North Asheville NC Rental

3 bedrooms plus bonus room. 2 1/2 baths. Approx 1800 sq feet. .44 acres. East facing. Beaverdam area of North Asheville. No smokers please. $1450/month. 641-919-9552. No pets (except with special permission).

We bought the house in 3 minutes. Our realtor had shown us endless houses in every part of town—nothing. At each house she coaxed us through the house, pointing out the “great features.” But with this house she pulled up in the driveway and said, “Go ahead, take a look.”

My wife and I looked at each other with the glee of children discovering a treasure in the woods — We immediately loved the Cape Cod style, the magnificent full length wooden porch, the white picket fence, the manageable size yard and how the house was softly wrapped in trees. And there was a neighbor on only one side!

We entered the East facing front door to the “Great Room.” Open, lightfilled, elegant, stylish, perfect for entertaining, yet cozy enough for just the family. The gas log fireplace accentuated by cobalt blue tile was an immediate plus for me—warmth and beauty—no mess. And the wood floors gave the house a sense of “natural” while keeping with the elegance of the room.

My wife loved the full range of new appliances in the kitchen such as glass top range, built-in microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator — but most of all she loved the openness of the kitchen, how it was integrated with the great room. Now she wouldn’t be hidden away in a back room kitchen while the rest of us were in the living room. We’d been in the house for about a minute.

I hurried down the hall to the Master bedroom and bath. Great. Finally a closet that can hold all of my wife’s and my clothes—with room for storage. The bedroom was perfect—not too big, not too small—ceiling fan, double windows with lots of light.

In the bath, a full size oval tub with shower — and again, there was a window.

Across the hall from the Master bedroom was a beautiful cozy study—and again, in a home filled with light, two large floor to ceiling windows. I thought—ah, perfect for my wife’s study—a big change from her downtown San Francisco office. Now she can look out the window at the towering trees in the back yard and in the summer hear the water fountain in the back yard. Two minutes.

OK, there’s a laundry room and ½ bath—right off the kitchen. I liked that. I hate sending guests to the master bedroom bath or upstairs to the kid’s bath.

A quick run upstairs—wow, nice size bath, large tile floors.

Immediately off the bath in the hall are two bed rooms — connecting rooms. One could be a play room and one the bedroom. A large closet with two louver doors opened to plenty of room for clothing as well as storage in the back. And, a bonus storage room for boxes, etc. off the main bedroom. I loved it.

Playroom or Studio

Did I mention the solid wood extra wide panel doors? They’re beautiful. It’s just another one of those added touches that make it a well built house.

The garage holds one car and still provides for storage room. What can you say about a garage? Well, it’s very clean, high ceiling and ah, it’s a garage. Winters in Asheville are rather mild and summers aren’t too hot so leaving the cars in the driveway is a possibility.

Another cool thing about Asheville is its proximity to the Blue Ridge parkway — a national treasure — and the most beautiful mountains and views in the country. And we have a secret passageway to the parkway! Just 2-3 miles from our house is a dirt road that is a virtually unknown back door to the Blue Ridge. In ten minutes you can be hiking, biking, or just driving the most scenic route in America.

And why is

Beaverdam such great place to live? Well, it’s upper end, and it is its own little world - deer, raccoon, rabbits lots of birds and squirrels—yet in two miles I’m on Merrimon Avenue at the largest grocery store in Asheville (with a Starbucks inside), Bank of America, a hardware store, drug store, and an assortment of restaurants as you head towards downtown Asheville. After two miles on Merrimon, you’re downtown. If you already live in Asheville you know how great it is. My favorite Indian food in the world is in Asheville—and I’ve been to India three times! Yes, it’s better Indian food than they serve in India. There is an assortment of specialized coffee shops and craft stores (that are actually interesting). If you don’t know Asheville—let me assure you, you’re in for a treat. We’ve lived in Berkeley, Cambridge, Miami - all kind of wonderful places. Asheville’s got em’ beat. Besides, half of the people in Asheville these days are from one of those places!

One of the great things about the Asheville area is that it is a sanctuary for nature. As a kid, we used to go camping at a place called Cataloochee. This place is amazing! Rivers, trails, meadows, ancient old growth trees, bears, deer, and now there are 15-20 giant Elk in the meadows. But that’s just one example of literally hundreds of great nature adventures in the area—Just look out your window wherever you are and you’re going to see something gorgeous.