Former Patagonia CEO’s remote Lake Tahoe area cabin on 40 acres to hit market at $2.3M
Former Patagonia CEO David Olsen and his wife’s tranquil Truckee cabin on 40 acres of pristine mountain wilderness is expected to hit the market soon for $2.3 million, according to Sierra Sotheby’s International Realty.
Olsen and Diana Dillaway, an author, built the 2,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, eco-friendly home at 19901 La Mirada Road in 2008. They wanted to build a simple, easy-to-maintain cabin surrounded by acres and acres of untouched nature. The result is stunning.
At an elevation of 7,400 feet, the California property offers incredible panoramic views of the Sierra Crest, Boca and Stampede reservoirs and Mount Lassen on clear days.
“As we intended, we can see no houses, lights, roads or power lines from our house,” Olsen said in a news release.
Patagonia, incorporated in 1973, is a U.S. outdoor clothing retailer known for its sustainable products and practices. The cabin is expected to be listed “within a week,” according to Sotheby’s.
Though the property, known as Camp Juniper, is just 13 miles from downtown Truckee, 10 miles from the north shore of Lake Tahoe and less than 40 miles from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, it feels completely remote, Olsen said.
“In 30 years of hiking that wilderness, I have come across another person only on one occasion — but I have often encountered bears, deer, bobcats and martens,” he said.
The couple bought the property in 1992. For the first 16 years there, the family camped, hiked and skied in the amazing wilderness. The home they ended up designing and constructing sits just 400 yards from Juniper Creek.
“This is truly a unique mountain opportunity that is perfect for those looking for privacy, a peaceful setting, and the ability to recreate from the back door,” said listing agent Dave Westall of Sierra Sotheby’s International Realty.
The home has two bathrooms, a loft area and a large bonus room that can be used as a family room, music studio, fourth bedroom or artist studio. There’s a covered porch overlooking the wilderness and a large back deck perfect for entertaining. The property comes with a detached two-car garage and a greenhouse.
The cabin’s decks and a covered lanai allow for watching birds and wildlife in all weather conditions of the Sierra Nevada.
In the summer, the property provides easy access to hiking trails leading to Murphy Meadows and the Tahoe Rim Trail. Camp Juniper is about one mile from both the Tahoe Rim Trail and the Mt. Rose Wilderness just across the California-Nevada border.
In winter, there’s backcountry skiing from the house to the north face of Martis Peak.
Aspen and alder trees line the creek, creating a vast riparian area that attracts many species of birds and mammals. Trout can be seen swimming up and down the creek. Lupin, penstemon, giant hyssop, mountain pennyroyal and other wildflowers grow abundantly on the land.
Red and white fir; Jeffrey pine, sugar pine and tamarack pine; cedar, aspen, alder and ancient Sierra Juniper all grow in the surrounding forest area.
When it came to building the cabin, sustainable practices with a mind toward energy efficiency were used. For instance, the Olsens utilized Structural Insulated Panels, which consist of nine inches of foam insulation between three-quarter-inch plywood sheets for the walls, and 14 inches of foam insulation between plywood panels for the roof. Large, durable laminated wooden beams and posts were used, too.
“The result is a structurally solid and super-insulated house that stays cool even on very hot days and holds heat very well through cold winters,” Olsen said.
The cabin is clad in cementitious siding material that is long-lasting, fire-resistant and requires less maintenance. All decks are made of composite for durability with minimal maintenance.
