Nasty old Brentwood

[it's just dave]

Nice day today. The only number higher than my age (I turned 53 today) was the temperature, so, I thought it would be a good day to take a drive. Visiting my sister in Franklin, I decided to snap a few shots along the way.

Cool Springs seems to get a hard rap sometimes because people often only mention the sprawly mess around the interstate. I'm afraid people often get the wrong idea of Williamson County. The next two shots were taken about two miles from the mall/interstate 65 and explains why Williamson County is one of my favorites. What a great place to tool around on a sunny day. The attraction of this county shoud be evident.

And, going back through Brentwood, I couldn't resist taking a few snaps of some of the houses along the way. I thought a thread of Brentwood houses be we interesting sometime, but how could one choose what to post. There appear to be thousands of these houses out there, so here's a sampling. I just keep thinking what would happen if I ever lost my car keys in one of these houses. Egad.

[Lexy]

The first three pics you posted look identical to three that I have myself! Great shots, and yeah, it was nice today considering the past three.

Oh, Happy Birthday Dave!!!

[AceMentor]

great shots, dave. Those houses are almost the size of the hills that surround them lol.

[chris holman]

Happy Birthday Dave!!! Those mansions are amazing!! I've been on that street before and seen those estates in person myself. I wish I could afford to live in one of them. Thanks for sharing.

[Nashvillain]

Cool. I want to do a Williamson county thread as well. That first house that's still under construction is quite simply retarded. That shot doesn't quite illustrate it's massivity. You hardly notice the hill it's sitting on. And Cornerstone, the house with the iron gate in front is for sale, for all those considering an upgrade in their digs. I think it's going for a paltry sum of $5,000,000! I'm sure you saw the Gateway Village development at the corner of Lynwood and Franklin road, which is at the foot of the hill you took those landscape shots; it's hilarious. The construction sign originally had them starting from the $290's, then about two weeks ago they posted from the $390's, and today I drove by and now they start at the $400's! For condos! In middle TN!

[linclink]

Hey Dave,

Happy Birthday!!

By the way.. that first pic... where is it at? I know in Williamson.. but what streets intersect there (just so I can situate myself)... I really LOVE williamson county.. the natural beauty of the rolling hills is awesome... my impression is that those rather high hills only exist in Williamson County (in the immediate area)... Is that correct?? I don't remember seeing that kind of scenery in Murfreesboro.. nor in Nashville...

[Lexy]

Hey Dave,

Happy Birthday!!

By the way.. that first pic... where is it at? I know in Williamson.. but what streets intersect there (just so I can situate myself)... I really LOVE williamson county.. the natural beauty of the rolling hills is awesome... my impression is that those rather high hills only exist in Williamson County (in the immediate area)... Is that correct?? I don't remember seeing that kind of scenery in Murfreesboro.. nor in Nashville...

Those foothills actually extend into Central Rutherford County. You can see them from my house in Murfreesboro about four miles away. The highest peaks are over 1,000 feet in southeastern Williamson County. The hills extend northward into Davidson County in the Brentwood/Old Hickory Blvd. area along I-65.

[tombarnes]

Good God....those houses look like the McMansions on steroids going up out in Great Falls, Virginia. I'm all for lots of space, but I like good proportions too. Why can't more of these enormous houses be attractive?

[Lexy]

This is the northerly extent of the hills in Brentwood over by Radnor Lake in Davidson County. This is all the same seam of shale and limestone that makeup these uplands. The highest peak in this peak is right at 1,050 feet.

View from Nolensville Pike area on Old Hickory Blvd.

[it's just dave]

Northwestern Davidson looks like that as well. It's actually a bit more rugged and steeper. Sumner County, Cheatham are also beautiful. Face it, this is hill country around here. Nashville sits in a bowl and is basically surrounded by this kind of scenery. Lucky us.

