A beautifully crafted home for sale in Bear Valley, California looks like it belongs in Sweden. That’s where the dwelling’s owner got his inspiration for the 1,350-square-foot, one-bedroom, two-bath retreat. The home also includes two sleeping nooks in the living room, plus a large loft.
In 1967, the seller—the late Dr. Johan Viking Hultin—bought the lot in the Sierra, but the home wasn’t completed until 2008. Viking Hultin was a pathologist who grew up in Sweden and biopsied skin samples of those who died in the 1918 Spanish Flu. He commissioned the design from architect Donald MacDonald, the designer of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
This cabin was built with old-growth redwood that was milled on site. It was modeled after a 14th-century building that was situated on the grounds of Stockholm’s open-air Skansen museum, which was relocated from a farmstead in Norway.
The home’s maple stair railings were inspired by a Norwegian church from 1650. Other design details include hand-carved, wooden shutters and trim, as well as hand-painted rosemaling by Norwegian artists.
The property also boasts a replica of a 4,000-year-old labyrinth.
Modern features include radiant-floor heating, an interior fire-sprinkler system, and an on-demand water heater.
“It was literally built to last 1,000 years, just like the original.” says the realty agent. “It’s needed very little repairs over the years.”
Bear Valley sits 70 miles south of South Lake Tahoe. This cabin overlooks national forest land across the street and boasts sublime views of the Dardanelles and Yosemite.
It’s designed for year-round living—if you’re a hardy soul. “You can’t drive a car to a house in the ski village during the snow,” says the agent. “Residents get around on snowmobiles or cross-country skis.” Trails are groomed and patrolled, and there’s also ski-shuttle bus service.
You can read the original article at www.realtor.com
For more photos and details, check out the full listing.