Westhaven/Franklin/Brentwood/Belle Meade Area? (transplants, for sale, house)

[septimus]

Should add, you won't find a true basement around here except in some areas of Davidson County. It is limestone here which makes it very expensive to make basements. Houses with basements are really built into a hill so they open up above grade in the backyard.

[fumanchu41]

Originally Posted by septimus

Should add, you won't find a true basement around here except in some areas of Davidson County. It is limestone here which makes it very expensive to make basements. Houses with basements are really built into a hill so they open up above grade in the backyard.

I've actually seen an abundance of basement homes on the market. Why are there so many homes with crawspaces? Are they sealed? Do they have concrete floors in the crawspaces? I figured if they are going to dig for a crawspace, what's a few more feet. How are the homes built to withstand a tornado if there are no basements? I thought TN is a tornado alley. I also found this concern regarding crawspaces:

Healthy Indoor Air Quality:
A majority of the air you breathe in your home comes up from your crawl space. The average temperature of a typical vented crawl space in the Southeast region of the U.S. is perfect for breeding moisture and mold which can create a musty smell and release toxins that can affect your family's health. Sealing your crawl space keeps mold away with a high quality moisture barrier and converts it into a semi-conditioned dry space.

[septimus]

Originally Posted by fumanchu41

How are the homes built to withstand a tornado if there are no basements? I thought TN is a tornado alley. I also found this concern regarding crawspaces:

tornado shelters they can be built into the house or added in the garage. I'm surprised you've found so many houses with basements. We saw a lot of them in Green Hills and Belle Meade but nothing on any thing built in the last 30 years

[vivelafrance]

Originally Posted by fumanchu41

Don,
I haven't heard much about the Hendersonville area. Can you suggest some subdivisions we should look at there? Hopefully I can find them online. Not too crazy about living near a water source though, more bugs and critters.

It will be a bit difficult to find nice homes in the city limits of Belle Meade for under 1 million.

If you are thinking about the Hendersonville area, there's a subdivision of Million Dollar+ homes with lakefront views in the Fairvue area. You might also consider homes in Savannah/The Hunt Club, where several Nashville Tours of Homes have been held. There's also some beautiful areas off of Caudill Ln and Indian Lake Blvd. Also check out the bluegrass area around the country club.

Another nice area is 12 Stones Crossing which has a gated Villa community and is located next to a golf course.

The main advantage Hendersonville has over Brentwood and Franklin would be the lakefront access/view. You also get a bit more for your money.


http://www.fairvueplantation.com/

[fumanchu41]

Originally Posted by vivelafrance

It will be a bit difficult to find nice homes in the city limits of Belle Meade for under 1 million.

If you are thinking about the Hendersonville area, there's a subdivision of Million Dollar+ homes with lakefront views in the Fairvue area. You might also consider homes in Savannah/The Hunt Club, where several Nashville Tours of Homes have been held. There's also some beautiful areas off of Caudill Ln and Indian Lake Blvd. Also check out the bluegrass area around the country club.

Another nice area is 12 Stones Crossing which has a gated Villa community and is located next to a golf course.

The main advantage Hendersonville has over Brentwood and Franklin would be the lakefront access/view. You also get a bit more for your money.


Tennesse Real Estate: Fairvue Plantation Gallatin TN

Thanks for the link vivela. Where are the other subdivisions that you happen to mention. Are they all in the Hendersonville area? Do you have links to them? Thank you.

Thank you to everybody for their input. Hopefully with aeveryone's input, it will give us a gameplan and save us some time.

[denawilliams]

I think you were on the right track for what you described initially with Brentwood or Franklin. If having a boat dock and living right on the lake is a big part of your dream home requirements...then I would consider Hendersonville for that. It didn't sound like that was a requirement or major items on the wish list though. Otherwise, what you've described will be Brentwood or Franklin.

Westhaven is in Franklin, but, it is not gated. While there are certainly some million dollar homes there, most of Westhaven will be priced well below that. It is a great neighborhood with a huge mix, but it sounds like you might like some of these neighborhoods:

Franklin

Avalon - While it's not established, you might like a few of the homes available that truly go up in to the hilltops (Tors of Avalon) with amazing views. People like Dave Ramsey and Leanne Rimes live there. It will take some time to build out the top section, but I doubt you'll notice new construction too much since the lots tend to be a little bit bigger there. You won't believe how close and convenient it is to Cool Springs. It feels so far away from everything but it's right on top of Cool Springs.

The Enclave (at Carronbridge) - This is right next to Avalon, and it's even a tad closer to Cool Springs. With it being right on top of Cool Springs, you may really like this neighborhood as well. It has amenities like: tennis, clubhouse, fitness center, pool, and is gated.