I think what's missing in some of these houses are big trees. Just think how Brentwood's homes will look in 35-40 years when the trees are mature. In the meantime, I'd just have to suffer out by the pool with a fan. Lots of the bigger houses are up on hilltops IN the trees. I love to be able to photograph those, but the signs say NO WAY, DAVE.

Picture this with huge trees surrounding it. Ahhhh.

[smeagolsfree]

Damn Dave, you are old

Just kidding, I am not that far behind you. Happy Birthday

I saw those homes being built and they are monsters. I would love to get in the gate down at the Governors Club too. I think that is a gated community. Those homes go to 10 million. There are some homes in Forest Hills that are huge as well. I heard Tommy Frist home was built for only 35 million.

[ATLBrain]

Sumner County, Cheatham are also beautiful.

.....

Picture this with huge trees surrounding it. Ahhhh.

Thanks, Dave, for the peek at how the other half live. And Happy (belated) Birthday!

I think the natural beauty of the area around Nashville is unmatched by any other large southern city.

As for the houses themselves, I think every one of those pictured is a disastrous clutter of architectural components. Especially this one. OMG, who the hell told the builder that dormers would look good here? And the yucky stucco just looks cheap. Unfortunately, there's no accounting for taste, and lots of suburban owners/builders are wont to throw every detail imaginable at a house. Then when it comes time to build it, they cut corners where it shows (e.g. brick vs. sto). However, I'd love to have a kitchen like those I'm sure are inside these.

My criticism can be construed as sour grapes... partly. But it's also borne out of disbelief, and a shrug and a shake of my head. I'm quite sure that (most of) the owners of these structures are smart people (as opposed to Steve Martin's character in The Jerk). So, why can't they see that More is not necessarily More?

As my dear old Grampy Klein says, "They're sitting on their taste."

Yes, more mature trees would make this neighborhood look better. At least they'd obscure the views of the houses from the street.

[FutureArchitect]

I have a friend that lives in this subdivision. She

[xstefaniex]

What great pictures! The hillside road, where exactly is that? Is it Brentwood? BEAUTIFUL!!

I loved looking at your pictures and hope you and others will post more of the streets and homes and such of nearby towns surrounding Nashville. If you don't remember, my husband and I are planning to move to Nashville this summer. Since we've never been there, seeing pictures like the ones you posted really help me get an idea of what to expect. And since we are considering buying a home in Brentwood, I especially loved seeing these pictures! Can you maybe next time get some of the lower price range homes? hee hee.

Stefanie

[Rural King]

Happpy Birthday Dave!

Very nice scenic picture. I agree Williamson is far from being all sprawl, alot of times I think people get that impression from what they see off the interstate.

[smeagolsfree]

Can you maybe next time get some of the lower price range homes? hee hee.

What lower priced homes in Brentwood.

Just kidding, however the lower priced homes in Brentwood are in the high end of the 300's I would imagine. I don't know for sure, but its all high dollar unless you go to the Davidson County end of Brentwood. I am sure these guys will correct me if i am wrong. They don't miss much here.

[Lexy]

Northwestern Davidson looks like that as well. It's actually a bit more rugged and steeper. Sumner County, Cheatham are also beautiful. Face it, this is hill country around here. Nashville sits in a bowl and is basically surrounded by this kind of scenery. Lucky us.

That's right Dave. Here is a pic with the northern half of the Higland Rim Plateau just north of downtown.

It's not the best pic of the Rim behind downtown, but it shows its relative importance on the landscape of Nashville. To me, this is an untouched paradise north of town. Peaks that frequently reach to 1,000 feet and sheer cliffs with hidden caves and springs. Just awesome, untouched parts of our little corner of the world. It is worth mentioning that the Rim extends all the way north into Kentucky and is actually a part of the Western Coalfields in Western Kentucky. It does lose some most of its height in kentucky minus the southern parts of Muhlenberg County and northern parts of Warren, Barren, Butler, Todd, and Christian Counties. North of these places, it gets flat, and I mean FLAT. All the way to the Ohio River and beyond.

