WHY BUILD IN STONEFLY? Any one who has ever visited Stonefly in the mountains of Western North Carolina, can see the appeal. It is understandable, the mountains are beautiful and the setting is peaceful. Each season is distinct; snowy winters, springs full of life, mild summers, and breathtaking colors in the fall. But building in the mountains is different from building anywhere else. It is an exciting and rewarding experience. If the process of looking for a lot and building a house on it on your own seems overwhelming to you, you might want to look into a mountain community, like Stonefly, Because Stonefly it is a community of custom homes each home and homesite is as unique as the individuals who live here. Selecting a homesite and working with our builder to find exactly the home that fits your lifestyle and personality is a fun and rewarding experience. Stonefly also offers paved roads, underground utilities and community wells. There are also two access roads in and out of the community and easy quick trip to Cashiers. Since you’re building the home from the ground up, you can customize the home by creating the layout, choosing the flooring, picking the colors and customizing features to meet your specific needs. For example, you can make the doorways 36 inches wide and install a wheelchair-accessible shower or install an elevator or stair lift. New construction homes come with a significant financial benefit: low maintenance costs. When built in accordance with the latest building codes and safety regulations, new homes constructed in Stonefly are engineered to require less care and maintenance. With less to worry about and fewer unexpected out-of-pocket expenses after move-in, you can spend time enjoying your new home and exploring the natural beauty of the fauna and flora in Stonefly rather than making repairs and updates to an existing home. Using energy-efficient materials such as insulated walls and ceilings, help to reduce heat loss during winter and keeping your home cool during summer. Cutting-edge plumbing fixtures, appliances, heating and air, engineered wood decks and siding make the home you build worry-free for years. With a new construction home, you can trust everything is updated, your plumbing will work and you won’t have any foundation problems that must be fixed before you can move into the home. You also don’t have to worry about missing or dated appliances, as new homes come with your choice state-of-the art appliances already installed. Just like when you purchase a new car, a new construction home – and everything in it – often comes with a warranty. This means you can buy with confidence knowing the builder will cover the cost of any issues during the warranty period, such as a leaky roof or broken water heater. This is unlike a pre-owned home where you may not know about hidden defects or problems until after you’ve purchased the home – and you’re left with the bill. A new construction home warranty gives you one less thing to worry about during the home-buying process. Pre-owned homes can be dark and boxy, often leading you through a maze of tiny rooms that have you seeing dollar signs for each wall you’ll want to tear down. In contrast, our homes are bright and welcoming from the moment you walk in the front door. They feature a wide open floor plan and tall ceilings that give a spaciousness you can’t always find in an existing home. Our homes are thoughtfully designed for the way people need and want to live in the mountains. Often featuring open eat-in kitchens or oversized island creates the optimal place to gather with friends and family, and bedrooms and bathrooms strategically placed to keep every family member or guest happy. Buying a new construction home gives you a clean slate. There’s no red shag carpet, rooms covered in floral wallpaper or pastel colored bathrooms you’ll have to change as soon as you move in. Working with a new home builder gives you the opportunity to put your touch on your home without having to lift a finger. With several options to choose from, a new construction home lets you design a space that fits your style. The choice is yours. Whether you choose 18”x18” ceramic tile, granite countertops, finished wooden cabinets or a palatable neutral wall color, your home will be finished in a way that’s tailored to your preferences. You also have the added appeal of being the first to cook a meal in your kitchen or enjoy your brand new spa bathroom. A lot of benefits could accrue from the decision to build one’s house where it is not most convenient for other people to build. Of course, if no other thing, there is nothing as peaceful as living in the mountains especially one with nature.

It is springtime here in Sapphire Valley and the forests are waking up with fresh new blooms and plants, some you may be familiar with and some you may not. Here at Sapphire Valley Real Estate we love the outdoors and seeing these new arrivals means season is finally here. Here are some of plants and blooms you might see this time of year in your yard or on a hike in our area.  Painted Trillium: (Painted Lady, Painted Wood Lily) is a perennial herb, This is one of the most attractive woodland Trilliums. It is easily recognized by the splash of pink in the center of the white flower. Poison Ivy: Watch out for this one! Upright, climbing, or trailing shrub that bears small yellowish-white flower clusters; old stems, covered with fibrous roots, look hairy. POISONOUS PARTS: All parts, in all seasons if plant sap contacted. Severe skin irritation upon contact. Symptoms include severe skin redness, itching, swelling, and blisters following direct or indirect contact.  Bashful Wakerobin: This beautiful pink trillium of the southeastern Piedmont and the adjacent Appalachian slopes may be confused with Large-flowered Trillium (T. grandiflorum), which has white flowers that turn pink with age. The flowers of Catesbys Trillium, however, face downward, and the sepals are narrower and more sickle-shaped than those of Large-flowered Trillium, which has upright flowers. The species name honors Mark Catesby (1679-1749), an English naturalist. Woodland Stonecrop: The creeping stems of this rock-loving perennial usually send up a single flowering branch, 4-8 in. high, and several shorter, leafier, non-flowering branches. Woodland Stonecrop is a member of the sedum family (family Crassulaceae), which includes succulent herbs or small shrubs, commonly with star-like flowers in branched clusters. Flame Azalea:This beautiful southern Azalea forms striking displays on some of the grassy balds of the southern Appalachians. A wide variation of color forms occurs, from all shades of yellow to orange-yellow and scarlet. The flowers appear before or with the new leaves.  Jack-In-The-Pulpit: One to two large, glossy leaves, divided into three leaflets, rise on their own stems 1-3 ft. The intriguing blossom of this woodland perennial occurs on a separate stalk at the same height as the leaves. Although it causes a strong burning reaction and has a strong peppery taste if eaten raw, the underground tuber can be eaten if dried or cooked, as cooking eliminates these unpleasant properties. Mountain Laurel: Mountain Laurel is one of the most beautiful native flowering shrubs and is well displayed as an ornamental in many parks. The stamens of the flowers have an odd, springlike mechanism which spreads pollen when tripped by a bee. The wood has been used for tool handles and turnery, and the burls, or hard knotlike growths, for briar tobacco pipes. Wild Ramp: In late April, before this species comes into flower, the people of the Great Smoky Mountains gather the plants for their annual Ramp Festival. The foliage and bulbs can be used in salads and soups. Native Americans treated stings with juice from the crushed bulbs. Source: https://www.wildflower.org/