July 24, 2024

Kerith House July Update

Summary

See what we have been up to for the past several months.

It has been quite a while since we have given you an update from the world of Kerith House. We have been so tangled in the weeds (literally and figuratively) of business and development that we haven’t had a minute to look up. I am sure many of you can relate to that syndrome.

The Big News!

We sold Century View Lodge! I know, that’s a shocker, especially since it’s been the centerpiece of our brand since 2020. It really was kind of a sudden decision to sell at this moment though we knew we would do so eventually. The bottom line is that the market was right and we wanted to put all of our attention and focus on building out our boutique farm and winery. For those who have been our guests there, we have loved hosting you and look forward to the day you will be able to stay with us on our estate. For those who still want to rent the house, it is still available through Southern Comfort Cabin Rentals under the name “Lookout Lodge”.

Now to what occupies so much of our attention…..

The Farm

We brought in our second garlic harvest. To say that it was 1000% better than last year is not an exaggeration.

We are actually thankful for the disastrous first harvest because through it, God developed our perseverance and showed us how to pivot. It resulted in an array of unique Farmstand Products from Roasted Garlic and Wine Drizzle to Drunken Garlic Snackers. They are for sale online and at four farmers markets: Douglasville, Peachtree City, Blue Ridge, and Serenbe. Unfortunately, they still can only be sold inside Georgia but we are hoping to upgrade our license soon to change that.

Accommodations

For three years I have been saying, “We almost have the Airstream Experience ready”. I always thought it was true, not knowing all the obstacles of paperwork, permits, and waiting on everyone at every turn. But we really are close. The landscapers are finishing hardscape this week. Due to the heat, we can’t plant trees, bushes, and flowers, but there will be clean surfaces and a minimum of mud, which has been our goal for ages. Two to four guests will be able stay in a 27’ Airstream attached to a 360 sq. ft. covered deck overlooking a pond.  They can wander the 124 acres of pasture, forest, trails, and creek. I could go on and on but I’ll save it for the listing.

The canopy homes are still on the table. We have roads and a well but they are being hung up in the septic process. Land development all comes down to two things: water and waste. Once the latter is sorted we can move forward with the first canopy home.

Winery

The land has been cleared for the winery. We will be building what we call the Wine Barn, a smaller version of what we hope to build down the road. But this will get us a production area, tasting room, kitchen, and restaurant. Remember what I said about water and waste? Yup, that’s what we are waiting on.

Vineyard

Twenty acres have been cleared for the vineyard and winery. Four varieties of vines have been ordered which we will plant next summer. But our vintner, Scott, had an idea to get us into the wine game sooner: strawberries. So, we plan to plant about an acre of strawberries in October for a spring harvest. If you haven’t had it before, strawberry wine is really good!

Are we overwhelmed? Of course! Prayer definitely helps!

We would love to show what we are doing in person. So, if you are interested, go to our activities page and look for the link.  Tours are by reservation only on Friday evenings.

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