Anyways, here is the pic.

[cheeriokid61]

What great pictures! The hillside road, where exactly is that? Is it Brentwood? BEAUTIFUL!!

That, I believe, is the Moore's lane extension. Just down the hill is the Franklin Road/ Moore'l Lane intersection, location of the Gateway Village, mentioned earlier, and Brentwood Church of the Nazarene (my church ). That road is simply amazing in the summer. You should try that when all the trees are green, Dave.

[AceMentor]

Damn Dave, you are old

Just kidding, I am not that far behind you. Happy Birthday

I saw those homes being built and they are monsters. I would love to get in the gate down at the Governors Club too. I think that is a gated community. Those homes go to 10 million. There are some homes in Forest Hills that are huge as well. I heard Tommy Frist home was built for only 35 million.

Only 35 million. what kind of city are we turning into? Thats more than halfway to bill gate house (wasn't it like 60 million?)

[xstefaniex]

That, I believe, is the Moore's lane extension. Just down the hill is the Franklin Road/ Moore'l Lane intersection, location of the Gateway Village, mentioned earlier, and Brentwood Church of the Nazarene (my church ). That road is simply amazing in the summer. You should try that when all the trees are green, Dave.

So this is in Brentwood? And what is Gateway Village and where can I find pictures of it online? Also, what is Maryland Farms?

Oh yeah, "Happy Birthday, Dave!"

THanks!

Stefanie

[it's just dave]

Thanks, Stefanie.

Brentwood has quite a range of housing. Check realtor.com (37027) for a good idea of what the range is. It's not agency specific, so I guess it's okay to post this link. It's fun to see just how fast things get expensive around here.

Gateway is a new development under construction near Cool Springs. It's a "new urbanist" thing. I couldn't find a website but I Googled some descriptions from the Tennessean newspaper.

Maryland Farms is an office park, albeit a huge office park with lots and lots of "stuff."

Almost time for a visit, isn't it Stefanie?

[satalac]

great pics dave! i love that overlook in the first couple of shots. me and my friends used to go there and hang out at night during the summers. good place to collect your thoughts too if there aren't a ton of teenagers there sucking face. and have you ever been in some of those houses? when i used to work at the honeybaked ham in brentwood i would have to deliver to some of those places. i felt so tiny when i would walk in the door.

[cheeriokid61]

Dave, I think that Gateways website is www.gatewayvillagetn.com or something like that.

I'm curious as to how much of a new urbanist development this is. I mean, it's only 60 acres. How much can you fit in that amount of space?

[SoundScan]

Damn Dave, you are old

Just kidding, I am not that far behind you. Happy Birthday

I saw those homes being built and they are monsters. I would love to get in the gate down at the Governors Club too. I think that is a gated community. Those homes go to 10 million. There are some homes in Forest Hills that are huge as well. I heard Tommy Frist home was built for only 35 million.

Many (definitely not all) of the Governor's club homes are fairly decent from an architectural standpoint, they are simply too close together--many don't even have any lawn to speak of.

Tommy Frists house would actually value north of 60 million believe it or not. Roughly 48,000 sq. ft. of commercial steel and concrete constructed house--plus out-buildings--on about 100 acres on Chickering Rd. in Belle Meade. The residence's main hallway measures 90 yards long--the place is simply massive beyond reason. In fact, during construction the property next door to them went on the market, which they subsequently purchased for 4.5 million only to tear down the house to build their tennis courts, service buildings, and a service entrance--it was the land they wanted. The property has 17 phone lines and 6 people on full-time staff. It is, in my opinion, the grandest estate in Tennessee

[crabbj]

Sorry for being slightly off topic, but I showed this excellent skyline photo to my coworker, who has only been in Nashville several years. I was telling him about the downtown Sheraton Hotel (Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza last time I was there), and the revolving Pinnacle restaurant. He was interesting in going, but on a web search I read it was closed. Is this true? What a great photo opp that would be.