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How Southwood

Florida

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in Tallahassee

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Florida Megalopolis

Florida

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If it weren't for the different materials such as brick and stucco, I wouldn't have known the difference.... this place even had the big plantation house in the middle which I couldn't take a picture of because of the glare of the sun.

If you're wondering the name and location...

DSCF2927.jpg

It's off of Buck Lake Road.

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Florida Megalopolis

Florida

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You remember those days too!?!?

This was my first trip down Buck Lake in quite some time... I remember th days when the goats and cows and horses roamed this property... with its overgrown grass and its stream that ran downhill from the "big house" which still stands.

You can imagine my surprise when I saw this.

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Florida Megalopolis

Florida

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Backward... as if I've taken a step back in time... a place where I'd worry about running out of gas, or flattening a tire. My family moved us out to the Tallahassee country side when I was used to living in the city so it was quite a change for me... I couldn't wait to get back inside capital circle.

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Relient J Hamlet

Relient J

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Before moving to our home in a subdivision off of Baum Rd., my family and I had lived in the country for five years in Madison County just outside of Greenville, where the family business was. (This after the two years we lived in Tallahassee near the Tallahasssee Mall while my dad was in grad school.) So for us moving there was moving up in the world in many ways. We were much closer to Tallahassee which we had depended on for many things in the past, yet still far enough out so that my dad's commute time to Greenville was only about half an hour.

It was a great place to spend much of my growing up. It is somewhat remote from the city, something I don't think I ever appreciated until I went off to college and lived much closer to the nearest town, but it's also very peaceful in some ways. And at least one benefit was that we had a two acre yard! That would likely have been much, much more expensive in the city.

There's my two cents on why I'm glad to have grown up out there. :)

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poonther Town

poonther

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Good pix T.J.!

It's been awhile since I've been in Southwood, but I don't recall the homes there having a brick front and plastic siding sides and backs? Do you? I remember them all being wood or brick but not much of that half and half stuff. That reminds me more of of the Piney Z community...the brick/stucco fronts and siding on the sides and back. I'm not a big fan of that look at all. I think it's kinda tacky, but that's just me. I really don't like siding at all. I like:

stucco best (after all it's Florida)

then wood (bungalow style)

then brick (but that's too North GA/Carolina for my taste)

then all plastic siding

and finally last on the list is the half and half homes.

You?

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Florida Megalopolis

Florida

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Good pix T.J.!

It's been awhile since I've been in Southwood, but I don't recall the homes there having a brick front and plastic siding sides and backs? Do you? I remember them all being wood or brick but not much of that half and half stuff. That reminds me more of of the Piney Z community...the brick/stucco fronts and siding on the sides and back. I'm not a big fan of that look at all. I think it's kinda tacky, but that's just me. I really don't like siding at all. I like:

stucco best (after all it's Florida)

then wood (bungalow style)

then brick (but that's too North GA/Carolina for my taste)

then all plastic siding

and finally last on the list is the half and half homes.

You?

:yahoo: Welcome to UrbanPlanet-Tallahassee Poonther!!! :yahoo:

Been seein' you post out in the Florida Section and was waiting on your Tallahassee Debut.

The Southwood similarities I see is not in the material, but in the actual design of the homes... for instance...

Look at this Goose Creek House

DSCF2926.jpg

Now Look at this one from Southwood.

p_florida_series.jpg

Although taken from different angles, they do look similar.

And then there's the whole driveway behind the house deal, and the small yards. This one isn't half as neat as Southwood is, in terms of the layout, but its obvious their intent was to imitate.

Ranking my favorite building products I'd say:

(1) Brick is Best (Alliteration)

(2) Stone & Stucco (The Tallahassee Thing)

(3) Stucco Alone (The Florida thing)

(4) Wood Panel (Southwood Style)

(5) Polished Wood

Notice no vinyl siding... not on my personal list of favorites. ;)

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DaiDreamer5 Hamlet

DaiDreamer5

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I like:

1) Brick (not painted I find it a crime when they paint brick :cry: )

2) Stained Wood

3) Painted Wood and Stonework (tie)

I would love a house that was brick with stained wood accents.

I really don't care for stucco or vinyl siding either. It looks like crap after a few years while a brick house looks "rustic" and a wood house can be repainted or stained.

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poonther Town

poonther

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Thanks for the welcome T.J.

I agree that other developments are "stealing" ideas from Southwood based on house designs, but remember that Southwood actually got these ideas from looking at housing around North Florida and then packaging it all nice and pretty. I live in one of Tally's oldest neighborhoods downtown where most of the homes were built in the 1920's, 30's and 40's and many many of the homes look like Southwood homes in design, have small yards and have only 5 foot setbacks from the property lines. Only thing we don't really have are driveways/alleyways in the back of the houses. So it just goes to proved the old line that everything old becomes new again.

Question: what's the difference between wood panel and polish wood homes? I googled it but got nothin'.

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Florida Megalopolis

Florida

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Wood Panel is what Southwood uses... its what Vinyl Siding wishes it was.

Polished wood is has a log cabin look, only with a glossed over polish.

You are right about the Southwood borrowing ideas from other places throughout North Florida, GA, and the other states. I really do admire what they continue to do with the land over there.

I'd love to have your home downtown... its my dream to one day own a home in Downtown Tallahassee... you're living my dream.

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poonther Town

poonther

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Thanks for the explanation T.J. Now I understand the difference.

I moved up to Tally about 7 years ago and first rented in downtown Tally and then bought here in the downtown, so I don't know any other way to live in Tally but downtown. I love it and would not live anywhere else (however I do think Southwood is cool.) I was living downtown way before downtown was cool. :)

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stjoe Hamlet

stjoe

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I don't think those pics look much like Southwood to me.

What really seperates Southwood is the parks and town center. It is new urbanism (or truly semi-new urbansim). WHere you have smaller yards, town centers, and large parks. Much different than your standard suburban development.

Someone said the area didn't have trees......Southwood is ALL about the trees. Great Live Oaks throughout.

ALso, as someone mentioned paneling is different from vinyl. Vinyl is cheap. Siding is not always.

I like

brick & non vinyl paneling

I think vinyl and Stucco are cheap and don't look good.

I find it odd people think Stucco is Florida. What you see in Southwood is much more Floridian than Stucco. Just because some folks from New York & Chicago came down to Miami 50 years ago and built a ton of Stucco homes doesn't make it true Floridian. I don't think folks really know about the history of Florida and what that means.

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Florida Megalopolis

Florida

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Oh I absolutely agree with you on the stucco deal.

I think the person who made the comments about there being no trees was referring to the Goose Creek neighborhood. And not to say the neighborhood was an exact replica of Southwood, but I do see some influence there... some likeness.

The Spanish Mediterranean (spelling :( ) style is quite possibly the most beloved architectual style in Florida, usually of stucco, which is why more people associate that with Florida instead of more traditional products. But it's true, Floridians have built our homes of Wood, bricks, and siding, long before we used stucco.

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DaiDreamer5 Hamlet

DaiDreamer5

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Oh I absolutely agree with you on the stucco deal.

I think the person who made the comments about there being no trees was referring to the Goose Creek neighborhood. And not to say the neighborhood was an exact replica of Southwood, but I do see some influence there... some likeness.

The Spanish Mediterranean (spelling :( ) style is quite possibly the most beloved architectual style in Florida, usually of stucco, which is why more people associate that with Florida instead of more traditional products. But it's true, Floridians have built our homes of Wood, bricks, and siding, long before we used stucco.

I was referring to the pictures of the Goose Creek Neighborhood. I hate it when a developer cuts down perfectly good trees and plants little twigs in thier place.

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