RANCHHOOD

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By Carol Marin Just north of Asheville, almost to Weaverville, you will find one of my favorite ranch neighborhoods. Woodland Hills, developed by James Barfield in the 1960’s, is a neighborhood of brick ranch homes with a number of 1970’s contemporary homes sprinkled in. Woodland Hills encompasses four sections, all close in proximity, Highlander Road, The Lake Section, Blueberry Hill and New Stock Road. The Lake section has, you guessed it, a small lake and park. Though Woodland Hills was developed as a planned community, it is thoughtfully arranged so as to take advantage of the abundant natural beauty of the location.  A walk through any one of the neighborhoods in full spring bloom is breathtaking!  Large, sheltering oak and maple trees in caringly landscaped lawns are embellished with natural dogwoods, brightly colored azaleas and rhododendron. Another common sight is a flock of wild turkey wandering freely through the neighborhood as though they were kindly sharing it with the humans! Though most of the homes were built in the 1960s and 70’s there is a nice variety throughout the neighborhoods:

• There are homes with three, four and five bedrooms.

• Square footages range from 1500 to 3800.

• Many have finished lower levels.

• Lot sizes average about half an acre.

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Robert's Home

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Many homes are still owned by the original owners but are gradually being sold to new owners who appreciate the mid century architecture and are updating them for their own modern-living lifestyle. As we lovers of the ranch know, these solid well-built homes lend themselves to simple living with easy connection to outdoor living space. Location Woodland Hills is just minutes to conveniences in north Asheville and downtown Weaverville. Ingles Supermarket, the Fresh Market and UNCA are close by. Downtown Asheville is a 10 minute, smooth sailing commute on Highway 19-23. Living in Woodland Hills Our friend and client, Robert Teller, looked at many mid-century ranch homes when he decided to move to Asheville from Mexico a few years ago. After two intensive home-searching trips to Asheville, Robert bought a custom-built brick 1969 ranch home in Woodland Hills. His home, in the Lake Section, actually backs up to the small lake and is the only home with a dock. Robert was attracted to the large spaces the home offered and set to opening up the floor plan and creating a space that made sense for his lifestyle and to appropriately showcase his modern furnishings.“The lifestyle of Woodland Hills, like the architecture of its homes, is unpretentious, but comfortable” says Teller. He enjoys the natural wildlife, trees and greenery in the neighborhood as well as the lack of traffic.“There is no through traffic, and few cars pass in the day.  Because of a clause in the original covenant, garages are not on the street side of the homes, and except for occasional visitors, cars are not parked on the streets. This gives the neighborhood the uncluttered look more likely to be found in pricier areas.”About his Woodland Hills neighbors Teller says “Woodland Hills seems to welcome diversity, and its residents demonstrate civility and concern for their neighbors without being overly inquisitive. They enjoy walking out on the quiet streets with their dogs of every size and description.” On any given day in Woodland Hills you will find Robert walking the neighborhood in the company of his two poodles. Market The real estate market in Woodland Hills is currently very active. There have been six sales this year, three of them closing in the last 30 days. Sold prices range from $239,000 - $305,000 with the average sales price right around $245,000. Here are the current listings in Woodland Hills. Let us know if you are interested in buying or selling a home in Woodland Hills or in any of the neighborhoods of the greater Asheville area. Give Carol, Kelly or myself a call or shoot us an email and let’s get the process started!

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As you all know I'm a big fan of ranch neighborhoods in Asheville. I was born in 1964 and spent my entire Indiana childhood growing up in them. For me they hold a sense of nostalgia, along with a sense of promise for creating simple and efficientliving spaces which is what I'm naturally drawn to as an adult. When originally constructed, they offered opportunity for affordable and efficient living for many. Today, following the growth of oversized and multi-story homes, they offer a smart option for downsizing to one level living and a blank canvas for putting your own design style within great neighborhoods.Realtor Carol Marin and I, along with Kelly Erin-Spinney, have spent hours and hours over the years scouring these neighborhoods seeing the opportunities and have helped several buyers create their dream home here in the Ranchhoods of Asheville. This spring we will be reporting on these neighborhoods each month given the uptick in this trend. In the meantime feel free to read through some of my past articles on this subject. Enjoy!

