Greg Pancake learned about Riverwood Cabins after losing his home when the Gatlinburg, TN community was devastated by fires in late 2016.
We spoke to Mr. Pancake about his experience and asked him to share his story.
“I can remember that the air quality was really bad that day. The smoke was so thick in town, it was hard to breathe. I received a call from a friend to help him find his cat so I headed out and when I got to the end of the road, an officer was there and told me there was a mandatory evacuation and I had to leave right then. I told him I had to go and get my cat, so I ran back in the house, threw a few things into an overnight bag, grabbed some valuables, got my cat and jumped in the car and left.
“We were not allowed to run return home for a couple of weeks, so we didn’t know what we would be returning to, if we had lost our homes or not. When I was finally allowed to return, everything was completely burned to the ground. It was a hard time for sure.
“One of the good things that came out of this experience was the kindness of others, I had some friends who let me stay with them for about a year as I picked up the pieces. They were very supportive and helpful. I was also very fortunate to receive help from Dolly Parton’s My People Fund, that so generously helped in the midst of this loss.
“As I was looking to rebuild, a friend told me about Riverwood Cabins so I decided to make the trip to Mt. Juliet, TN to see the model and talk to Brian. I brought an architect friend with me to help me make my decision and he was very pleased with the quality and workmanship and suggested I choose Riverwood to build my cabin.
“I had some land that my dad had purchased in the 70’s that had been empty so I decided that a Sportsman cabin would be a perfect addition and fresh start.
“By choosing a modular cabin, I was able to recover much more quickly than a lot of people that had also lost their homes. I have been in my cabin for a while and some people are still trying to rebuild.
“I am really glad I made this decision. The quality of the cabin is excellent! I love it and other people are so complimentary when they visit.
“I love sitting on the front porch, it’s so peaceful and relaxing. Another perk is my electric bill is ridiculously low because of the energy efficient build and that is a great added benefit.”
