Bug Out In Style

privacy and self-reliance in East Tennessee

 

deer eating grass in the field with mountains in the background
apricot jam being made and canned
man in baseball hat hiking in a misty mountain woods
rows of crops along a dirt road heading into mountains
beehive boxes lined up in a flowery pasture

1098 Paint Mountain Rd., Greeneville, TN
$899,000

How much would you pay to keep your family safe and self-sufficient if the unthinkable happens? What is the value of having a bug out location that can function off-grid, go practically unnoticed, and provide endless food and clean water? If catastrophe strikes and hunkering down becomes essential, the right BOL can make the difference between a comfortable safe harbor and chaos. In the face of natural disasters, CBRN threats, and other critical scenarios, the prepared few will will disappear into the backwoods. But they won’t be living in a bunker.

Imagine a beautiful yet discreet and naturally concealed vacation home in the mountains. Far from interstates. Surrounded on all sides by unspoiled National Forest. Add extensive off grid capability, a high performance, fire-resistant build, and organic pasture for year-round homesteading. And you just may be picturing this custom home on Paint Mountain. And it’s on the market, for the first time ever.

You won’t see it just by driving by. But if a bug out location in the mountains of East Tennessee is on your mind, contact your agent to schedule a tour of this beautiful, strategically secluded property.

contemporary house with slanted roof and solar panels sits in front of a big mountain range
sectional sofa and recliner in a open flooplan living room with very tall ceilings<br />
modern house with wraparound deck sits in a clearing on top of a mountain

The House

  • A fully off-grid capable house with a modest exterior and a stunning contemporary interior
  • Secluded mountaintop location is not visible from any road
  • High-performance home with weather and fire resistant metal and concrete roof and siding
  • Continuous thermal envelope
  • Optimized solar orientation
  • Energy recovery ventilation (ERV) system
  • 400 amps of grid power
  • Rooftop solar array with full battery bank for seamless off-grid switchoff
  • 500 ft well provides pure, delicious drinking water
  • 250 gallon buried LP tank
  • Super-efficient Reis woodburning stove
  • Radiant heat flooring
  • One half of total square footage is in below-ground, poured concrete lower level with 10′ ceilings
  • Accessible by little used mountain road or 1/3 mile winding, private driveway 
small shed attached to an animal pen with mountains in the background
lush garden growing in the yard
two deer grazing on the mountaintop at sunset

The Land

  • 27 unrestricted acres with Greenbelt tax status
  • Property backs directly into the 650,000+ acres of the National Forest
  • Walk-in access to fishing, hunting, hiking, and foraging
  • Incredibly private location. Hard to find and naturally concealed
  • 25 minutes to Greeneville (pop. 15,776)
  • Hardwood forest filled with deer and wild turkeys that are habituated to the lawn around the house
  • Rich organic pasture that has never been chemically treated
  • Good growing climate with long frost-free season
  • Greenhouse potential on large RV pad with existing water and electric hookup
  • Year-round spring fed pond and several springs and creeks on property
  • Multiple outbuildings, fenced small animal pen in view of the house
  • Multi-family compound ready
Angled shot of the front and side of a contemporary house in the mountains shows a large wraparound deck and front porch
Side front view of contemporary mountaintop home shows front porch with Japanese maple and two rocking chairs with mountains in the background
stunning fall colors cover the mountains behind a modern house set on a ridgetop
Contemporary house has a unique Mondrian-like siding pattern laid out in an irregular grid and painted soft natural colors
natural light streams effortlessly through the open floorplan of the great room that features 14' ceilings and hardwood floors
14 foot ceilings hold great picture windows that flood a glossy white kitchen with a massive green island
the rotating wood stove is the centerpiece of the dining area that flows out of the great room
Bright living area with floor-to-ceiling windows and rotating wood stove centerpiece
Set of couches and recliners in the center of a large open concept great room facing a 14' tall wall of huge windows
living room with entertainment center and wall of windows
Sunlit primary bedroom with hardwood floors, ceiling fan and modern wall mirrors that reflect the view from the outside
Sunlit home office has huge window and incredible views of rolling mountain ranges
Ensuite bathroom has soothing blue walls and a glossy white vanity and a shelf with artwork
a vivid blue tiled shower with double rainfall shower heads and pebble tiled floor
Queen bed, a leather recliner in an accent colored reading nook and gauzy curtains make this guest bedroom inviting
modern guest bathroom with glass shower, contemporary apron sink and wood cabinets. Laundry is in this room as well
Wide open lower level features multiple large windows and 10 foot wide glass French doors
massive lower level with 10 foot poured concrete walls and polished concrete floor
shelves full of canned goods and preserves in a prepper pantry
Golden hour image of deck overlooking an endless mountain range
architecturally stunning contemporary angled house with two walls of solid windows and glass doorways opening onto an expansive deck
closeup of adirondack chairs on a light tan deck overlooking view of blue ridge skyline
fancy modern shed with Mondrian-style Hardie siding sits at the end of a light grey walkway
Rolling mountain range is the background for a 40x40 fenced dog playground and fancy modern shed
Closeup overhead of contemporary house with a metal roof, solar panels and large deck with dining table set up for 6
an angular contemporary house with a wall of windows, a huge deck and a lower level with glass french doors that open onto a walkway leading to a fancy shed
Overhead photograph of contemporary mountain house shows the solar panels on house roof as well as long range views of mountains and farmland
a grand contemporary home sits squarely in the center of a large grassy lawn surrounded by forested mountains
Overhead drone photograph facing southwest, showing the glass covered wall of the north face of the house, mountains and forest surrounding the large yard
very high altitude overhead photoraph shows a house with solar panels in a large clearing and a red barn with a white roof
House surrounded by mountains on a beautiful blue sky day
indigo sky frames a bright orange sunset with dining set on a deck
standing on paint rock overlooking French Broad river
Paint Creek looks golden in the warm fall light
waterfalls in Paint Creek Recreation area and a fisherman standing on the a boulder on the side
raised bed garden on a hillside overflowing with veggies
A natural berm carved into the hillside provides a safe, private backstop for target practice
a leafy forest trail is surrounded by trees
a bright day overlooking mountains covered with bright green forest
lush fall foliage surrounds a private driveway
periwinkle shades reflect off the siding of the front of the house in early morning sunlight
adirondack chairs strategically facing the beautiful gold sunset in an cerulian sky on a wide deck
winter photo of forest in the snow leading to a gated entryway
row of adirondack chairs on a deck faces an early morning sunrise reflecting off the mountain ranges
golden sun sets over a deep green pasture
long-exposure photograph of front of contemporary house with indigo blue sky and crescent moon
mountains reflect golden morning light

