Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Casar, NC 28020 209 Cook Road


Why Rent when You Can Buy?







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$49,900
Single Family Home
Main Features
3 Bedrooms
1 Bathroom
Interior: 912 sqft
Lot: 0.68 acre(s)
Location
209 Cook Road

Casar, NC 28020

USA

Karen D. McCall


Karen D. McCall




McCall's Real Estate

(828) 245-9003

kdmccall@gmail.com

http://www.KDMcCall.com



      






Listed by: Karen D. McCall


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Thursday, July 17, 2014

The Bostic Log - Cabins and Homes


The Bostic Log – Mountain Cabins and Homes
(A Series on Mountain Living in Bostic, NC)
By McCall’s Real Estate
Over the next few months, McCall’s Real Estate will offer a series of short articles on Mountain living in Bostic, North Carolina. These articles will address real estate issues like buying and selling mountain homes and land, decorating and maintaining log homes, and the dream of owning a cabin verses the reality of living in one, to name a few. Join us often. It will be like a chat by a fire in an open hearth; warm, engaging, and always inviting you to stay awhile.

3.    How to Care for a Cabin

If you’ve chosen to move to Bostic, NC, and have built or bought a log cabin/home in Yellowtop Mountain Estates, Golden Valley Estates, The Summit, or South Mountain Peaks, you’re enjoying a beautiful mountain summer. You’re probably spending your free time picnicking, hiking, golfing, boating or simply porch sitting with a view. The last thing on your mind is log home maintenance. And it should be. Summer time is play time ‘round here. However, you can’t put it off forever. That maintenance list you made will start calling by summer’s end. You don’t have a list? You may borrow mine.
 
Log Cabin/Home Maintenance List


·        Perform maintenance checks in the spring and fall. In the spring, look for winter damage from snow, freezing, chimney use, etc. and ready the home for summer temperatures and UV exposure. In the fall, look for summer damage from hard rains, high temperatures, and insects, wasps, carpenter bees, etc. and ready the home for winter temperatures.

·         Helpful tools for a maintenance check: Make a rough sketch of the exterior walls labeled North, South, East, West, garage with space to note maintenance needs on each side. Buy blue painter’s tape to mark locations needing maintenance. Use a digital camera or phone camera to take pictures of areas in question.
·         Check to see if the stain is still working. Spot-check by spraying a little bit of water on the logs — if it beads up, you know the finish is still good. If not, it’s time to apply a new coat. A pigmented coat of water repellent stain will last longer than clear. Remember, exterior walls weather unevenly, depending on exposure to sunlight and water. All things being equal, the North and East sides of the cabin require the least maintenance.

·         Watch for cracks. Cracks allow water into the wood and the wood will eventually rot. Fix cracks by filling them to absorption with stain and caulk.

·         Check your window and door weather stripping to make sure it’s in good shape.
·         Inspect your roof. Check the flashing in valleys, around the chimney and areas enclosing plumbing vents to ensure a tight seal against water.

·         Seal exposed timbers. The ends of exposed timbers are susceptible to rot. Check and reseal these every year. Pay special attention to log ends on the underside of eaves that are flush with or extend past the overhang.

·         Clean gutters

·         Trim vegetation away from walls to help keep the logs dry.

·         Pest infestations should be investigated and addressed before it becomes a problem.

Cleaning exterior walls is important to appearance. It gets rid of grime and pollen and helps prevent growth of mold and algae. Also, it’s easier to spot problem areas if the exterior walls are clean. Before washing, inspect the caulking. Re-apply where it is cracked or broken away from the logs. It is important to do this first so that when you wash you aren't forcing water into the joints of your logs

When you clean the exterior walls, do it in ways that cause the least harm to the finish.

·         Use mild cleaners as strong cleaners may damage the finish. Try the solution in an inconspicuous area first to ensure it will not cause damage. A liquid log cleaner like X-180 (oxalic acid) or Log Wash works well. These cleaners are specifically for logs and the PH of the cleaners are very close to the PH of the wood in order to work effectively without damaging it.
·         Do not use Bleach or Ammonia based products because they:
o    Destroy lignin in the wood.
o    Can permanently remove color.
o    May make the finish look spotty after washing.
o    May cause streaks to develop on the surface of your wood.
·      Always use a mist setting on water nozzles, not a forceful jet – do not pressure wash your cabin unless it is for the purpose of removing all mildew, dirt, pollen and other contaminants prior to reapplying sealants, stain, etc. If you use a high pressure washer on your logs, you run the risk of tearing up the surface by splitting the wood fibers and leaving it with a "fuzzy" appearance. 
·         Always use soft bristled brushes and non-abrasive pads for cleaning.

