The house sits on an 8.5-acre, 4,071-square-foot lot and has no neighbours other than the non-human residents of the adjacent 2,500-acre Awosting Reserve. Large raptors such as eagles, hawks and falcons are regularly seen from the house.
The design of the house is a contemporary marvel, combining sleek aesthetics with state-of-the-art technology. The home is accessed via a private street and a stone-paved driveway that winds past a dramatic 25-foot Cor-Ten steel wall.
DeWayne Powell, listing agent for William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty, said, "It is no coincidence that this home was named A House in the Woods. The seller's vision was to create a home that was in keeping with her values of order, beauty and environmental stewardship, with the Cor-Ten walls undulating and sculptural in the landscape and the geometric shapes of the window walls being classically inspired."
The four-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom home was completed in 2012. Natural light floods the interior through 15-foot-high floor-to-ceiling windows with sweeping valley and mountain views.
The seller created a comfortable, beautiful environment inside that brings the outdoors in," Powell said.
The home is LEED Silver certified for sustainability and has zero carbon emissions. It was designed by award-winning architectural firm William Reue.
The home is simple yet sophisticated, notes Powell.
Energy efficiency was a key focus of the home's design. The all-electric home features quadruple-glazed windows; 74 roof-mounted solar panels; radiant floor heating throughout the home; and a highly efficient direct-exchange geothermal heating and cooling system.
In addition, the smart home automation system includes Wi-Fi connected thermostats and Nest security cameras. A buried 5,000-gallon water tank collects rainwater from the roof, which is used to fill toilets and water surrounding shrubs.
In addition, we've done our best to create a warm and inviting living space. There is an open gourmet kitchen, a Scandinavian-style sauna, a two-car garage, and a gym in the basement.
The guest wing includes three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. The space also features a sitting room and queen-sized Murphy bed that can even be closed off to accommodate a live-in caretaker or family member.
The house is filled with superior decor and fixtures. There is a Brazilian Onyx kitchen backsplash, Gaggenau oven, Wolf induction cooktop, Miele dishwasher and washer-dryer, and Duravit bathroom fixtures. The home also features a fireplace and electric car charger.
This country treasure is not as far from civilisation as one might feel. It's about two hours from midtown Manhattan, 20 minutes from the 24,000-acre Minnewaska State Park Reserve, and just 30 minutes from the town of New Paltz.
While the 8.5-acre lot may sound overwhelming, Powell explains that you won't need to hire an army of gardeners.
The home itself doesn't have a green lawn; it's full of drought-tolerant plants. There are too many granite boulders scattered around. Native grasses and sedge are mowed with a lawn mower about once a month during the growing season.
This home is perfect for someone who prefers privacy and a natural setting, needs the relative convenience of city access, or just wants to live near the many charming towns and hamlets of the Hudson Valley.
