The humid, subtropical environment in Tennessee makes it a pleasant place to live, with summers rarely too hot and winters rarely too cold. It also affects home design and your choice of Tennessee real estate. While you can find just about any style of architecture making itself at home in Tennessee, certain styles lend themselves best to the climate, allowing you to reduce the need for heating and cooling. Let’s discover why ranch-style still rocks in the Volunteer State.
1. Winter Warmth and Summer Cool
There’s a lot to be said for a South facing home with a front veranda in Tennessee. In winter, when the sun dips lower, it floods the patio with sunshine and allows sun into rooms. In summer, when the sun is higher in the sky, the southern aspect is shaded by the patio roof and so are the windows. It’s one of the oldest ideas in indoor climate control, and it still works today. Deciduous trees in the garden can also add to the effect. In winter, they let the sunshine through while providing shade in the hot summer months.
2. Long, Bungalow-Style Homes
You’ll see a lot of Tennessee homes with an elongated, South-facing frontage, and that allows more rooms to benefit from the orientation benefits described in our last point. Kitchens are often North-facing or East-facing, but that’s a benefit when you’re preparing food in the late part of the day when a kitchen can easily get baking hot from the rays of the setting sun.
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3. Three or More Bedrooms
Most Tennessee family units consist of Mom, Dad, and two kids. That means three bedrooms as a minimum, and older homes may have more bedrooms since family size has fallen in recent decades. With your three to four bedrooms, you should expect a home to have two fully-equipped bathrooms – usually an en suite for the parents and a second bathroom for kids and guests.
4. A Spacious Front Yard
Tennessee seems to love its lawns! Houses are usually sited towards the back of the property with a big lawn in front. With excellent rainfall in the Tennessee valley, that shouldn’t be too surprising, and it does mean lots of space for kids to play. However, the state is concerned about the high demand on its water resources, so be willing to let the lawn dry out if need be. If that doesn’t suit you, you should factor a change to water-wise gardening into the cost of a typical Tennessee home.
5. Almost Always a Garage
High humidity means rust, and most Tennessee homes come with an enclosed garage – but do look at the ventilation, keeping your car in a poorly-ventilated garage could be as bad or worse for it than leaving it outside or under a carport. If there isn’t a garage, compare costs between the home you’re looking at and one that offers this extra amenity.
A Seller’s Market
It’s still a seller’s market out there so be careful of overpaying. Inventory is slowly increasing on the back of rising interest rates. In the near future, we can expect to see a more favorable buyer’s market, and that’s worth considering when buying a house in Tennessee in 2022. If you’re under pressure to buy now, look out for modest homes featuring typical Tennessee design. It’s a sensible and unostentatious option that can nevertheless yield a home that’s both comfortable to live in, and the pride and joy of its owner. When checking out housing with an eye to buying, it’s worth browsing what’s new in tips and tricks for existing and prospective homeowners. .
