Pine Ridge, Our Third Idea Home and Farmstead

Rendering of the 2005 Progressive Farmer Idea House

The 2005 farm offers dozens of ideas for country living.

The home is located in McLendon Hills, an equine community of houses and acreages. On the land sits a 3,500-square-foot, three-bedroom house with a welcoming front porch and a view that ends only at the horizon.

Inside, a kitchen is set up for all of your canning needs. The home also boasts a handy sewing room with windows all around. And an outdoor-themed room dominates the large walk-out basement.

This Idea House offers a new experience in cooking with a not-so-new concept. Recall the summer kitchen? It was a summertime place to prepare family meals away from the main living spaces. Our summer kitchen is on the screened-in patio and features a gas grill, refrigerator, work surfaces, storage space and a sink.

The farmstead features two big ideas. First, we are designing a storm-water collection system. Built to collect rainwater and to prevent runoff, the system will provide water for our landscaped areas and lawn.

Second, we're operating under the theory that you want to spend less time mowing and more time enjoying country life. An imaginative use of trees, shrubs, bedding plants and large gardens achieves that goal. We call this feature "Your One-Hour Lawn."

The most prominent feature of the farm is the horse barn. It holds stalls and a tack room. The barn also houses a general work area and an office.

And to get a closer look at our pasture demonstrations, use one of our several types of people gates to cross the fence.

We will offer great ideas for maintaining a pond on your land for both beauty and good fishing.

There will be a tiered garden just outside the back door that we call our kitchen garden. It will be a compact yet highly productive area for growing herbs and vegetables.

The 2005 Idea House and Farmstead will be open to the public from late June through late September.