Great photos but I'm surprised you didn't include one of the LOT !

Hey Dottie!

The reason I didn't include lot on the gallery is because we have been looking for a place for awhile and didn't want to say anything to friends and family until we knew for sure. Things can go wrong as they have before, so we wanted to wait till closing (May 1) to make it official.

It's a wooded lot so it just has trees and wild hollies. There's info on the community (Acadia southwest of town) at their website if anybody is looking for a place to live.

Here is a link that might be useful: Acadia Community - SW Greenville

Welcome to Greenville! There are some other Greenville area residents that post on this board as well.

I'm a long way from being a resident [grin]. We prob. won't begin building till June. Lots of steps through that whole process, but at least it's in gear which gives me plenty to focus on. We're doing a lot in the garden here to simplify a bit and pretty up so people won't think they need two full-time gardeners. Don't know how that goes when you sell a home that has a lot of gardening. Anybody been through that? I figured we'd bill it as a gardeners' paradise. We've got bunches of pictures of the garden and critters we see, so if we find a nature lover, they'll find their dream home maybe. If anybody is dreaming out there about Virginia, check out the photos.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photos of Our Garden and Wildlife

Who will be your builder? The builder of my house is on that list and I do not recommend them.

Going to be quite different gardening in SC compared to VA. Hope everything goes smoothly for you.

Carla

Builder is Tom Dillard of Dillard-Jones.

Carla, why is gardening going to be different in SC? Seems to be the same types of plants and trees as we have here and having watched temperatures for a couple of months now, that's not much different either. I guess with both areas being near the Blue Ridge it's similar? Don't know. Some days it was warmer here. I think y'all have less freeze days though, but I understand there are ice storms there which we don't get. Neither of us get more than an inch or two of snow each year.

Initially we wanted to make a move to be in a warmer spot with longer gardening season, but we fell in love with Greenville reading about it and visiting. We're really into the "green" environmental realm and a great downtown area that's being used since I'm not into malls and mega stores.

I guess sometimes when you begin looking to move, you don't really know what it is you want until you see it.

Tom Dillard is an excellent builder. In my opinion, One of the best in upstate SC. I am so glad you will not have the builder that built our house!

That's good news. Would you mind telling us the name of the builder you used just so we know for future reference? We have some friends excited about Acadia and wouldn't want them to end up with a bad builder. Not that I really think anybody would make the move, but you never know and it would be a good reference point to remember unless you don't want to say. You could email me by clicking on my user name if you didn't want to post on the forum.

sharingsunshine,
I do not want to mention the name here but have e-mailed you.

Welcome to SC!! well when you make the move anyhow.
I think you will love Greenville. I have always enjoyed visiting the area and they are doing a lot of stuff on the environmental conservation side. I live in Columbia and see very little of that type of growth. I work in the construction field and find it disturbing how little most homeowners know what is available in the areas of conservation and such.

I can't say anything as to SC being any different from your current location. All I can say is SC varies greatly from one place to another. Even in short distances. Lots of varying micro climates and changes in soil types.

Interesting on the micro climates but with a range from coastal to mountain, I guess so! We are very excited for sure! And even about the drift towards conservation in thinking with development ... obviously not yet established or felt needed, but the word is out and information is there.

The materials are becoming more mainstream, so there is hope! We were told that the materials compared well in pricing in Greenville area since there's a lot more use of them now. Here in the Charlottesville area of VA it's the same. More mainstream to think green. Consumers are becoming concerned about their air quality and health problems that come with it.

The state of CT passed ruling to use only green cleaning products in all facilities:
http://www.thenatureinus.com/2006/12/connecticut-to-use-only-safe-cleaning.html

The public is getting informed about chemicals also:
http://www.thenatureinus.com/2007/07/information-on-chemicals-in-household.html

All I can say is: It's About TIME! :-)

What always puzzled me is how development plans show all kinds of trees around buildings and phases, but when you look at the actual development they've all been plowed down.

Market research shows houses sell for more if they have trees, yet builders rip them all out. Sometimes it doesn't make sense. But! We're on a garden forum, so sorry for ranting :-)

Unfortunately bulldozing about every tree is the norm around upstate SC unless it is in the Cliffs Communities.

There is an upper scale neighborhood being built across from our land. Before development, it was an idyllic horse farm setting with trees, pasture and a river. It was on a slight rise and was perfect as is.

It had very natural native trees lining the main road and was being advertised as "getting back to nature".All that was needed was to mark out the lots. Very little needed to be done.

They took down almost every beautiful native tree. The trees along the main road that gave such a peaceful setting were replaced with a berm of every type of tree you see along every subdivision.

What threw us most is they took this beautiful pasture and dug out all this dirt and did a stupid retaining wall where no wall was ever needed and basically ruined any "naturalness" about it.

Thay have yet to sell the first lot. Go figure.....

That's awful, but so typical! They did the same thing at a development behind us. Been over a year since they started building and have only sold one unit. It looked so pretty before they started and could've worked the roads around the huge trees ... well, it's worthless to lament, isn't it. Just grieves my heart.

Well, I just fell 15 trees in my front yard. My husband and I resisted, but they were all sweet gum trees and those spiky spheres they drop are miserable. I agree than trees should be left where possible in new neighborhoods.