This is the process for cleaning your log cabin:


1. Work an area small enough so that the cleaning solution is on the logs for no more than 
10-15 minutes.
2. Wet the wall with spray from your hose.
3. Apply the cleaning solution with a sprayer, starting at the bottom of the wall and working your way up.
4. Gently scrub the wall with your brush.
5. Thoroughly rinse the cleaner from the top down. This helps prevent blotches and drip marks.

Log cabin/home maintenance does not have to take a lot of time. If your home is designed properly, you will save a lot of work. Large overhangs, porches, proper landscaping, and tall foundations will prevent maintenance nightmares. A log home is not a conventional home and will require non-conventional maintenance, but you can design and plan for this. The most important thing is to clean. Keep dust, pollen and mold off your logs. If you are consistent you can stay on top maintenance and you’ll prevent small issues from becoming costly replacement problems later on.


Below is a shining example of a beautifully maintained log home – and it’s for sale!

Hunter's Haven


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$239,900
Single Family Home
Main Features
3 Bedrooms
3 Bathrooms
Interior: 2,010 sqft
Lot: 2.94 acre(s)
Location
762 Valleyview Drive
Bostic, NC 28018
USA

Karen D. McCall

Karen D. McCall

McCall's Real Estate
(828) 245-9003
kdmccall@gmail.com
http://www.KDMcCall.com

       


Listed by: Karen McCall

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Below is a shining example of a beautifully maintained log home – and it’s for sale!


Tuesday, June 24, 2014

The Bostic Log - Cabins and Homes


The Bostic Log – Cabins and Homes
(A Series on Mountain Living in Bostic, NC)
By McCall’s Real Estate, J. Wessier 

Over the next few months, McCall’s Real Estate will offer a series of short articles on Mountain living in Bostic, North Carolina. These articles will address real estate issues like buying and selling mountain homes and land, decorating and maintaining log homes, and the dream of owning a cabin verses the reality of living in one, to name a few. Join us often. It will be like a chat by the fire in an open hearth; warm, engaging, and always inviting you to stay awhile.

2. The Pros of Log Cabin/Home Living


Do you still believe log cabin/home living is residing in a drafty space no larger than your living room with a door in one wall, a window in another, a stone fireplace on the third, and a bed against the fourth? Do you think cabin life means living low tech and sans creature comforts? Not in this corner of the Carolinas. Here in Bostic, NC, home of Yellowtop Mountain Estates, Golden Valley Estates, The Summit, and South Mountain Peaks, log cabin living is luxury living. Here, there are quite a few high-end cabins for sale, but buying land and building your own dream home is also a great option. Here are some of the pros of building and living in a log cabin/home:

1. Concerned about your carbon footprint? The materials used to build log homes are environmentally friendly – think trees, they’re the ultimate in “green”. Log cabins can also be built faster than standard houses. That can save a whole lot of energy. And . . .

2. Log homes are well insulated. Compared to a wood-frame home of comparable size, a log home with conventional heating and air conditioning is 2.5 to 20 percent more energy efficient if built and caulked properly.

3. Log walls are natural sound insulators. You may close out the sound of wind whistling through the trees if like, but falling asleep to the soft rustle of leaves and crickets chirping makes for peaceful rest. Consider opening your windows.

4. Split white pine, which is used to build many cabins, is relatively inexpensive.

5. People who suffer from allergies or environmental sensitivities find living in a log home beneficial. There is less humidity in log cabins/homes so the interior air quality tends to stay healthier. Lower humidity levels also means less mold and mildew issues.

6. They’re cozy and comfortable. The heart of many log homes is the hearth, the fireplace. There are few things more settling and soothing than a cup of comfort by the fire.

There’s a joke about log cabins: One day a man and his wife got lost hiking in the deep woods. The husband tried the usual tactics to determine direction - moss on the trees (there was no moss), direction of the sun (it was an overcast day), etc. Just as they were beginning to panic, he spotted a log cabin off in the distance. He pulled out his binoculars, studied the cabin, then turned and led them right back to their car.

