And, if you choose to instead indulge in shopping, art, or fine dining, the Blue Ridge Parkway (iii) provides access to Roanoke, Virginia; Asheville, North Carolina; and many other vibrant metropolitan areas.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, straddles the ridgeline of these mountains, teeming with well-preserved historical attractions. And, because of its large footprint, building your luxury home in the Blue Ridge Mountains means you have many states in which to build.

Blue Ridge Parkway via National Park Service Digital Archives

What Should You Build In The Blue Ridge Mountains?

Based on our in-house architectural design team’s concept, the award-winning, luxury home below is a Blue Ridge Mountain residence of elegance and warmth. This home mixes handcrafted logs and post and beam construction with heavy stone and reclaimed barn wood accents. Each of these building elements was studiously selected so as to perfectly reflect the home’s rustic Georgia location.

Blue Ridge Mountains Luxury Home

Georgia Residence by PrecisionCraft Winner: Excellence in Log Home Design by the National Association of Home Builders, Building Systems Councils

PrecisionCraft’s handcrafted post and beam homes provide you an alternative to the more traditional full log wall construction. You enjoy the authenticity and beauty of our signature, massive, logs while still easily incorporating stone, shake, weathered siding, painted walls, and stucco into your home. Should you prefer your Blue Ridge residence be constructed using something other than logs, be certain to visit the Timber Frame Homes page of our website.

Meet The Blue Ridge Client Representative

PrecisionCraft client representative, John Dusseau, admits the Blue Ridge range is a personal favorite, explaining, “The breathtaking scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains reminds me of the reason people choose to build authentic log and timber homes in the first place.” John says he frequently hosts Home Planning Seminars in this region due to its overwhelming popularity, adding, “I’m in Asheville, Atlanta, or somewhere else in the Blue Ridge Mountains, every few weeks. The area is simply that in-demand.”

If you are considering this legendary mountain range for your luxury home, you may wish to register for one of John’s Home Planning Seminars. Click here.

A Final Thought

From rounded, rolling hills to the mighty Mount Mitchell, the Blue Ridge Mountains offer views and flora galore. With a milder mountain clime than ranges to the west, your luxury log, timber, or hybrid home is accessible almost year-round. And, with PrecisionCraft’s white glove service, your Blue Ridge mountain retreat is just a turn of the key away.

Please visit our blog in two weeks when we write about how to define a log cabin.

Works cited, photo credits, and notes

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Photographs: Shining Rock Wilderness Area, Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina by Jan van der Crabben (Photographer) [CC BY-SA 2.0] from Wikimedia Commons; Mount Mitchell view along the Blue Ridge Parkway at Flinty Gap in Yancey Country, North Carolina by Famartin [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons;

(i) These mountains range from the edge of southern Maryland to Georgia and include the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, South and North Carolina, and Pennsylvania

(ii) Native brook, brown, and rainbow trout thrive in the many stocked streams of the mountains.

(iii) The Blue Ridge Parkway often closes during the winter months though metropolitan area access remains.

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