Vacation Home: Ellijay: Mountain home attracts friends

Who: Clay Brown, 41, is general sales manager for Hennessy Land Rover North Point

What: Clay, with help from “some great friends,” built a three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath log-sided home. The ceiling in the great room soars 20 feet high with a stone fireplace that goes from floor to ceiling, and at the peak the walls are made of glass so there’s a big mountain view. “I designed it myself. It began one afternoon as a notepad sketch while leaning over the hood of my friend’s truck. He happens to be a framer. The next thing I knew, we were building it.”

How long does it take to get there? It’s an hour and 20 minutes to travel the 65 miles from his home in Canton. “I get up there almost every weekend in the fall and winter,” Clay says.

Clay tells us more about his mountain home.

Why a mountain home? “I was born and raised in Georgia and have always enjoyed spending time in the North Georgia mountains. I had rented cabins, going up there to camp and ride around in ATVs. I knew I’d like to have a place of my own here someday.

First the land: “I purchased the land in the late 1990s with the idea of building later. I saw an ad in the AJC on a Saturday and called the gentleman who owned it. I met him on Sunday, and we made a deal right there. It was exactly what I was looking for —- very secluded, bordering on the national forest, with an abundance of wildlife and trout streams. I bought 8 acres, cleared a building site and used a camper on it for the first year or so.

Then the house: “When we started building, it took about a year to finish the house. I was very fortunate that I could do a lot of it myself. I saved a lot that way, and it helped me afford to do this. If you have the means, the desire and the skills, it’s a great thing to do. But it can be a bit challenging.

Then the friends: “A lot of my friends started coming to stay, and they fell in love with it. Several of them wanted a place there, too. Now there are seven of us who own over 40 adjacent acres. We’ve built three more cabins and soon will be starting two more.

What do they do? “One of the things we really enjoy is going off-roading in our Land Rovers, Rhinos and ATVs. There are Forest Service roads all around, and we have a great time going out and riding around.”

Ellijay:

Ellijay is the county seat of Gilmer County. “The Cherokees were the first settlers here, and the site of the town is the site of the original Indian settlement. The name ‘Ellijay’ comes from the Cherokee meaning ‘New Ground Place.’ The town as it looks now dates from the early 1800s and has lots of old architecture,” says Realtor Rachel Callihan of Georgia Mountain and Lake Properties. “There are lots of downtown shops and restaurants, and the county is known as Georgia’s ‘Apple Capital.’ We’ve got both apple and peach orchards here.

“There’s a lot here for outdoor enthusiasts. Rich Mountain Wilderness is to the east, and Cohutta Mountain Wilderness is on the north side. There are a few paved roads through there, and the mountain trails, streams and creeks and waterfalls make it really popular for outdoor recreation,” she says.

Current listings in the Ellijay area:

Roy Road: 186 acres, perfect for development or private retreat. $12,500 per acre or make an offer; property can be subdivided. Concept plan already in place.

Lots 4 and 5 Woodpecker River Run; 100-plus feet on the Toccoa River, all permitted and ready to build, $179,000 per lot or $350,000 for both. Includes a cabin.

ASKA adventure area; three-bedroom, two-bath foreclosure, 1.4 acres, creek front, easy access to town; $274,900.

For more information: www.buyinthenorthgeorgiamountains.com, 706-632-9700.