Just Listed in the Poconos: Secluded Contemporary Rancher in Honesdale
Surrounded by forest and partly buried in the earth, this house is cooler when it’s warm and warmer when it’s cold by nature.
Houses on a hill are a dime a dozen. But a house in a hill? That’s a rare find. And letting Mother Nature do the insulating means real energy savings if you live at 94 Watts Hill Rd., Honesdale, PA 18431 / Photography by Experience Home Media via the Pike Wayne Association of Realtors MLS and RE/MAX Wayne
Eco-conscious homeowners have for some time now sought a more natural way to insulate their houses to save energy. Taking a cue of sorts from the mound builders of the Mississippian culture, these savvy sorts have wrapped their houses in earth.
Some have gone so far as to build their houses entirely underground. Others, like the people who designed and built this Honesdale contemporary ranch house for sale in 1976, have chosen to leave their houses partly exposed, with the rest surrounded by a berm.
It turns out that the earth makes a great insulator. But since a completely buried house has no windows facing outward, many opt for a design like this one that still allows for side windows.
However, most of those windows are small. To compensate, windows built into the roof bring natural light in from above. That isn’t really necessary in the foyer or the adjacent kitchen.
Kitchen
The kitchen, which also contains the laundry, has an efficient galley design, plenty of cabinet space and up-to-date appliances.
Living room and kitchen
Living and dining rooms
A bar seating area ties the kitchen to the living and dining rooms. This main living space includes the one totally exposed wall in this house.
Rear patio
Large doors lead from both the living room and dining room to the rear patio.
But because these doors and windows face north, this space gets very little solar heat. No problem: a wood stove at one end will do the job, supplemented by baseboard units in the other rooms. And clerestory windows bring in natural light (and some heat) from the south.
Primary bedroom
All three of this house’s bedrooms have skylights that fill them with light during the day. Two of the bedrooms, including the primary bedroom, above, have tile floors, while the third has an engineered wood tile floor. While I’m on the subject, save for that one bedroom, whose floor could use a little fixing up, every other room in this house has a low-maintenance tile floor.
Primary bathroom
The primary bathroom has dual vanities and a tub/shower combo.
Another advantage of earth-sheltered houses like this Honesdale contemporary ranch house for sale is that they are easier to keep cool as well as keep warm. Ceiling fans do the trick for the main living area.
This house is situated in the northern, less densely settled part of Honesdale, the unexpectedly cool Wayne County seat. You will enjoy plenty of peace, quiet and privacy here, as this house sits in a small clearing in the middle of a 5.92-acre forested lot. That means you can go exploring nature without leaving home.
But when you do feel like getting away from your wooded retreat, downtown Honesdale offers plenty of boutiques, bars and restaurants to experience. And it’s a short jaunt from here to Hawley, the gateway to Lake Wallenpaupack. Prompton Lake and Prompton State Park are even closer in the opposite direction on Route 6.
So for those of you who want the modern creature comforts while living a little more lightly on the Earth, this house that’s encased in it is an ideal choice.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 3
BATHS: 2
SQUARE FEET: 1,460
SALE PRICE: $299,000
94 Watts Hill Rd., Honesdale, PA 18431 [Paul and Tim Meagher | RE/MAX Wayne]
Updated Sept. 3rd, 11:01 a.m., to correct the listing agent information.
