An Ohio couple cultivated an idyllic nature preserve before building their dream home.
Larry spent his childhood on his bicycle, exploring every back road in north-central rural Ohio. He was searching for the most beautiful spot in the county, one that would take his breath away. As a lover of nature, Larry imagined an idyllic, natural place untouched by modern life.
He finally found it – almost accidentally – as an adult, when he was inspecting a large property for a land conservancy that ultimately bought it. “I walked up over the rise and saw this view,” Larry remembers. “I thought, ‘This is unmatched.’”
After negotiating with the land conservancy to buy a portion of the property, Larry and his wife, Elaine, can now call that spot home. But their journey has been an exceedingly patient one.
That’s because their initial focus wasn’t on building their dream country home. Instead, their top priority was nature conservation. The couple wanted to create a wildlife haven where the natural beauty of the land was protected for future generations to appreciate.
With help from Rural 1st, Larry and Elaine have spent the past two decades adding to their property to grow the nature preserve. They purchased additional land parcels as they became available and now own 115 acres.
They ensured the wildlife would be protected by putting a conservation easement on the entire property, which means the land will remain undeveloped in perpetuity. Another step they took to guarantee the land would be protected was to allow a public hiking trail to cross through the property.
“With a beautiful property, the right thing to do is share it,” Larry said. “It’s not just our land where we get to be caretakers for a few decades. Instead, it’s a place devoted to enjoying nature that folks will be able to experience long after we’re gone.”
The couple says Rural 1st’s flexible lending options allowed them to continue growing over the years.
“We wouldn’t have gotten where we are now without Rural 1st,” Elaine said.
They even built their perfect home, a customized log cabin, on the property with the help of Rural 1st. Their home was a dream decades in the making. Larry and Elaine had envisioned a log cabin since 2001 but were waiting until the timing was just right.
When they were ready to begin construction, the couple said the obvious choice was to return to Rural 1st.
“It’s a joy to work with a lending officer who feels like a neighbor and a friend,” Larry said. “We appreciate working with someone who shares the love of the rural lifestyle.”
Larry and Elaine built their log cabin on their own schedule. Since they weren’t rushed, the couple says they were able to ensure the home met the exact standards they had imagined.
“We wanted a home that would blend in with the natural setting and have a smaller environmental footprint,” Elaine said. “We joke that our house is really a four-season wildlife observation blind.”
The couple recently completed their log cabin, and can now fully enjoy the peace and tranquility it provides. They say they love watching the various flowers bloom, spotting a diversity of animals, and witnessing bird migrations from their porch.
“It's wonderful to have found a setting where we can have our home and be surrounded by nothing but nature on all sides,” Larry said. “it’s a grand adventure. We love sharing it with friends, family and visitors to enjoy.”
Rural 1st offers customized financing solutions to bring your rural dream to life. To learn more about our loan options, visit our loans overview webpage.
