Rural Lexington/Aiken Counties (Columbia, Charleston: lawyers, houses, water heater)

[Quark]

I've been to Columbia a few times but never explored the surrounding areas. I was always impressed by the fact that this region is 2 hours from great mountains and 2 hrs from fantastic beaches (love the Smokies, Charleston architecture, Hunting Island and Edisto State Parks) while being pretty safe from hurricanes.

I sold my big 2,000 sq house near the Catskills because I only used half of it and couldn't find anyone to live with me. All the ladies I know have their own houses and like living alone . Or maybe I'm just too weird. Plus, I usually had snow on the ground for 5 months of the year.

I've always been a fan of "contemporary" or "modern" architecture so I designed a super-efficient little house just for me and my golden retriever. I'd need at least an acre or two.

I've had a legal process serving business for years. I'd probably do that or try something else. Lawyers are like weeds. You can't kill 'em.

I'm also considering the Greenville hills area. I might be able to serve both the Charlotte and Atlanta areas from there, tho it may be too much of a stretch. The Columbia/Augusta market might be more feasible, tho smaller. Another alternative would be north of Columbia for the Columbia/Charlotte market.

As far as diversity goes, I'd like an area which is approximately ten times more diverse than Japan.

Anyway, what to you think of my house design and what do you think of rural SC around Columbia?



This looks rough but is designed exactly to scale on graph paper using a 2' module.

Living Size: 28'x24', 672sf

Living Rm 16-0x11-4 w 2-sided wood stove
Dining Rm 11-0x11-4 w corner hutch
Bedroom 11-0x11-4 w 2'x8' closet
Kit/laundry 8-0x11-4, w broom closet
Bath 5-0x8-0 w skylight
3'x5' utility area for water heater and furnace

Construction details:

Concrete slab floor, extending 4' outside (w thermal break)
2x6 stud exterior walls, 2x4 stud interior walls
Open-web custom-taper roof trusses, rigid insulation on top
Panel ceiling (removable for access to wiring, A/C, etc)

South glazing: three 8' sliding units, 4' roof overhang
East glazing: one 8' slider in BR, two 4' awnings in LR
West glazing: One awning window over sink
Vertical siding, wood or metal

4'x4' firewood storage area
4'x4' planter
Optional carport with 8'x8' storage shed

I'm hoping this could be built for $100K with another $50K for land, well and septic.

PS, I'd love to have a couple of palm trees!


An alternative would be this architect-designed factory-built "trailer" from Breckenridge for $50K plus land.

[nadpsa81]

I've lived in Aiken County/North Augusta since '69 and I'm still here w/my wife raising our nine year old. We plan to stay here until we retire and then go back and forth to Beaufort, SC after that. We are three hours from the mountains and two from the beach. Not much of a winter here, maybe an ice storm every other year. It will usaully melt by the afternoon. If the Palm Trees are a serious consideration, pick a location from Columbia to the East or the South. Sabal Palms (the SC State Tree), Windmills, Pindos, Washingtonias, Needles, Europeans, Sabal Minors, Saw Palmettos along with Elephant Ears, Gingers and Bananas will grow here. If you come to the Aiken County area, get with me at www.apalmforyou.com (broken link) and we can design or compliment your yard. Good Luck, Robbie Bell

[StarryBugg]

Cute 'trailer'! I'd love some info on that! The house plans are nice as well.

Lexington is hardly rural.... Columbia is becoming much like Atlanta in that people are living all around it and driving into the city for work. Lexington has become a nice sized city unto itself b/c of this (sorta like Conyers outside ATL).

There's a stretch of area from about Exit 22 to about Exit 44 on I-20 (between Aiken and Columbia) that I would still consider rural, so you may want to look into these areas (Gilbert, Pelion, Leesville, Monetta, etc), if that's what you are going for.