Ready for a showing?
Have questions?

Get in Touch

The Road Less Traveled

We call it the Paint Mountain Retreat. And it took us years to select the location and design the house as our long term fall-back plan.

Located off a little-used mountain road in a quiet corner of the county, and surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest, Paint Mountain Retreat is a world away from urban chaos. From the front, the house looks unassuming. More practical than palatial. Yet step inside, and you’ll find soaring ceilings, modern finishes, and jaw-dropping views.

This is not a flashy estate that draws attention and gets talked about in town. It’s a private, purpose-built refuge that offers long-term value without standing out. Perched on a private ridge at a 2,000 ft elevation, this custom home was built for comfort and resilience. From continuous thermal insulation, to poured concrete walls, from east-west orientation and passive solar design, to massive low-U windows for views and natural ventilation, everything was planned for living well with or without the grid.

This kind of low-key elegance is hard to find, and even harder to replicate – clearing and building on a mountaintop took years. Yet it’s less than 30 minutes from Greeneville, a low-crime, neighborly town with good hospitals, reliable infrastructure, and a practical mindset. You’ll find yourself surrounded not by tourists or subdivisions, but by forest, farms, and people who keep to themselves and respect self-reliance above all.

modern house and grey pickup truck sit surrounded by golden fall foliage in the mountains<br />

Yard to Table

two deer are grazing peacefully in the backyard at sunset

This property has everything you’d want in a long-term refuge: clean air, good soil, and abundant wild food. The 27 acres include open pasture, hardwood forest, creeks, and a spring-fed pond.

Wild edibles including blackberries, strawberries, mushrooms, and walnuts grow abundantly. Deer, turkey, and rabbit are plentiful.

And with no chemicals ever applied to the pasture, you can plant an organic garden, raise animals, or start a permaculture food forest. Medicinal herbs thrive in the forest understory, and meandering trails offer foraging, hunting, and fishing (Paint Creek or the French Broad River) – all without starting a car.

Room to Grow for Generations

This property was built with long-term vision in mind. Included in the 27 acres are nine perked and surveyed lots, ideal for additional homes, guest cabins, or extended family.

If you want to share the expense and responsibility of sustainable self reliance, the infrastructure (and the legal structure) are already in place. Host friends, build a family compound, or create a like-minded community of vetted neighbors. The layout allows for privacy between homes, while still enjoying shared assets in a low tax, low regulation county.

In addition to the primary residence a 3,200-square-foot conditioned workshop (with all mechanicals and utilities already in place is available for sale on an adjacent 5 acre parcel.

red barn with white roof stands in a valley between two mountain ranges

A Safe Place to Weather Any Storm

sunrise in the blue ridge mountains<br />

The Blue Ridge and Smoky mountains surrounding Greeneville serve as a break for extreme weather fronts. Check the statistics and you’ll see that tornadoes in the western part of the state are just not making it past the Appalachian ranges.

The wide clearing around the house provides sunlit space for gardening as well as a practical fire-break.

There is all-season access to the property. Unlike a mountain ridge in Colorado or Idaho, you will not be cut off by flooding rivers or impassible snow.

All four seasons are represented and they are mild and conducive to homesteading. The cool mountain microclimate of East Tennessee nurtures one of the most biodiverse temperate ecosystems in the world. Unlike regions dependent on monoculture, this landscape supports a resilient mix of trees, wild edibles, and healthy populations of deer, turkey, and other game.

And finally, yet possibly most crucial to the present day, this region is classified as a temperate rainforest which results in full aquifers, clean wells, and excellent water security.

Cities offer incredible opportunity — until they don’t. When systems are strained or disruptions hit, Paint Mountain Retreat will give its new owner a graceful alternative. It’s a place to recharge, regroup, and reconnect with what matters.

You don’t have to wait for trouble to see the value here. In the normal day-to-day, this is a sanctuary for reflection, peace, and connection to nature. But if the time ever comes when you and your family need to retreat, you’ll already be home.

lush fall foliage surrounds a private driveway

Ready for a showing?
Have questions?

Get in Touch