What is a "SaundCottage"?

It's a fair question. It's not unusual for someone to ask Tim and me what a "SaundCastle" is—and I'm really the best person to answer the question. Tim has used the beginning of his last name (Saunders) for family nicknames. When we bought this property, I saw an opportunity. I thought that we were finally out of the city and could finally use the property to allow our rescue dogs to enjoy the outdoors without neighbors getting annoyed with barking. I coined the name "SaundCastle" (sandcastle) as a tongue-in-cheek term for the place. It's corny, but if you know us and you've seen the place, our 1600 sqft house is far from being a castle. The lot and location are amazing for us.

Our oldest daughter and her husband came to visit with their beloved Golden Retriever, Rosie. Getting the house ready for visitors with five dogs in this small space was insane. After they went back to Birmingham, we felt like they'd likely never come back to Oxford to visit.

Fast forward six months, it occurred to us that we could place a guest house on our lot for our family and friends when they came to visit to have their own space. With some meticulous planning, searching, and sweat equity, the "SoundCottage" was born. We also have experience running local rental properties, so it makes sense to offer an affordable place to stay when hotel rooms are charging over $1000/night.

We are working tirelessly on the finishing touches and cannot wait to host you.