Laurelbrooke - While it's a bit of a drive to Cool Springs, it's in a serene setting on the west side strattling the Brentwood/Franklin border. The neighborhood is gorgeous, and it too is set among hills. Fewer homes there have amazing views, but the neighborhood itself, is quite beautiful. It comes packed with neighborhood amenities: tennis, clubhouse, pool, fitness center, playground, and it's truly gated. You'll always see people out walking with children or dogs. It is a more established neighborhood with less new construction.

Stockett Creek - is very close to and in the same area as Laurelbrooke. It is a brand new development though.

Lynnwood Downs - If you have a love for horses, there are quite a few gated equestrian communities in Franklin. However, this one is within a couple of minutes to Cool Springs. The neighborhood is quite beautiful set among the valleys. Properties are 5 acres or more. You can bring 2 horses for the allotted area for them (or use the two "neighborhood" horses) which includes a barn, pasture and indoor arena. There are riding trails throughout as well. Additionally, it has a community pool, playground, clubhouse and tennis. It's very small, well established neighborhood.

Brentwood

Governor's Club - As has already been mentioned, it's one of the most prestigious Brentwood neighborhoods with the beautiful Arnold Palmer golf course, clubhouse, lakes, pool, walking trails, tennis, etc. There is still some new construction, but it is minor at this point. It is truly gated. Cool Springs is not as close as Avalon, The Enclave or Lynnwood Downs, but a few back roads can get you there within 10 minutes or so.

Hampton Reserve - This is quite close to Governor's Club. While it doesn't have all of the neighborhood amenities like Governor's Club, it still has gorgeous estate homes.

Windstone - It is a new development, but I really think this will be a great neighborhood when it's complete. As with the others, the setting is amazing too. It is quite close to the center of Brentwood and might take the shortest time to get to Cool Springs since it's on the West side of Brentwood. (The East side of Brentwood gets quite congested because of the number of neighborhoods on Concord Road.)

Belle Meade

Belle Meade is a bit different than the suburbs of Brentwood and Franklin. It's a small section of Davidson County, considered Nashville's most prestigious neighborhood. You'll find many of the homes here have been passed down from a couple of generations. A deep sense of pride accompanies the very well recognized last names in the local area. I believe many people that live here go to private schools. It is obviously well established. It, too, is lush and beautiful as you would assume. It backs up to one of my favorite parks in the Nashville area - Percy Warner Park. While you can find something under or right at $1 million, most of your options will exceed considerably above that.

[fumanchu41]

Dena and everyone,
Thank you for taking the time to repond. One of the things that is important to us is that there are sidewalks within the community. We like the idea of being able to take long walks, maybe to town, or possibly even to a grocery store without having to jump in a car. We have thought about the possibility of living close to downtown Franklin, for the small town feel and the charm. Are there any subivisions close to or within walking distance to downtown Franklin?

Thanks again

[septimus]

Originally Posted by fumanchu41

Dena and everyone,
Thank you for taking the time to repond. One of the things that is important to us is that there are sidewalks within the community. We like the idea of being able to take long walks, maybe to town, or possibly even to a grocery store without having to jump in a car. We have thought about the possibility of living close to downtown Franklin, for the small town feel and the charm. Are there any subivisions close to or within walking distance to downtown Franklin?

Thanks again

there are some very cute houses downtown franklin, however once you get out of hincheyville and 3-5th Aves south there are no walkable subdivisions. Rogershire, Clairemont, etc are close to downtown and if there were sidewalks you could walk but there are no sidewalks outside of those subdivisions. We bought in WH because of the sidewalks.

[fumanchu41]

Septimus,
How has your experience been, living in Westhaven? Did it meet all your criterias? Did you relocate from out of state? Please elaborate in detail if possible. Thank you.

[septimus]

Originally Posted by fumanchu41

Septimus,
How has your experience been, living in Westhaven? Did it meet all your criterias? Did you relocate from out of state? Please elaborate in detail if possible. Thank you.

We relocated here from the northeast. It has almost everything we were looking for and the one thing I miss the most we'll have in a couple of months. [the one thing I really missed was walking to the grocery store]. It truly is a great community. One of a kind. Very friendly, open etc. I think my transition for northeast urban living to suburban southern living would have been a lot more difficult if we had lived any where else but here. I know some people find the 'hood isolated far from the highway, but I work downtown and I get to work in about a half hour sometimes 35 minutes. My daughter goes to school in Green Hills and that usually takes 20-25 minutes depending on traffic.

We drive a lot more than we used to but I used to be able to walk to work.

The amentities are amazing. The pools, the parks, the concerts, the bbqs etc.