Blue Ridge Parkway Luxury Log Home Community Wins "Best of The Mountains" for 2nd Time

Pinnacle Living's Mountain Homes magazine hosts the prestigious annual "Best of the Mountains" contest in their celebration of southern style. For the second year running, Cielo Falls - located on North Carolina's Blue Ridge Parkway,- won for "Best Log Home Community."

Boone, NC (PRWEB) June 3, 2009 -- Long before the nationwide green movement gained traction, the developers at Cielo Falls, North Carolina's premiere log home project, drew their own quiet satisfaction from blending mountain luxury with supreme eco-friendly technologies.

But a little recognition never hurts.

Pinnacle Living's Mountain Homes magazine hosts the prestigious annual "Best of the Mountains" contest in their celebration of southern style. For the second year running, Cielo Falls won for "Best Log Home Community."

A scenic project located on North Carolina's Blue Ridge Parkway, Cielo Falls has been leading the way since inception. Respect for the environment and wise use of space are cornerstones for the developers' approach to the land and terrain. Cielo's trademark, and in fact, benchmark, beautiful homes are made of naturally efficient timbers, the lots are large, and the dedicated open spaces are big enough for miles of hiking trails.

Nevertheless, the spirit of eco-consciousness goes far beyond simply leaving greens strips and open space. Stream restoration, rainwater collection, wastewater purification, solar energy and soon geothermal and wind energy all play into Cielo's ever-evolving plan. It is to be a gated property of great luxury and elegance, intent on becoming the finest log and timber home community in the country, with more than 300 upscale home sites and villas. But despite a green ethos built into the foundation, Cielo also exhibits that the minimalist mentality is passe'.

"The next big thing in vacation home-building is to show we can be eco-conscious and still not sacrifice luxury," says Mark Peterson, president of The Luxury Living Group, a marketing company specializing in high-end real estate. "And that's what this generation of retiring baby boomers--the wealthiest generation the world has ever seen--will demand. To that end, the classic rustic handsome ruggedness of log and timber homes serves as a near-perfect model of innovation in this new era, demonstrating how timeless architectural elegance can still be in-step with green-sensibilities, even at the forefront of the environmental ethos."

While market downturns have presented challenges to developers the world over, drive-to markets such as the serene North Carolina mountain country have become even more desirable as second home choices. Many people still wish to live near friends, family, and loved ones, and desire to own an idyllic retreat that is not too far away--just far enough to "get away."

With designs that are more energy efficient than typical brick-and-board home construction, log and timber homes also have the aesthetic boon of blending beautifully with scenery to protect the region's natural beauty. Ten-inch thick logs naturally retain energy and insulate efficiently.

Moreover, when it comes to environmental stewardship, Cielo offers an exemplary model of how private industry can trump even federal and state governments in habitat restoration: in this case, to restore and re-create the "ultimate natural amenity," my making a degraded trout stream that runs through the property healthy again. "Streams in the Carolinas have been extensively damaged by logging and careless silt runoff over the years," says Cielo Falls development manager Mark Yates. "We are restoring the stream system in Cielo Falls in a way that will allow them to be self-maintaining, and to sustain a complete eco-wildlife system. Cielo Falls drains over 5,800 acres of surrounding property along the Parkway. We feel we are morally responsible to make sure it is the best that it can be."

When it comes to the environment, Yates states Cielo Falls is just getting started. "It's an evolving plan. We would like to see cost effective geothermal heating systems as well as wind-power put in place," he says.

Rainwater collection is another way in which the progressive developers of Cielo Falls are becoming a groundbreaking environmental model. Rather than drilling over 400 deep wells to suck the water from the under-ground aquifer and stressing the watershed throughout the area, Cielo Falls uses cost-efficient and low-maintenance gallon rainwater collection systems with 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of storage capacity on each individual home. Naturally soft and nearly pure, rainwater is then put through an all-inclusive purification and filtration system built right into each home.

"USP Development has fostered an ethic of deep environmental responsibility across its team that surpasses government mandates. At Cielo Falls, the company has created beautiful streams, productive fisheries, and miles of private hiking trails," says Mike Sprague of Trout Headwaters International.