Though most Google maps and street views make the landscape around the house seem bare, it is in fact bursting with life come April. The canopies of the trees become so dense that only a strip of the lawn and a tiny portion of the front flower bed receive direct sunlight for more than a few hours.
The abundance of trees, however, is no problem when you consider the site itself. The house is built upon a steep incline, the front yard demonstrating this with its drastic slope. Were one able to step into the backyard, the steep slope would become even more pronounced. Those trees, precariously perched though they may seem, anchor the earth so that house and hill do not go tumbling into the creek.
During spring and summer, lush canopies shelter the house from the hot Georgia sun. An attic fan within the house sometimes allows for the air conditioning to be turned off even in high summer. During autumn, the trees offer dappled sun that make their turning leaves glow. And in the winter, after the leaves have fallen, the sun provides warmth to the house.