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Article from The Asheville Citizen, Thursday July 28, 1960

Minnichs' Mix Contemporary With Tradional

What kind of house does and architectural engineer build for himself?  The home of S. Clinton Minnich on Sunset Mountain is a fascinating example.  Clint, an engineer, and Tony Lord, architect, two of the Six Associates, worked for a year in their spare time on the plans.  The Minnichs wanted a contemporary design as a background for traditional furniture and wanted to try new materials and new uses of old materials.Marian says that people are beginning to call its location “Rotary Ridge” because so many members of Rotary Club live up there.  From the mail box where one turns off Old Toll onto Bent Tree Road it is half a mile to the house.  A walk at the left of the carport leads to a front door set between floor-deep windows with louvered glass above.  The exterios is stone from Flag Pond, Tenn, and oak siding.  Oak and firpanels on the “town” side are painted Delft blue, yellow, rusty red, black and white above and below aluminum windows.  Marian actually had nightmares worrying about the effects before they were finished.Many things about the house are unusual.  The only conventional ceilings are in the kitchen and bathrooms, the rest are raftered with exposed beams bolted together with large iron bolts at the rooftree.Room dividers separate living and dining areas from the entrance hall and breakfast from the laundry area in the kitchen.  This gives a feeling of height and spaciousness.  It also provides better circulation of air.  The whole place is practically dust-free because of the warm air furnace equipped with an electro-static filter.  Thanks to Clint’s efforts it can be washed out in a few minutes by merely turning a valve.Another feature is the absence of plastered walls.  The whole fireplace end of the living room is stone, another wall is pine stained blue-green-gray and the rest is glass door and windows framing the western expanse of mountains.Pine panels the master bedroom, 13 year-old Ken’s room and the rumpus room and Larry’s immediately below.  All of the oak floors are done with a dull, walnut wax stain instead of shellac.  Washable pink plaid fabric wallpaper and resilient black-streaked vinyl tile floor decorate the bath adjoining the two first floor bedrooms.Great thought has gone into planning the large and workable kitchen.  The overall color scheme is grey and turquoise but cabinet doors are each painted a different color, picking up some of the soft deep tones of exterior panels.  Just think how convenient that would be to identify where something is – such as the salt behind the blue door.The gray slate entrance hall and stairway lead down, beside a red brick wall, to the lower level.  Sliding wood panel folding doors open on a rumpus room with raised brick fireplace and whole wall of bookshelves.  Furnished with studio beds it doubles as a guest room.  To the left is a bath having a stall shower of beautiful red Tennessee marble.  Across the hall is a tiny efficiency kitchen.  When Marian’s parents, Capt and Mrs. K.B. Bragg of Annapolis, MD. Are here they like to get up early and prepare their own breakfast.  Frequently when entertaining Marian bakes a ham or turkey down there.  Of course the refrigerator is stacked with snacks for the teenage boys and their friends.Larry, now 15, hopes to go into medicine, so bookshelves in his room are adjustable for large textbooks in the future.Opposite is what every house should have, a workroom with built-in desk on one wall and huge deep storage shelves for luggage and “junk” on another.  Marian has made heavy draw curtains to conceal them, but mostly they are pulled back.  Her sewing machine stands open in the middle.  A phone with a long cord is accessible to the other rooms by means of a pass through.Not quite visible at lower left of the picture is a door from the rumpus room to the small terrace, one of two and the front walk fromed of gravel heavily mixed with concrete to look like stone.  Above, out of sight, off the master bedroom is a redwood balcony supported by the house beams.Like everyone who has built recently the Minnichs found that costs exceed the budget, necessitating elimination of something.  In their case they amputated a third bedroom on the first floor and workshop for Clint below.  Now they don’t even feel the need of them.Note: Clinton Minnich was an engineer employed by the Six Associates.  The Six Associates were: William Waldo Dodge, Jr., Henry Irvin Gaines, Anthony Lord, William Stewart Rodgers, Erle G. Stillwell, Charles Waddell. Information couresy of Laura Hope-Gill.