But Where’s the Moat?

413B Avondale Dr., Nashville, TN 37206

Can’t say I’ve seen a home with an entrance quite like this one before.

413B Avondale Dr., Nashville, TN 37206

Perhaps there was some sort of odd zoning or permit restrictions?

413B Avondale Dr., Nashville, TN 37206

Apparently the back of the home is level with the alley, so at least they don’t have to drive their car over a crazy bridge.

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Marty E.
Naked Loon Editor-in-Chief

2 Comments on "But Where’s the Moat?"

  1. Emerald63 | July 8, 2015 at 4:20 PM |

    A little investigating at google maps leads me to believe that some serious landscape issues are the reason for the drawbridge style entry. The overhead satellite image shows this house, the one next to it in the first photo above, and three others with the same sort of elevated walkway. But the street view images are from 2011 and they show what was there before. The back end of the properties lies in a deep swale with basement entrances on that level. The front entrance is a level above, but the the front yard continues to slope up sharply to street level, then slopes even more in the front yards of the homes across the street. It’s a recipe for severe flooding on both levels of the home! Even worse, the location is within a u-bend of the mighty Cumberland River, which has experienced severe flooding a couple of times within the last few years. Ouch.

    Apparently, when the properties were redeveloped, those in charge chose to make the lower level into garages, with the main floor on the upper level. They then cut down the level of the front yard, which is now a solid stone wall without windows or doors. By elevating the entry walk,essentially above the newly dug moat, if the front yard were also flooded, the water might not get so high as to flood the upper level. Also, one could park on the street and still get in the house. If flood waters were to come up overnight, you could still get out of the house without having to go into deep water. The lovely roof deck also makes for a practical escape site for a pickup either by boat or chopper.

    It seems like a sensible solution for a problematic piece of land. BTW, that’s a humdinger of a living room area rug, even before they put it down at a sharp angle.

    ReplyReply
  2. @Emerald63: The satellite imagery is revealing. It looks like a developer found a way to turn two houses into five. The only thing is that if you want to entertain on that roof, your guests would be better off taking a taxi. Where are you going to park everyone?

    ReplyReply

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