This beautiful, custom-built home is situated in the middle of 60 acres of mostly wooded land, fronting two spring-fed lakes. Total lake frontage is almost ½ mile. Experience total seclusion amidst deer, turkey, fox and osprey as you fish, canoe, swim or hike in your own private wildlife preserve.

But there is more . . . never pay electric bills again! This home includes its own photovoltaic power system. All appliances – chest freezer, refrigerator, clothes washer, lights, fans, etc. are powered by the sun. The home was painstakingly crafted from solid pine timbers and the highest quality materials, and is truly a work of art. There are four large, open rooms in 1400 sq ft, plus porches, decks and abundant space below the house for workshops, relaxing and parking. It is conveniently located with paved access to Hwy 20.

Much more technical information and more pictures are available on www.phys.ufl.edu/~liz/home.html.

Special Features

Property:

The 60 acres comprise a variety of habitats. Approximately 28 acres are bay swamp, 16 acres are longleaf pine/oak hills, 10 acres are pine flatwoods and 6 acres are lake. This property has been managed for wildlife for 14 years under the Florida Forest Stewardship Program. All of the land is zoned agriculture. The land use designation of most of the bay swamp is conservation, which does not allow development. The remaining land is designated rural residential, with a maximum allowance of one residence per 5 acres. Approximately 90% of the lakefront is rural residential, while the conservation area is near the perimeter of the property and away from the lake. One lake is roughly 50 acres in size, with public access and roughly one half of the lakefront developed. The other lake is 5 acres and private, with one other property owner fronting it, and no development on it. Both lakes are 20 ft deep and stable with a variety of fish and other wildlife utilizing them.

Much of the perimeter of the property is fenced. There are beautiful walking trails, and fruit trees, grapes, blueberries and a large organic garden. Near the 5 acre lake is a small cleared area for another possible house site with a septic tank, drain field, well, fenced 1 acre field and a floating dock. Included with the property are a tractor with bush hog and disc, and a canoe and paddle boat.

Click HERE for an aerial photo of the property with the land types specified. This map was prepared by the Florida Division of Forestry.

House:

Construction: Post & beam with solid pine timbers. Steel stud walls with sheetrock interior and Hardipanel exterior walls. Built between 1996 and 2001. Wall insulation is 3 inch Styrofoam and is a continuous layer outside of the steel studs.

Windows: Pella casement with aluminum outside cladding and pine interior finish. Double pane, low emissivity coating, Argon gas filled.

Floors: Ceramic tile, Saltillo tile, porcelain tile and cherry. Floor insulation is fiberglass R-19.

Roof: Metal (Galvalume) over 6 inch Styrofoam insulation.

Water: Water is from a deep well with a solar-powered submersible diaphragm pump.

Air Conditioning: The house was designed to stay cool in summer with numerous passive cooling features, and is normally comfortable without air conditioning. If air conditioning is desired, a wall mounted 10,200 BTU high SEER Friedrich air conditioner can be run using house power, or an included 5,000 Watt Honda generator.

Other Special Features: Security system, wood cookstove, propane stove and space heaters, stainless steel and tile counter tops, cherry breakfast bar, built-in pantry, two 1300 sq ft concrete pads under house providing work/recreation areas with 8 ft ceiling heights, under house parking area for 2 cars, 8’ x 12’ outbuilding, fenced 1 acre yard and large garden

Special Environmental Features: Waterless Clivus Multrum composting toilet, 3000 gallon cistern for rainwater collection, 1200 Watt photovoltaic power system

Energy Efficient Appliances: 10 cu ft Sunfrost (world’s most energy efficient) refrigerator, 7 cu ft chest freezer, 7 ceiling fans, solar collector for hot water, top loading horizontal axis washing machine

NOTE: This house is currently not connected to the utility grid. However, it is wired conventionally and completely to code. Power lines already exist on the property and could be brought to the house, if desired, and with one connection, the house could be powered by the local utility company. It is also possible to tie into the power grid and still use the PV power system already in place, thereby selling power back to the utility company when you produce excess power. We would work with the new owners to help set up the desired system.

ALSO, we currently use a composting toilet and are very happy with its operation. However, the property perks and it is possible to install a conventional flush toilet and septic tank if desired. The "bedroom" is over 600 square feet, and a bathroom with tub, sink and toilet could easily be added.

We built this house largely with our own hands, including cutting over 20,000 board feet of timber with our own sawmill. We used only the highest quality materials and built the house to last beyond our lifetime. However, our dream now is to move into a self-sufficient sailboat and travel around the world. In order to follow this dream, we are selling this beautiful house and property.

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