The Starling: A Small A-Frame in the Blue Ridge

-Feel the mountain breeze in this air inspired A-Frame. Atop the ridge, enjoy year-round views of the mountains from the back porch. Hike up Rhododendron Ridge Trail or cozy up by the wood stove with a book. Grill out, start a campfire or listen to the sounds of Bee Tree Creek in the hammock. Nightlife, food, coffee and breweries in Asheville or Black Mountain are 15 minutes away. It’s an hour to Great Smokey Mountains National Park!

The space
The space

THE STARLING

A 14’x14′ tiny house with a back porch on a ridge.
250 Square foot tiny home

Looking for an alternative place to stay near Asheville? The Starling is a light filled A-Frame constructed atop a ridge, surrounded by beech, birch and maple trees. Because of the slope, the back porch is 10 feet off the ground and you’ll feel like you’re in a tree house while looking over the Blue Ridge mountains. Light floods The Starling through seven large windows by day, and by night you can enjoy the warmth of candles, a wood stove and twinkle lights. In the summer, leaves cover the canopy, plus there are screens on all of the windows and a fan to keep you cool.

Sleeping:

Inside, climb up the ladder and you’ll find a full sized mattress that comfortably sleeps two. The Starling can easily sleep a third person on the large 76″ window seat made from high quality upholstery foam. Though we don’t have more sleeping mattresses, if you have more than 3 people in your party you’re more than welcome to bring floor mats and pillows of your own.

Cooking:

We provide a single butane burner for cooking, kettle, a wood stove, a dining table and clean water for drinking and washing up. The kitchen is stocked with plates, bowls, cups, silverware, wine tool, french press, a frying pan, sauce pan and a cooler for your perishables. Outside is a fire pit for outdoor cooking.

Showering:

The Starling has enough water inside for drinking and cleaning up. We do provide a Pocket Shower and using the rig on the back porch you can shower comfortably. Heat water on the stove or fill the shower up with hot water from the spigot on the outside of our main house and then hang it on the designated line and there ya go. You are outside, so you may want to bring a bathing suit but it’s not necessary as the space is very private. Google Pocket Shower online to see examples of this shower. We’ll also have instructions at The Starling.

Bathroom:

The board and baton outhouse is just down the trail about 50 feet. The outhouse is lit by path lights and we provide a great flashlight so you can move around at night. The outhouse is fully equipped with toilet paper and hand sanitizer for you.

Cell phone and internet:

The Starling has WIFI and we’ll provide the password upon arrival. There is minimal to zero cell phone service but if you have a smart phone or computer you can connect to WiFIi to make phone calls and send texts through the internet.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITY

The back porch is a perfect place to watch the sunset over the mountains. Start a camp fire in the fire pit and lounge the evening away in the hammock. The Rhododendron Ridge Trail system is always growing and right now you can hike about 15 minutes up to the top of a ridge. We’re working on a creek trail now so it might be ready by the time you get here!

SURROUNDING AREAS

15 Minutes to the west in Asheville, and the same to the east in Black Mountain, you’ll find top-notch dining, coffee, music, and nightlife. Plus, Pisgah Brewing Company is less than 7 miles away with live musical performances and incredible brews. The Blue Ridge Parkway and Pisgah National Forrest, packed with hiking trails, is 10 minutes away, and Great Smokey Mountains National Park is just over an hour away. Charles Owen Park is less than 2 miles away with a playground, baseball field, fishing pond, and hiking trails leading through Warren Wilson College. We’ll provide you with a list of our favorite places to eat, drink and hike in our welcome booklet.

Note: The Starling is 400 feet (2-5 minute uphill hike) from parking area. A path leads you up a 60 foot elevation gain from parking to The Starling. If you arrive after dark you’ll need a flashlight (or cell phone) to get up the trail but we also have some solar lamps and signs guiding your way.

Guest access

Full and private access to The Starling, your own parking spot, outhouse, hammock and your own fire pit. Shared access to hiking trails and Wi-Fi.

Other things to note

We suggest bringing a headlamp or flashlight for night walks around the property or to the outhouse, but if you forget yours don’t worry… we have a great flashlight for you!

Dogs are welcome! Please keep in mind that we have a dog as well. We ask that your dogs be friendly with others if you want to allow them to run loose; ours does but usually sticks close to our house and is very friendly. If they don’t like other dogs, that’s ok! Please just notify us ahead of time and keep your dog on a leash while outside. Please make sure to clean up after your pet.

Please properly store all food and waste because the area is frequented by our local black bear and her cubs in the spring and summer. Though a bear attack is very very uncommon, we provide you with a bear horn and information about bear safety.

A couple other things…

Only put liquids down the sink in The Starling. All solids need to go in the trash.

If you use the wood stove please read the instructions carefully so it can be the most efficient for you. The wood shed with the small pieces of wood are meant for the indoor wood stove and the larger logs by the fire pit are for outdoor fires.

Thanks so much we look forward to having you stay at our woodland paradise :).