🔨 FIELD GUIDE 33: Toccoa House

One of our faithful subscribers, Greg, has made a life building some of the most beautiful cabins on some of the most beautiful land in the mountainous parts of Georgia. He is sharing his story on how he, his family, and his faithful canine companion (and Toccoa House mascot) have made this an interesting, promising, and most importantly a fulfilling endeavor.

We all have a calling, and sometimes when that call arrives, it’s 4 days after your first baby is born and you build your first home by way of your very hands. This week, try and take the time to focus on the things that will bring you joy, fulfillment, a sense of accomplishment, pride, and center you with the important things in life; presence.

Name

Greg

Habitat

Georgia and Florida

Occupation

Home and vacation rental property builder, designer, husband, father, grandfather.

Soundtrack

I actually came to Atlanta right out of grad school (Urban and Regional Planning from Eastern Washington University) in 1980, and worked for Glen Properties. During the period of 16% interest rates, they found a niche buying deeply discounted real estate and developing it. I was their planning guy who got to look at the 'big picture' during the early days of urban re-development.  Living and working in the heart of midtown Atlanta (Virginia Highland) was very cool for this Oregon native. Walking to restuarants and bars was something new to me, and there seemed to be many opportunities to discuss culture, e.g. music, movies, literature, along with roller blading through Piedmont Park, that was two blocks from where I lived.

But life in the middle of Atlanta also felt confining, especially on the weekends, and I would regularly spend time hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, etc. The journey would often take me through Blue Ridge. Not only did I think it was a great name for a small town, it had unbelievable beauty from majestic vistas, dozens of challenging rivers with whitewater opportunities, and thousands of miles of hiking trails (30 minutes from the Appalachian Trail southern terminus). Lake Blue Ridge is the cleanest and most beautiful lake east of the Mississippi.

I seemed to have found the perfect combination of work and play just 90 miles apart. After a few years I moved on from Glen Properties in 1984 and simultaneously got my real estate license, did my first fee paid home inspection (something I'd learned in grad school), and started a remodeling firm. This phase really got my juices going, and led to buying/renovating/selling/holding properties, where I specialized in the 'real dogs', i.e. those with major problems like termite damage, mold, drainage problems, and worse. "Ain't scared," I used to say in my newfound southern vernacular.  All the while I was doing a dozen inspections per week and growing the firm by adding associates, which gave me a little seed money to invest both in Atlanta and Blue Ridge. It was the perfect situation, as I could pick and choose my schedule with ease.  

In 1991, I got serious about 'planting my flag' in Blue Ridge, and bought a 2.5 acre lot with 200 feet of frontage on the Toccoa River for $500 down, and a 10-year mortgage. The first year was incredible since I could keep my kayaks, bikes, and gear without having to haul it back and forth to Atlanta. The firepit I built next to the river 31 years ago still exists, and kept the chill off many nights. In the years that followed, I loved to spend time pecking away at improving my 'nest' and building the beginnings of what is now The Riverside Cabin.

In 1978, I dropped out of grad school, and was living back in my hometown of Portland, OR. On day 4, after our first daughter was born (at home, by me, since the midwife was late), we moved to 20 acres of raw, undeveloped land 50 miles north of Spokane. We spent the first week in mid-June with our new baby camping in a tent, while I built an 8' by 12' plywood structure that we gratefully moved into.  We had no running water or electricity, but it was absolute bliss.

Within a couple of weeks I began cutting the plentiful timber and dragged it with my 1963 International 4 by 4 pick up truck to a cleared site for an octagonal log cabin.  Some friends arrived and helped peel and notch the logs, creating a sort of commune. Somehow, we got the roof on and barely stayed warm with our Jotul wood stove, except when it hit minus 30.  We were happy as can be. Our transistor radio could only get one station, which was the PBS station in Spokane. Some of my favorite memories are sitting by the wood stove and listening with the radio on an audio book called 'Down Wind From Nobody.' We had cows, horses, chickens, pigs, goats and whatever we could gather up. I really didn't know much about building but kept trying new things building sheds, small cabins, and furniture. We made money by selling milk, crops, and doing odd jobs along with a paper route (way before the internet).

There have been so many obstacles, it is hard to pick one. So many times I have second guessed myself, and on nearly every project, beginning with The Toccoa House, our first large cabin. I originally envisioned a two bedroom, two bath cabin on one floor. It morphed into three levels, 5B/5BA, with very detailed carpentry and detail. At one point I seriously questioned my decision. One thing consistent in everything I do, is to go slow. I've told lots of folks who ask my advice about developing and building their ideal homestead to just 'sit there' on your land and listen to it. In my 31+ years here in Blue Ridge, I've likely spent thousands of hours just looking at and considering my projects. It's kind of like a foggy maze, ever peering into it hoping to find the right path.

At age 68, I'm not feeling all that ambitious at times. In 2015, I bought a dump of a place on the Withlacoochee River (think blackwater with gators and snakes), which I completely renovated (Central Florida meets North Georgia). It's a great place to take the chill off in January and February, and has been both a long and short term rental. I have kids and grands in Orlando, so it's a good jumping off place since I'm not all that fond of Disney.

Last week, I tore down the former caretaker's residence on Toccoa House Properties, and significantly regraded it.  Being right next to The Toccoa House, and with magnificent sunsets, it's ripe for a new cabin of some sort since it already has water, power and septic. Stay tuned.

I don't venture off Hogback Mountain (Toccoa House Properties) much, but I bought a remarkable 3-acre property 10 miles SW of Blue Ridge. It's very quiet, and on top of a mountain at the end of the road. It has a partially finished cabin that I am in the process of completing, and plan to spend time there over the next several months.

I hope to always 'have a project' whether it is improving, re-doing, tearing down and re-building, or developing raw land, but it's (hopefully) at a much slower and more deliberate pace.