BUCKS COUNTY CABIN FOR SALE
If you'd like just the facts and more pics, please scroll down. If you'd like the story ...
THE STORY:
I write this as a gentle rain just starts to fall this near-Autumn afternoon, after I enjoyed a morning Yoga class in Frenchtown, and a snack at home of farm-fresh melon. I brought wood inside just in time; it's to get to 59 tonight, and a wood fire will warm the heart and take the chill off the damp. Yesterday, I was visited by the local wild turkey family. I've watched the tiny chicks-now teens all summer while they nibble at seeds under our our bird feeders that rambunctious chickadees and titmice and nuthatches and cardinals and jays and finches and gobs of acrobatic woodpeckers and flickers and the occasional indigo buntings and red-wing blackbirds have left behind. Last weekend the red-tailed hawk was calling a warning as it bee-lined to the Tohickon Creek a few minutes walk away, and we were awakened by a fox insistently calling its mate once it had found their nighttime meal at 330am. A raccoon and a pair of possum and a cottontail bunny wander by occasionally. There are no mountain lions or bear or poisonous snakes here, which may be soothing or disappointing depending on who you are, but you may get the rare sniff of a skunk. The hummingbirds are still buzzing the nectar feeder before they leave us for warmer climes, the deer are fat and the twin fawns I watched suckling in Spring are wandering farther and farther from mother. It's wild mushroom season in Schnabel's Woods, and I don't know enough to chance eating them, but they beckon from everywhere. The elderberries are ripe for picking and the Jacks in the Pulpit have stopped preaching. Just a very few leaves are turning now, just a very few falling on the deck and in the two ponds, and it is still plenty warm to enjoy a kayak trip on Lake Nockamixon or a snooze in the hammock. Soon it will be time to sit by the creek under the old oak and listen to the acorns plop into the water, watching turtles and fish beneath the crystal clear water (fishing and swimming allowed), enjoy a statuesque great blue heron search for dinner in the shallows and a kingfisher lop its way drunkenly down the creek while the ducks and geese gather round for my day-old bread nibbles. And once all the acorns have fallen we'll have whisper soft snowfalls to enjoy from the 12 windows and sliding glass doors. Then before you know it, the daffys are up, the hummingbirds are back, and Spring is with us. And no matter the season, the Milky Way and the Moon in all its phases are easily tracked from the deck, which faces east to then greet the morning sun. This is Little Sur.
Eight years ago, I felt I desperately and sadly needed to leave the City after living there for 27 years. My sweetheart said she wasn't leaving. How could I reconnect with nature and myself? A cabin community called Schnabels Woods came to me and we were thrilled to buy our home we call Little Sur. Why the name? The property is striking with its lichen and moss covered boulders, reminiscent of Big Sur, CA, and we drive south from our primary home in NYC (83 miles, door to door). After eight years, Little Sur has done its job, my life has changed dramatically, I am properly reconnected and life is taking us on other journeys. So, while we manage the sweet melancholy of moving on, Little Sur can be yours.
THE FACTS:
900 sq ft, 2BR, 1B (stall shower + W/D), large front deck with 2 hammocks and stands as well as 8-seater Amish-made wood table with backed-benches and a charcoal grill, propane forced hot air in the common LR/K and electric baseboards in every room, upgraded electric, electric hot water heater, stone-front/mantle wood-burning fireplace, high peaked ceilings, all knotty pine interior, private well and septic tank, loft storage space. Wifi and premium cable available, but really, who wants to watch the tube in Paradise?
IMPROVEMENTS WE'VE MADE:
Fully winterized cabin and well with under-cabin insulation for all-year enjoyment; deck power-washed and stained 2015; foundation re-shored 2015; new roof 2014 with two new open-close skylights; new cook stove/oven (propane) 2012; new fridge 2011. Being fully winterized, we close-down the cabin in the subfreezing temps when we leave each weekend so there's no heating bills unless we're in residence. The close-down/open-up task takes about ten minutes.
INCLUDED IN SALE:
All furnishings (see pics below), including all of the above plus cell signal booster and two fully-outfitted kayaks, plus an air conditioner we've never even put into a window, three ceiling fans.
THE BOTTOM LINE AND THE FINE PRINT:
Priced at $83,500 cash. Closing fees additional. NB - this is a sale of the cabin only; property is leased from Schnabels Woods to whom you pay a yearly fee which includes real estate taxes and common ground upkeep. This is a "vacation property" permitted to be used 180 days/year max, which allows for every weekend and all summer long with days to spare. No mortgages permitted. Cabin for exclusive use and enjoyment of owner. Absolutely no sublease or investors permitted.
CONTACT:
Sheilagh Weymouth, 646.554.0889, Sheilagh.Weymouth@gmail.com
THE ENVIRONS:
Little Sur is 4 miles from Quakertown with retail and big-box stores, restaurants, a branch of the wonderful Bucks County Library and all the conveniences of modern life, yet the cabin itself is nestled in nature's embrace. Lake Nockamixon State Park is also 4 miles, with kayaking, swimming, fishing, boating, hiking and bike trails. The area abounds with farms selling local meats and produce as well as artists and artisans of all types. The upscale The Promenade Shops in Saucon Valley (LL Bean, Barnes & Noble, 16 screen + IMAX movie theatre, restaurants, etc.) is 9 miles away. The Bucks County seat of Doylestown is 16 miles away, with its independently owned electic County Theatre for first-run independent films. The historic Delaware River towns of Frenchtown NJ and New Hope PA are 19 miles and 27 miles respectively. And the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, is 51 miles. Camelback Ski Mountain is 50 miles. If you are coming from NYC (115 miles), Bieber Bus runs frequently from Port Authority to Hellertown (10 miles from cabin; first stop on the line) with free parking in Hellertown, so you can easily and safely leave your car in Hellertown 24/7 and give the hassle of driving in and out of the city to Bieber ($44.50 R/T; quiet enforced). Many cabin owners are from NYC and Philadelphia, and others have winter homes in warmer climates and summer in the woods.
Living Room:
Master Bedroom:
Guest Bedroom:
Kitchen:
Bathroom:
Front Deck:
