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The Ridge at South Mountain is located in the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Rutherford County, North Carolina, directly between Charlotte and Asheville.
The South Mountains State Park is a permanent preservation of more than 30,000 acres that includes the South Mountain range. Located just a few miles from our entrance the park and these beautiful mountains are plainly visible from numerous lots in The Ridge and inspired the naming of our development.
No. Other ranges easily visible are the Lisenberry Mountains, Cherry Mountains and Skyuka and Hogback mountains (part of the Blue Ridge Mountains) in Polk County nearly 60 miles away.
The Ridge at South Mountain rises nearly 1000 feet above the average elevations in Rutherford County, resulting in spectacular views. Since we’re developing the ridges of the property, even the lots lower in elevation have beautiful views.
Anytime you deal with mountains, you will certainly deal with steep slopes. Typically, as you get higher in elevation and the views get better, the slopes get steeper. However, “steep” and “buildable” are certainly relative terms. Although many mountain homes require construction on stilts and/or specially designed foundations that can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars, absolutely no lot in The Ridge requires anything more than conventional grading and/or foundation construction. Many of the upper lots lend themselves to basement foundations, while many of the lower lots can easily be built on a crawlspace foundation.
We do not build the homes in the subdivision, nor do we require you to use certain approved builders. However, we do have names of builders that we are familiar with and would be happy to provide their contact information to you.
Construction on the model home for The Ridge began in September, and a page is being created on the website to showcase the details of the home. For now, you can view a conceptual drawing of the home here. The home will not be for sale immediately, however, since it will be used as the main office once construction is complete.
A good number to use is $100 to $150 per square foot of heated living area. The more ornate the trim and fixtures, the closer you will come to $150/sf.
The minimum building size requirements are 1500 square feet with a full basement, and 1800 square feet with a partial basement, crawlspace or slab foundation.
Although we allow log cabins, we are not a log cabin community. Lessons from the past teach that “monolithic” communities tend to be very trendy, and once the trend fades the market and value of such communities fades with it. Additionally, since we have a mix of investors, vacationers and full-time residents, we wanted to allow each person to build a home that fits their needs and desires. We allow any natural type siding (stone, wood boards and shakes, etc.) as well as hardiplank and brick. Modular and mobile homes are not allowed.
Since The Ridge has public water there is no need to drill a well. Installation cost of a septic tank and drainfield is approximately $2000, and every lot is tested to ensure it will percolate.
In order for a septic system to work, the soils surrounding septic drain lines must be able to absorb liquid. This is usually determined by a “perc” test conducted by the County’s Health Department or a local soil scientist. Unfortunately, in some mountainous areas, soils won’t percolate. In this case the homeowner is left with more expensive choices such as drip or spray systems that can cost over $10,000 to $20,000 to handle waste from a single household.
Wells, especially in mountain communities, can be an expensive and unreliable source of water. It may take several drilling attempts just to locate water, and once it’s been located there’s no certainty on the quality of the water nor how long this water supply will last. It is for this reason we strived to get public water to The Ridge. This gives a buyer an immediate savings of at least $5000 to $10000 or more on the cost of a well for their home, and their water supply source will be pristine and dependable. Additionally, we added a booster pump station and an 80,000 gallon storage and distribution tank at the top of the mountain to provide fire protection. Of all areas, mountain communities benefit the most from fire protection. This is due to a lack of low-lying water sources fire departments can typically use to fill trucks (rivers, ponds), and oftentimes large fire trucks and water trucks find it difficult to navigate mountain roads. Every lot in The Ridge is within 500 feet of a fire hydrant giving each homeowner maximum homeowner’s insurance discounts, once again saving a homeowner money.
As a consulting engineer, I have dealt with subdivisions from three to three-thousand acres in size. One thing is common to all subdivisions: roads can easily eat up one-half of the development budget. As a result, many developers try to find ways to cut road costs, which is feasible in flatter, milder areas. However, in mountainous areas this can spell disaster. Mountain roads are subjected to significantly more stress and shear, and proper drainage is absolutely critical. I’ve seen roads with wide, expansive shoulders and narrow-shouldered roads yielding a more intimate look, but what really matters, and truly determines the cost of a road, is what’s underneath the pavement as well as the pavement itself (type and thickness). The only way to know for certain what is actually on the ground is to meet a set of standards, and this is why we chose to build our roads to meet the North Carolina Department of Transportation requirements.
First of all, meeting these standards results in milder grades and substantially stronger roads. All NCDOT residential subdivision roads require a compacted subbase (soil) coupled with a minimum 6-inch stone base (eight inches of stone are required if the soil is not tested) and one-and-a-half inches of compacted I-9.5B “superpave” asphalt (we are paving no less than two inches in anticipation of construction vehicles for homes, etc.). Additionally, all collector roads (roads that have other roads feeding off of them) are paved no less than 20 feet wide, with all other roads being paved to a width of no less than 18 feet. Lastly, all of the above must be measured, tested and documented by a licensed geotechnical firm at variable intervals to ensure these standards are met.
Since roads are typically the largest burden to any homeowner's association, the financial burden to the Association, and thus each owner, will be significantly reduced. Additionally, should homeowners choose to do so, they can petition the NCDOT to take over maintenance of the roads.
Imagine buying a lot in a newly paved subdivision and trying to sell it 3 years later with cracked, pothole-filled roads. High-quality, dependable roads with documented construction and testing should be an expectation of every buyer regardless of the subdivision.
Hopefully this FAQ has been helpful in answering this question. Perhaps a few more closing comments will help.
Having worked on so many development projects, I knew that I didn’t want to do a typical “push and cut” project (push in a road, cut up the property into lots and sell it). I wanted something that would not only look and sound good for marketing purposes, but also something that would result in an excellent investment for buyers. After all, as a future resident of The Ridge, I, too, want the resale value of my home/lot to appreciate substantially over time.
Every decision made in The Ridge’s development has been based on what is best for the buyer. Deciding to install public water, ensuring DSL availability to every lot, NCDOT spec roads, spectacular landscaping, adhering to larger, more diversified and higher quality building requirements and so-on are items that ensure the quality and longevity of the market for homes in The Ridge for a long time to come. Additionally, we continue to pursue value-added items that weren’t even part of the original concept. Check back with us regularly on this site to find the latest amenities, or give us a call to discuss our latest plans. You can also request to be added to our mailing list to keep you up-to-date with our latest news and announcements.
Thank you for your interest in The Ridge at South Mountain, and good luck in your search for mountain property!
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