dream home #1

One crowded Sunday morning last year as my family and I were waiting for a table during brunch at our favorite local haunt, my eyes landed upon a copy of Uptown Magazine ("uptown" in Charlotte is what the rest of civilization refers to as "downtown"). Never having read the magazine, I began paging through it as a source of distraction for my nine-month-old son who was growing increasingly impatient with the lagging crowd. I turned the pages without actually taking in any substance until I came across a feature on eco-friendly, modern homes that I knew couldn't have anything to do with Charlotte. Yet here, in Charlotte, they existed.

At a time when I was over my current house and neighborhood--and even Charlotte in general--I realized there may be more to this town than manicured lawns, southern charms and country clubs. To me these modern homes were the antithesis of everything I'd grown to dislike about Charlotte, and I had to see them as soon as possible. With full tummies (and me a slight buzz from two bloddy marys), we went for a drive following brunch to see this sustainable development in person. The next week my husband and I returned to tour one of the houses, and I immediately pictured my son riding a big wheel down the hall with the stained concrete floors.

At the time, the "box house" (as I affectionately refer to it) was simply a dream: our house wasn't for sale, and I didn't know the housing market would continue to spiral downward and my fledgling dream of moving back to New York would slowly fade; thus, the actuality of owning one of these homes never seemed a possibility--until now. The prices have dropped and three of the original six houses are currently sitting empty on their lots. Naturally, my obsession has grown. I've already started decorating my box house and thinking of colors to paint the 19-foot walls. The first order of business, however, is to sell our current home. So I'm left to wonder: will my patience hold out? Can we even afford the box house? How long will the dream last?

Element Homes on Craig Avenue
Photos courtesy of Cobalt DBS