PERISCOPE Tiny Homes

Periscope

/ Story and Photos by Chelsey Ashford

Periscope

[Above] With the indoor square footage footprint never exceeding 399 sqft., residents enjoy the bonus of a large and comfortable porch. Storage can be provided through approved outdoor sheds, utilizing the same building materials as the homes.

[Above far right] The test is in the finishes: shiplap, sheet rock, engineered hardwood and quartz or granite countertops aid in making many floor plans feel like a traditional custom home.

[Below left] Walking paths, e-bikes, dog parks and direct access to the Swamp Rabbit Trail are a few of many amenities here.

[Below far right] The picturesque rolling typography of the Creek Walk community; its previous incarnation was as a horse farm and its original owner will be honored at a memorial garden later this year.

I’VE BEEN imagining a tiny home in woods at the base of a mountain range where many opportunities for adventure awaits. I could imagine packing my car to head up to the mountains to go hiking, camping or kayaking with a reasonably short drive to a desirable destination. While there are many ways to travel, sometimes the best adventures are out of our front door.

While I was searching for a place to build a house locally, the draw of a tiny home community became more and more appealing. Being able to have low maintenance, affordable living, with so many amenities kept pulling me to Creek Walk Tiny Home Community in Travelers Rest. And though I haven’t pulled the trigger yet, I’m certain it’s in my future for a second home. Manifesting big dreams for a tiny home of my own!

So, we can call it a major alignment when I was asked to photograph a story about this same place just months later. And, I was excited to stay overnight on the property to get the full experience. As you can imagine I was instantly hooked with the ease of simple living.

My fiancé and I had many highlights that weekend, including a bike ride on the Swamp Rabbit Trail via the community’s electric bikes. We rode them into downtown Travelers Rest where we stopped by Swamp Rabbit Brewery for a beer, and then had dinner across the street at Topsoil restaurant, finishing the evening at Pink Mama's Ice Cream Shop before heading back to our tiny home away from home.

I hopped into the full-size bath/shower to wind down. The closet boasts sliding doors and we snuggled up in a queen size bed downstairs. We joked that if my fiancé started snoring, one of us could go sleep upstairs in the loft bedroom. There was just a surprising amount of room for two to move around.

In the morning, while sipping coffee on the porch, we looked out on the creek, taking in that weekend away fresh air. Making breakfast in the kitchen was such a treat as everything felt so efficient and functional. After that, we strolled with our dogs around the beautiful, shaded community full of trees along the creek that runs through it, and a fountain in their creek fed pond.

Creek Walk has accomplished the perfect mixture of upscale living while catering to the outdoor enthusiast. The developer intentionally left many mature old-growth trees, which inherently makes the community feel like an escape from reality.

Every tiny home has unique expressions of its homeowner, personalizing the property. The community provides a bunch of amenities including a dedicated garden with raised beds for vegetables and plants, a dog park, electric bikes for the Swamp Rabbit Trail and their newest addition: beehives for the community’s locally sourced honey. Future plans include food and entertainment options onsite that is sure to become the neighborhood hangout.

As I reluctantly packed my bags to leave, I thought how this is an ideal weekend getaway vacation home or for a seasonal escape from colder weather, maybe for someone with the flexibility to work remote six months of the year. For people who are looking to move to the Upstate, a tiny home could be a transitional option. These adorable tiny spaces have all the creature comforts of home, but with less maintenance, granting more time to travel with easy access to the Appalachians, Blue Ridge Mountains and exploring the Carolinas.

There is no doubt that this community felt like its own slice of vacation, nestled as a destination between mountains and town, we enjoyed the diversity of the activities right outside our tiny home’s door. Periscope

[Left] Raised bed community gardening, pie contests and happy hours with the mayor of Travelers Rest are just a few of the programming events that Creek Walk organizes. It's more than a tiny home, it's a tapestried lifestyle.

[Below] Developer Justin Draplin intentionally carved out lots for his tiny homesites. The result is an environs that feels complementary and organic of its surroundings.