Views. Yes, It’s all About the Views.

This is a spectacular setting isn’t it? Lake Tahoe really is this blue.

This view gives you a nice idea of the relationship of the house to  the lake and their private beach. It has it all – huge fir trees, open space and privacy.

The house sits on 31 acres. The equestrian facilities are located away from the main homesite, up near the entrance to the property. It includes a 15 stall barn, indoor chicken coop, wash area, office and paddocks. Cannot believe they would list a home like this and not have any photos of the horses or the facility!

The house was built in 2004 by Q&D Construction.It has 16,703 square feet in the main house. The builder used more than 400 tons of Montana stone on the exterior. A patio runs along the entire back of the home.

The site line from the front door is straight through to the lake, extending further to the mountains. Although I like the surprise you get when you open these solid doors to the inside and that view, I have to say that I was not overwhelmed at the choice of doors, nor the stain color considering the colors in the stone. Although it does transition to the wood stained trim inside, neither would have been my first choice color wise. I probably would have chosen a leaded glass door with beveled glass that blurs the view to the inside. If you look at the photo above this one, and to the right, you see that they used clear glass, and even though the lesser entrance, it looks better than the main doors. It relates to the stone colorwise. Also a glass door would also relate better to the huge window above it. If I were to use a wood door, it would be a choice that ties in with the rustic character of the stone siding. Even a darker stain on these doors might look better.

Open the doors though and you forget them quickly once you come face to face with the view.

Off to the one side of the foyer is the kitchen. I would stand and wash dishes at this sink all day, every day!

This home is designed for entertaining. However, with such a gorgeous outdoor environment, would bad cooking even matter?

This kitchen has every possible amenity a good cook might wish for. Off to the side you can see a wide opening to a great room. One thing I noticed right away as I sorted through the photos, was that the house was open, and despite it’s size, the rooms either were, or had the potential to be inviting and not completely overwhelming. For instance here, although it is a sizable kitchen, the ceiling height and warm wood cabinets create a relatable space. The stone fireplace wall in the great room, visible from the kitchen, helps warm the space. The molding and trim work are exquisite.

Two commercial grade stoves allow for full participation by multiple cooks. With two islands no one is going to complain about not having enough prep area.

Although these are very large rooms, there is decent scale. I like the grills on the upper part of the window combination, and clear at ground level. It gives a clean view to the outdoors. If the grills extended all the way down, I think you can see that it would not be as pleasing, too busy. Also, without the immense visual weight of the trees,lake & mountains, I am not so sure that this room would feel like it does, especially without some sort of window treatment. I think I would do two things differently in here. First, I would add a large area rug in the seating area, in warm colors with some pattern or texture. I would also use bookcases with a larger scale, especially taller, or tall builtins.

Here is another view of the same room from near the entrance foyer. Here you can see the gorgeous fireplace. The fireplace is two sided, sharing the opening with the dining room. The chandelier also adds visual weight so that the ceiling does not seem to high. This is why I suggested that the bookcases be higher at the very least, to balance out the height and visual weight of the fireplace side. You can also see the hall, and a visual line all the way to the end of the front facing part of the house.

I would bet when the fireplace is roaring on a snowy and cold winter day, that it could be a quite welcoming room. I already envision a very tall christmas tree in the left corner. Now imagine walking in the front door and being greeted by a fire, a xmas tree and the outdoor view. Throw in a light snow and I am ready to enjoy the holiday.

Looking from the room above, back towards the foyer and the balcony. Those bookcases really bother me!

The dining room faces the lake as well. I do not think I would put the statuary in  front of the middle  window. I would place it off to the right.

This is another living area, and from here you get a glimpse of part of the patio that extends along the back. Full height sliding door allow for family or guests to easily access the patio.

There are 12 bedrooms in the house. Eight of them are on the main floor including the master.

I can’t post all the bathroom photos, but there are 13.5 baths total.

This bath has a sauna. Nice feature to look forward to after a day of skiing.

Study with a forest view. I believe I would place my desk to better take advantage of at least a partial view.

Wine cellar, also on the main floor. Nice……

Beveled glass window for both privacy and light.

Theater and media room, main floor.

A huge game room with a full bar and billiards. The billiards table is in front of the window. I do not care for the carpet choice in this room at all, even though the ceiling beams, trim and wall color all add warmth.

Close up of the full bar in the game room above.

The end of the game room with the billiards table.

It looks like this home is pretty isolated, but there are actually homes on either side. A long dock and 378 lineal feet of lake front are part of the acreage.

Another look from beachside.

Oh my…..

For my taste the choice of dock material seems incongruous to the exterior of the house.

But darn, does it matter from this view? The water really is this blue and clear.

The great room right off the kitchen.

Same room above looking back towards the kitchen. Carpet is the same as in the game room, again, would not be my choice.

Off of the kitchen is this mud room. I love all the hooks along the wall for wet ski jackets and pants and a bench to sit on along that entire section.

Like the master bedroom, the four bedrooms on the second floor all have fireplaces,  lake views from a terrace, and en-suite baths.

The terrace views from the bedrooms on the second floor.

Another second floor bedroom. I like that they varied the fireplace surrounds and mantels.

A multi purpose area at the top of the stairs.

Boat buoys visible in the lake.

Expanded view.

The lake is so clear that the boats seems suspended above the water.

The 1448 sq ft. 2 bedroom guest house. There is a 4 car garage below.

The bath in the guest house.

A last look. All yours for $59 million dollars. There is some history included….remember the long running western, Bonanza?  The opening scene was filmed in this properties meadow.