North Carolina Mountain Developer Helps Architect Green Building Philosophy

The term “green building” is becoming more and more common place. Whether you hear about it on the nightly news, read about it in your favorite magazine, or talk about it with friends and family, green building and environmentally-friendly living are everywhere.
Specifically, the mountains of Western North Carolina have drawn a populace that seeks energy-efficient green construction, and appreciates preservation and conservation methods. In addition, many do not wish to sacrifice luxury or beauty. Whisper Mountain, near Asheville, NC, is a prime example of a development that caters to such as a crowd.
In fact, Southern Living Magazine has selected a Whisper Mountain home site for their eco-friendly 2008 Idea House.

Building Sustainable Communities: A Developer’s Quest

So, how did the Whisper Mountain vision begin? Native Texans Charlie and Troy Ball, Whisper Mountain’s owners, met over 30 years ago at Texas A&M University. They quickly learned that they both cherished the outdoors. Together, they explored the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains from Colorado to Montana. They knew that someday they would steward a large piece of land and the journey was about to begin.
Charlie received a B.A. in Civil Engineering and an MBA and Troy graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Business. They settled in Austin, TX where their plans of developing special communities were first rooted.
Charlie worked for Trammell Crow Company and Dell Computer. In 1987, Troy became a licensed Texas real estate agent and broker, primarily working with ranch and estate product markets. With 25 years of combined experience in residential, retail and commercial development, they worked to develop low-density, residential properties in the Austin area, incorporating conservation easements into their designs.

Birth of Children Leads to Greener Lifestyle

As their careers evolved, they started a family. Today, they have three children. Their oldest child, Marshall, and middle child, Coulton, are affected by undiagnosed development delay disorder. However, despite Marshall’s immense physical challenges, he has published two books of poetry and has won many awards. Through this poetic gift, Marshall communicated an idea to create a special place “The Thoughtful House” -- a place where family and friends could reflect.
Charlie and Troy expanded on the idea and were founders of the Thoughtful House Center for Children, which has become a model for housing treatment, research and education for autism spectrum disorders.
“We wanted a place where a family could get immediate results with a sick child,” Charlie explained. “While research is essential to cracking the code with autism, part of our core mission, immediate and effective treatment, is where we are making the biggest difference in the lives of affected children and their families.”
In addition to creating the Thoughtful House, The Balls traveled the country seeking solutions to their children’s health issues. They educated themselves on healthy living and the green lifestyle and became early green indoor air quality adopters -- the use of advanced filtration systems and natural building materials and furnishings to improve indoor air quality.
They began to realize not only the importance of healthy living, but the necessity of healthy living. They spent years researching and visiting the best small U.S cities to live; Asheville topped the list. They left their Austin roots and headed for the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Eco-Friendly Homes in the Blue Ridge Mountains

For generations, Asheville has been a haven of health. As far back as 1795, records show that the Asheville area was regarded as a place to come heal oneself of ills. American Indians used the area as a neutral ground for their sick, particularly the area around Hot Springs (30 miles north of Buncombe County). The climate was regarded to be optimal. From the late 1880s to the 1930s, Asheville rose in prominence as a curative place for tuberculosis.
In addition to being known as a city with healing powers, in the southeast, Asheville also leads the way in green-building sustainable practices and sustainable farming.
“We didn’t just want to live here,” Troy said, “We wanted to bring with us all that ‘we, as a family, had learned about life and living and incorporate these concepts and philosophies into a project that would communicate these passions.”
Charlie and Troy viewed several properties in the area and discovered a special high mountain valley, straddling the Buncombe and Madison County lines, Northwest of Asheville. They purchased 450 beautiful, wooded acres and Troy named the NC mountain property “Whisper Mountain” - an ultimate culmination of their love of the land and their passion for healthy living.
Whisper Mountain features years of careful planning and working with the land and its natural resources.
“We have personally planned and are building Whisper Mountain as if it were our own,” Charlie said. “Whisper Mountain is a place where family and friends can live and reflect in a natural and healthy setting.”
Green construction methods, conservation, energy-efficient standards and heritage-style homes are all surrounded by the natural beauty of this innovative North Carolina Mountain real estate development.
Whisper Mountain sits 17 miles Northwest of Asheville and as many people like to say --- Whisper Mountain --- it’s just far enough. To learn more, visit: www.WhisperNC.com.