"That was terrific," the wife said. "How did you do it?"

"Simple," he replied. "On this side of the mountain, all TV satellite dishes point south."

This brings me to the main argument against mountain cabin/home living – you have to sacrifice technology. Not true. Satellite and internet are both available in all the gated communities. Cell phone service is also available, but not consistently. There are some areas where cell signals are weak or unattainable – in those areas, a landline is recommended.

If you want the little cabin in the woods with no amenities and no tech services, those charming dwellings are out there, but if you want the best of both worlds – a world where mountain serenity and comfort meets real world luxury and necessities like internet and satellite, we have a log cabin/home for you or the land to build one on. Come see us!

Below is a beautiful log home currently on the market. Take a look to see one version of what mountain log home living looks like. 



Nurturing By Nature


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$224,900
Single Family Home
Main Features
2 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
1 Partial Bathroom
Lot: 1.43 acre(s)
Location
844 Summit Parkway
Bostic, NC 28018
USA

Karen D. McCall

Karen D. McCall

McCall's Real Estate
(828) 245-9003
kdmccall@gmail.com
http://www.KDMcCall.com

       


Listed by: Karen D. McCall

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Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Just listed: 529 Arbra Mountain Way, Bostic, NC 28018 for $198,900 via @realbird


Sunset Side of the Mountain








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$198,900
Single Family Home

Main Features

3 Bedrooms
3 Bathrooms
Interior: 1,176 sqft
Lot: 3.75 acre(s)


Location

529 Arbra Mountain Way
Bostic, NC 28018
USA



Karen D. McCall


Karen D. McCall

McCall's Real Estate
(828) 245-9003
kdmccall@gmail.com
http://www.KDMcCall.com

       


Listed by: Karen D. McCall



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The Bostic Log - Cabins and Homes


The Bostic Log – Cabins and Homes
(A Series on Mountain Living in Bostic, NC)
By McCall’s Real Estate, J. Wessier 

Over the next few months, McCall’s Real Estate will offer a series of short articles on Mountain living in Bostic, North Carolina. These articles will address real estate issues like buying and selling mountain homes and land, decorating and maintaining log homes, and the dream of owning a cabin verses the reality of living in one, to name a few. Join us often. It will be like a chat by the fire in an open hearth; warm, engaging, and always inviting you to stay awhile.


1.    The Romantic Getaway that Keeps On Giving


We all have a romantic view of mountain log cabins: the big, warm fireplace with comfy over-stuffed chairs close-by, the magnificent view, open windows and open hearts, and the whisper of wind through white pines. If we want to renew the romance in our relationship, it’s the perfect place for a weekend or week-long getaway. But what about something more, something enduring? If you want to renew your life and reinvent your lifestyle, consider living year round in a log home in the North Carolina Mountains.

Western North Carolina has many fine mountain communities and Bostic, NC offers quality mountain living at its best. Yellowtop Mountain Estates, South Mountain Peaks, and Golden Valley Estates are well established private gated communities with a growing population of residents who have built their dream homes and designed their ideal lifestyles. These communities are located in Western North Carolina's Isothermal Belt where there are four distinct seasons, but summers and winters are mild. All the communities have easy to drive paved roads. Nearby, you can access golf, boating, hunting and fishing, shopping, dining, area attractions and health care. The recreation and health services are far enough away to give you a sense of quiet seclusion, yet close enough to swiftly access if needed.

Imagine the best of all worlds: small city offerings and attractions, country/mountain solitude, and virtual/internet access. Mountain log home living is a viable long-term option. It’s the romantic getaway that keeps on giving and keeps you living the dream
.

Below is a stunning log home currently on the market. Take a look to see one version of what mountain log home living looks like.
Once Upon a Mountain Top . . .


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$329,900
Single Family Home
Main Features
3 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
1 Partial Bathroom
Lot: 7.40 acre(s)
Location
188 Black Ridge Drive
Bostic, NC 28018
USA

Karen D. McCall

Karen D. McCall

McCall's Real Estate
(828) 245-9003
kdmccall@gmail.com
http://www.KDMcCall.com

       


Listed by: Karen D. McCall

Our recent listings

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