Goin' Up the Country!

"This place looks like Woodstock!" my wife observed as we crossed the bridge into the woods.  Indeed, the area had the rolling hills and grassy pastures of that now-mythical place.  A "for sale" sign on a dead-end dirt road was the stroke of  luck that brought us to this little hamlet in Florida by a natural cold spring, about an hour's drive from the city.  We're regular folks and never thought we'd ever have a house of our own (let alone be so pretentious as to actually give a name to a house!)  Here's the story of The Making of Buttonwood.  

"I'M TRAPPED IN THE MOVIE REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM!"
We're at the end of a dirt road and suddenly:

Is this the "Serendipity Plain"? Jurassic Park? Or has my inner eight-year old died and gone to heaven?



Hey, it has out-buildings!  They're good, right?


This is called a "Pole Barn:"  Evidently, it comes with it's own beach.

I'm guessing this is the pump house, the fruit cellar, or just an ordinary garden shed?  (Actually, it's a smokehouse.) (Wow, the Spanish Moss has Spanish Moss around here.)

This is the pump house (More about the geese later)

But then we looked further and saw that there was...the whole issue of THIS...

THE REMNANTS OF SOMEONE'S BURNED HOUSE!  A HOUSE'S CHARRED DREAMS!

"Was it accidental or something more ponderous?", we pondered...(Turns out the house was tied up in divorce court, holding up our land negotiations for some time.)

The previous owners had a chicken coop

installed on the side of the house.  No 

doubt a small family business.

So it began.  The making of Buttonwood.

Your location is where your journey begins.  It is THE most important factor in a house. How far the neighbors are can make or break your quality of life.  Finding land at the end of a road that is isolated has many advantages and is desirable, but unfortunately they are not plentiful in standard listings.  Drive around the area you like.  We were lucky to happen upon the turned-around signpost in the road...

We were also lucky to find a five-acre parcel with a "burn-out" with a concrete slab which minimized/eliminated our impact fees.  The "replacement of an existing structure" allowance restores the tax base and becomes a loophole to the burdensome impact fees (up to $4,800 in some Florida counties) that are assessed to the new home builders. 

How fortunate that we were at this cold spring town and came upon an area that looked as natural as when the Native Americans called it home.  The house was burned to the ground, yes, BUT with a concrete "Monolithic‑style" poured foundation.  The existing water well, two septic tanks and, of course, those groovy "out-buildings" sweetened the deal (i.e., one small concrete structure slated to be a smokehouse was, well, smokin', and the pole barn was in fine shape.)  This secluded bit of heaven was a bike ride's distance away from shopping centers, restaurants and movie theaters.

We put $1,000 down the next day.

Next Time:  Where The Wild Things Are!  Plus: a peek at the finished interior...