Home: Where cats rule, dogs drool and pet pigs have room to roam – Tennessean

Bill Lewis, Special to Nashville Tennessean, USA TODAY NETWORK newsrooms in Tennessee Published 5:00 a.m. CT Feb. 28, 2020

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Aaron and Rich Hardison loved living in Westhaven, the master planned community in Williamson County, except for one thing. They needed a bigger yard for Dolly, their pet pig.

The neighbors would bring her carrots. She was very popular in Westhaven, but the homes are pretty tight, said Rich Hardison.

They built a modern farmhouse with a two-and-a-half-acre yard large enough for Dolly and Tinker Bell, their second pig, two rescue dogs and some chickens. There may be a llama in their future if the HOA is willing.

Its one of those things you discuss over a martini and then it ends up happening, Rich Hardison said of the decision to have not just one but two pigs.

Before beginning construction of their new Williamson County home in the Southern Preserve neighborhood near Interstate 840, the couple had their builder, Carbine & Associates, completely redraw the floor plan. They moved the kitchen and the great room to the rear so they can watch Dolly and Tinker Bell grazing on the lawn.

We flipped it, he said.

GET THE LATEST UPDATES:Download the free Tennessean app on your mobile device

Aaron and Rich Hardison, left to right, pictured with their pet pigs Dolly and Tinkerbell, worked with Carbine & Associates in building a custom farmhouse on a larger home site in Southern Preserve.(Photo: Sarah Rodriquez)

Growing numbers of home buyers like the Hardisons are keeping their pets in mind when buying or building a house.

Pets are a big focus in life. Im building a house where the cats are a big part of the bedroom, a multi-floor cat condo area, room to play, said Daryl Walny, vice president of Carbine & Associates.

Doggyshowers in the mud room are becoming a thing so youre not tracking mud all over the house, he said.

Bitsy can still peek over the Dutch door and be part of the activity. The space was carved out under the staircase by Carbine, creating a great dog space.(Photo: Leslie Brown)

Its not unusual for buyers to say no to a house that wont accommodate their pet.

Many times over the years, I have had people rule out a home with too many steps due to older pets who are no longer able to climb. Houses have also been ruled out if the home did not have a big enough yard for their pets to enjoy and exercise, said Vickie Freas, a Realtor with the LCT Team at Parks.

Others are adding doggydens in the space under the stairs.

Its a clever use of space that would otherwise be drywalled in, said Freas.

Thats one of the features Aaron and Rich Hardison included while they were customizing the interior of their home. A Dutch door with a top and bottom that open separately adds a bit of elegance while keeping the dogs, Stella and Bitsy, in their room without isolating them.

We customized the house to make it what we wanted, and for them, said Aaron Hardison.

Stay up to date on real estate and development news: Sign up forTheTennessean's business newsletterto get updates right in your inbox.

The home office in the farmhouse overlooks the farmyard and "barn" tucked into the Southern Preserve neighborhood.(Photo: Leslie Brown)

A barn out back will have an office, a western saloon in honor of Aarons grandfather and swinging doors so the pigs can come and go.

Its called a garage because the HOA says you cant have a barn, he said.

The five chickens will be named Reba, Loretta, Tammy and well have to come up with two more county music names to go along with Dolly, he said.

The name of the future llama, Tina, was inspired by the movie "Napoleon Dynamite."

The Hardisons are turning their love of animals into a career. They are opening a cage-free doggydaycare, boarding and grooming business, Camp Run-A-Mutt. It will be in a quickly developing area of Murfreesboro close to 840 less than half an hour from their home.

Both of the Hardisons have always had dogs, but the idea of non-traditional pets was appealing. Dolly and Tinker Bell are Juliana pigs, smaller than farm pigs but not miniatures.

I remember watching 'Green Acres' and watching Arnold Ziffel, the bovine character on the popular situation comedy that originally aired from 1965 to 1971, said Rich Hardison.

Read or Share this story: https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/homes/2020/02/28/home-design-builders-know-pets-rule-roost/4870955002/

Visit link:
Home: Where cats rule, dogs drool and pet pigs have room to roam - Tennessean