935 Deer Trail Rd, Durango, CO 81303

Situated on 5.5 acres of Ponderosa pine and mature scrub oak, this environmentally oriented home was custom designed by Santa Fe architect Paula Baker-Laporte and built by natural building pioneer Robert Laporte in 1997. This EcoNest® was designed with energy conservation and space efficiency in mind; the timber frame, straw clay/straw bale home is all that and more. The home is located with a southeast orientation with floor to ceiling and large picture windows to maximize the passive solar qualities. The foot to foot and a half thick walls provide incredible natural insulation that keeps the home warm in winter and cool in summer. The covered entry faces northeast where it catches the morning sun, a beautiful place to have coffee and watch the myriad of birds at the feeders. Enter into the active part of the house — the kitchen, living and dining areas. The kitchen is a small and efficient working space with windows facing northeast and southeast for plenty of light. A wide, wood countertop with a stove and food preparation area separates the kitchen from the dining area, which opens up to the second floor and is surrounded by floor to ceiling, south facing windows. The downstairs finishes with a small living room and library with wood-burning stove. Two bedrooms are upstairs connected by a timber walkway. This part of the house used a traditional timber framing technique with straw/clay insulation. In lieu of nails, the hand-hewn ponderosa posts and beams were hand-crafted together using traditional wood joinery. Passing through French doors you enter the one-floor addition completed in 2009. This master suite addition includes a sitting and office area with wood-burning stove, bedroom, bath with a Japanese soaking tub, and water closet. There is also a mechanical room with washer and dryer hookups. Congruent with the original design of the house, the addition has natural plaster walls, lots of windows, hardened earth floor and tongue and groove ceiling made with locally harvested aspen. There is plenty of outdoor living space with three separate flagstone patios connected by walkways and flowerbeds; the house is perfect for outdoor entertaining and a haven for wildlife viewing. The gardens are planted with native plants and require little attention. There are two large sheds for storage. The house is wired to accept photovoltaic solar panels and features two-zone radiant heat.