Golden Eagle Manzanita Oaks (GEMO) house for Sale at $635K in Calaveras County off State Highway 4 in scenic “Angels Camp to Bear Valley” corridor: an off-grid solar-electric (photo-voltaic) 3-story custom contemporary home, with active/passive-solar space heating using an innovative ‘Seasonal Sunroom’ heat collector & circulation design with 3 wood stove backup, 14 rooms, 3014 square feet, 3 or 4 bedroom, upstairs/downstairs near-duplex style eclectic “country solar mansion on a hill” on 5.74 acres above River Canyon adjacent to Stanislaus National Forest near Avery, CA 95224. It’s 3½ miles from Highway 4 (last quarter mile on gravel) with solar-tempered south addition; large garden-level workshop & storage complex, upstairs one-bedroom apartment with full kitchen & large deck; downstairs ‘master suite’ featuring large party/event/dance/video/surround-sound room, 2 bdrms, & all-electric ‘Cantilevered Kitchenette’ … & much more.
House & property are located on eastern side & near top of Dowd’s Hill (4,000 ft. elev.) with exciting panoramic views of Love Creek ridge, Big Trees State Park, Stan. River Canyon, long views of Dodge Ridge ski area 30 miles east and Yosemite highlands. New solar-powered 8 gal./min. deep well, land phone line, Verizon cell tower link, Hughes Satellite Internet, full sine-wave 4 KW electric power inverter (Trace SW4024), no-maintenance 36 unit cell-tower battery pack, legacy Wedgewood propane cook stove & tankless hot water with full-sized electric refrigerator and solar-heated hot tub. Beautiful quiet private rustic lifestyle on acreage with older orchard trees and gardens in park-like setting 15 minutes from Arnold, CA, just above historic Murphys, CA (“Queen of the Sierra”) & Ironstone Winery & Amphitheatre, with Sonora, Angels Camp & Bear Valley Ski Resort within an hour’s drive.
Golden Eagles nesting in canyon are often-seen near the house on this uphill property—possibly the best location in its rural “Dowd’s Landing” subdivision—with RV & car parking on private lower road. The house is on an excavated flat on sloping hillside land & has now been fully remodeled and expanded by owner, a retired architectural design engineer. It’s all-wheel or 4WD country with winter snow, numerous Ponderosas, Cedars, Manzanitas and oaks (Black, rare White and Valley). This temperate banana-belt, river-canyon site offers Sierra living at its best—robust power (100 amp charging) from 30+ 250-watt flat panels on power-towers and metal roof-tops of the new large event room, all reliably automated without the winter power outages of grid-connected houses along nearby Love Creek Rd. Year-round, remote-work or weekend turnkey retreat living—coming partially furnished—fitting for anyone working in hectic urban California, esp. the San Francisco Bay Area hustle (3 hour drive), or Central Valley heat (half that).
(Possible contrary conditions: gov’t backed mortgage loan money not available for off-grid purchase; house & property insurance coverage becoming more expensive; steep driveway; no garage or carport; 3 parking spaces next to house; no ducted fossil-fuel furnace, dishwasher, garbage disposal or green granite counter tops {;-). There’s winter snow on the private road. GEMO ‘concept house’ has large windows needing insulation panels to be covered for winter heating & summer cooling, & uncovered for spring & fall viewing; adjoining viewable property downhill to the north, although below a fascinating walkable lava dome, is abandoned and in bad state of repair—but may soon be for sale.)
It’s an ideal situation for self-financed and somewhat knowledgeable person(s) regarding off-grid solar lifestyle perks, or possibly seeking to arrange finances (‘22-23 annual prop. tax = ~$2,500), etc. for spring/ summer 2025 move-in. Custom ‘Operations & Maintenance Manual’ for existing equipment for owner-managed water and power systems available. Ted.denmark@gmail.com
For sale by owner
$635,000
122 Po Box, Avery, CA 95224
3beds
3,014sqft
Est.:
SingleFamily
Built in 1995
5.7 Acres Lot
$713,900 Zestimate®
$211/sqft
$20/mo HOA
What's special
Older orchard treesPanoramic viewsPark-like settingLarge windows
What the owner loves about this home
One never tires of the amazing views from the upper two stories of the GEMO (Golden Eagle Manzanita Oaks) house but walks outside in the park-like setting here at 4,000 feet in the Central Sierra, are equally impressive. The house is spacious and comfortable, now with enough solar electric power to operate a full-sized refrigerator and AC/coolers on both floors. Once here, one doesn’t want to leave the beautiful near-wilderness ambiance in the privacy of one’s own living space. A walk on trails to the oak grove across the driveway, the lava dome rocks just beyond or down the hill to the solar well/RV flat, are nice or the longer hike to the top of Dowd’s Hill for the full high-country view, is never disappointing.
The upstairs apartment with its inviting tiled art-piece floor in the “Solar Sunroom” adjacent to the main dining room makes for an impressive entry into the house. The white roof decks and cladding of the southern addition, makes the house now appear a bit resort-like—which it is--a ‘solar mansion on a hill.’
The new large studio and party room in the master suite with its 12-foot vaulted ceilings, dancehall floor and mirrors, audiophile stereo system, surround-sound screening room with private kitchenette and deck over the adjoining idyllic meadow, solar-heated hot tub or summer cool tub, are all hard to beat. The upstairs/downstairs living space split offers the flexibility of 14 lovely rooms including the master bedroom with its private entry on the lower floor. The double-wide master-suite shower always feels luxurious & refreshing. Finally, the private meadow next to the house with its huge old white oak and stone circle at the base with views to the top of the hill, is a magical vista that always seems striking.
- 75 days
- on Zillow |
- 341 |
- 13 |
Listed by:
(209) 795-2160
Travel times
Facts & features
Interior
Bedrooms & bathrooms
- Bedrooms: 3
- Bathrooms: 2
- Full bathrooms: 2
Heating
- Other, Stove, Solar, Wood / Pellet
Cooling
- Refrigerator, Evaporative, Solar
Appliances
- Included: Microwave, Range / Oven, Refrigerator, Washer
Features
- Flooring: Tile, Carpet, Concrete, Hardwood
- Basement: Partially finished
- Has fireplace: No
Interior area
- Total interior livable area: 3,014 sqft
Property
Parking
- Total spaces: 7
- Parking features: Off-street
Features
- Exterior features: Shingle, Wood, Wood products, Metal
- Has spa: Yes
- Has view: Yes
- View description: Mountain
Lot
- Size: 5.7 Acres
Construction
Type & style
- Home type: SingleFamily
Materials
- Roof: Asphalt
Condition
- New construction: No
- Year built: 1995
Community & HOA
Community
- Features: Fifty Five Plus Active Community
- Senior community: Yes
HOA
- Has HOA: Yes
- HOA fee: $20 monthly
Location
- Region: Avery
Financial & listing details
- Price per square foot: $211/sqft
- Date on market: 4/10/2025
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