SHORT VERSION (Just in case)

North Carolina Mountain Developer Helps Architect Green Building Philosophy

The term “green building” is becoming more and more common place. Whether you hear about it on the nightly news, read about it in your favorite magazine, or talk about it with friends and family. Specifically, the mountains of Western North Carolina have drawn a populace that seeks energy-efficient green construction, and appreciates preservation and conservation methods. In addition, many do not wish to sacrifice luxury or beauty. Whisper Mountain, near Asheville, NC, is a prime example of a development that caters to such as a crowd. In fact, Southern Living Magazine has selected a Whisper Mountain home site for their eco-friendly 2008 Idea House.

Building Sustainable Communities: A Developer’s Quest

So, how did the Whisper Mountain vision begin? Native Texans Charlie and Troy Ball, Whisper Mountain’s owners, met over 30 years ago at Texas A&M University. They quickly learned that they both cherished the outdoors. Together, they explored the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains from Colorado to Montana. Charlie received a B.A. in Civil Engineering and an MBA and Troy graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.A. in Business. They settled in Austin, TX where their plans of developing special communities were first rooted. With 25 years of combined experience in residential, retail and commercial development, they worked to develop low-density, residential properties in the Austin area, incorporating conservation easements into their designs.

Birth of Children Leads to Greener Lifestyle

As their careers evolved, they started a family. Today, they have three children. Their oldest child, Marshall, and middle child, Coulton, are affected by undiagnosed development delay disorder. However, despite Marshall’s immense physical challenges, he has published two books of poetry and has won many awards. Through this poetic gift, Marshall communicated an idea to create a special place “The Thoughtful House” -- a place where family and friends could reflect.
Charlie and Troy expanded on the idea and were founders of the Thoughtful House Center for Children which has become a model for housing treatment, research and education for autism spectrum disorders. “We wanted a place where a family could get immediate results with a sick child,” Charlie explained.
In addition to creating the Thoughtful House, The Balls travelled the country seeking solutions to their children’s health issues. They educated themselves on healthy living and the green lifestyle and became early green indoor air quality adopters -- the use of advanced filtration systems and natural building materials and furnishings to improve indoor air quality.

Eco-Friendly Homes in the Blue Ridge Mountains

For generations, Asheville has been a haven of health. As far back as 1795, records show that the Asheville area was regarded as a place to come heal oneself of ills. American Indians used the area as a neutral ground for their sick, particularly the area around Hot Springs (30 miles north of Buncombe County). The climate was regarded to be optimal. From the late 1880s to the 1930s, Asheville rose in prominence as a curative place for tuberculosis.
In addition to being known as a city with healing powers, in the southeast, Asheville also leads the way in green-building sustainable practices and sustainable farming. Charlie and Troy viewed several properties in the area and discovered a special high mountain valley, straddling the Buncombe and Madison County lines, Northwest of Asheville. They purchased 450 beautiful, wooded acres and Troy named the NC mountain property “Whisper Mountain” - an ultimate culmination of their love of the land and their passion for healthy living.
“We have personally planned and are building Whisper Mountain as if it were our own,” Charlie said. “Whisper Mountain is a place where family and friends can live and reflect in a natural and healthy setting.” Green construction methods, conservation, energy-efficient standards and heritage-style homes are all surrounded by the natural beauty of this innovative North Carolina Mountain real estate development.
Whisper Mountain sits 17 miles Northwest of Asheville and as many people like to say --- Whisper Mountain --- it’s just far enough.
To learn more, visit: www.WhisperNC.com.

Bryan Sullivan lives near Asheville, NC and writes for a variety of luxury living and lifestyle magazines. He enjoys covering topics including fine dining, wine, agriculture, sustainability, green building and real estate in Asheville NC. For more information about North Carolina mountain homes and green building ideas visit http://www.whispernc.com or email info@whispernc.com.