Authentic Adirondack log lodge-style home sited on a hilltop near Lake Placid's ski jumps, overlooking Whiteface Mt and panoramic forest views with no other houses in sight. Newly opened for guests July 2019! This fine log home has 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, spread over 3 levels of living, with ample outdoor living areas of bedroom walkout balcony, large decks, and covered porches, helping to keep a close connection to nature both inside and outside the house.
Hilltop privacy, epic mountain views, luxury log home living all located on a quite road used by Olympic athletes for training runs, and located 3 minutes to Olympic Ski Jumps, 5 minutes to Lake Placid, 10 minutes to High Peaks trailheads, 9 minutes to Whiteface Mt ski area, 1 minute to Ausable River fly fishing.
This Lake Placid log home has 4 bedrooms for guests and will comfortably sleep 10 in beds. All upstairs beds are rustic log post bedframes, and bedrooms all have rustic trimmings of birchbark or cedar bark. The master bedroom suite upstairs has a king bed with a walkout balcony with panoramic views over the Adirondack wilderness and Whiteface Mt that you can wake up to, along with a linear gas fireplace and Adirondack-style furnishings, and a luxury walk-in tile shower, seperate soaking tub, and heated towel rack. Bedroom #2 is upstairs off the loft, has a rustic cedar queen bed and cedar bark accents throughout the room, and opens up onto the loft overlooking the great room and views beyond. Additional twin bed also in room. Bedroom #3 is on the main level, also off the great room, featuring a queen size rustic cedar bedframe. Bedroom #4 in the finished lower level is used as a kids' bunkroom, with 3 twin beds and one bunkbed set, and also includes a bathroom adjacent to this bedroom. Max occupancy for this home per local rental law and permit is 10 persons.
The house is fully equipped and furnished in a modern rustic Adirondack style with many thoughtful features and details including locally-sourced log and cedar timbers, posts, rails and custom trim. The Great Room features a real wood burning high-efficiency fireplace and stone hearth, massive ceilings and log beams, and a huge whole tree sourced right from the property that serves as the entire structural main beam holding up the entire roof. The great room reading table holds a collection of Adirondack books, maps and essays which should inspire and inform your time in the Adirondacks.
Kitchen and dining room are spacious with seating for 10 persons, and with a french door opening up to the open covered porch and deck area, where a grill will be situated. The kitchen is fully equipped including two sinks, ample granite counter space, large french door refrigerator, black stainless appliances, both a Kureg and regular coffee maker, all dishware, and some pantry items curated and carried forward for anyone to use. All linens and towels and soaps are of course provided but you will want to bring your own personal bathroom items including shampoo. There is a washing machine and dryer that will be available for guests use including washing powder included. There are 2 natural stone fireplaces inside the home - a linear gas fireplace in the master bedroom and a wood burning Great Room fireplace with free starter wood provided. Operation instructions will be listed by the fireplace. Additional amenities include a beverage cooler (in TV room), 55" Roku TV in basement entertainment/game room, free fast wifi internet, outdoor gear and ski racks in basement, and a 2nd smaller game-room with either foosball or pingpong.
Additional home features including entire home in-floor radiant heating, hardwood floors and natural slate tile throughout, massive log beams sourced right from the homesite during clearing process that support many parts of the house, local Adirondack-sourced materials like white birch bark and cedar bark for accent walls, and Adirondack decor and furnishings throughout the home. Most lighting in the home is of rustic or locally sourced custom design.
Outside, the house has a huge deck with Adirondack and rocking chairs looking toward a view of Whiteface Mt and with no other homes in site across the valley. There's an outside dining table under a large covered porch, a swinging hammock for summer evenings, a propane barbecue grill, a 6-7 person hot tub, a canoe and kayaks on the property which can be used on any local lakes and ponds or the Ausable River section near to the house, and a large fire ring with free firewood to burn out in the log woodshed. Firewood for your first indoor and outdoor fires is complimentary. Water and fire safety is important, there will be instructions in the house detailing this.
**This is a Shared Duplex-style functionality custom home** Please note this custom log home has a duplex functionality to it, with the main portion of the home open and private to guests, with their own separate private entrance. One wing of the home is used as the owner's walled-off and insulated quarters, which are accessed via a separate exterior entry door on the opposite side of the home. The owner will be residing there during your stay, but will fully respect your privacy and peace with little to no interaction besides a quick welcome hello or passing in the driveway, as there would be in any duplex housing scenario. There are no shared living spaces, ensuring the privacy of renters. The owner will not enter the main portion of the home used by guests, except for emergencies/safety. Please refer to the house blueprints shaded green/red (in the photos section), which depicts the house layout. If the owner happens to be away on travels, then the complete property privacy should be considered an added free bonus, but never counted on. In 2013 the owner built a smaller log 2 bedroom chalet in Wilmington intended as a residence but turned into a full time vacation rental home (HomeAway/VRBO listing #3651607), this home is a hybrid solution to financing a new home and have a residence also. The owner Johnathan Esper is very well known and regarded throughout the Adirondack region through his landscape photography of the Adirondacks, as well as community ties, and has no criminal background.
House policies and rules include no shoes worn in the home, no smoking in the home, no drugs, quite hours outdoors after 10pm, not leaving any egregious messes, safety with fire and watercraft, respecting the grounds, and other common sense policies. Dogs are welcome (no cats) for a pet fee of $20/night/dog, with additional related pet rules.
Location: The house is located on River Road in Lake Placid New York 12946. The home is set a forested hilltop, up a 600ft long switchback driveway above River Rd, with enough pine trees to block the view between the road and the home. Take care when negotiating the steeper switchbacks if you have a large vehicle with a poor turning radius. Overall the house location is very quiet and private, with the views of the mountains and pine trees surrounding the home and the wind amongst the trees.
Note: In winter months November 15 - April 15 all vehicles must be AWD or 4-wheel drive, with good traction tires. 2WD vehicles not suitable and prohibited entirely during winter season. There is no convenient and easy location to park a 2WD vehicle.
Door codes and access info will be sent upon booking, for independent self check-in/out. Arrival 3:30pm or later, departure 10:00am or earlier to allow for cleaning between; arrival and departure times are strict.
Please note that we offer a more lenient and tiered 'owner's cancellation policy' with better terms than the default 'no refunds' VRBO listed policy. Our policy starts with 10% cancellation fees more than 90 days in advance, with incrementally higher cancellation fees as dates near. We can easily share entire policy upon request.
We hold a permit from the town of North Elba as a vacation rental, STR permit #STR-200337. In order to remain in good standing with our permit, we do enforce quiet hours rules outside, and occupancy.
Covid-19: The home is open to responsible guests wanting to enjoy the open spaces and woods, uncrowded trails, and fresh air that the Adirondacks has to offer. We run UV air purifiers and disinfectant foggers between each set of guests and disinfect all surfaces. All guests are expected to act prudently in their time leading up to and during their stay here, including avoiding huge event crowds (like sporting events and music stadiums), are strongly encouraged to wear medical masks when around other people in public, and to practice good hygiene.
