This Week's Find: A Getaway Near George Washington's Spa Town

• August 1st 2013

by Shilpi Paul

For This Week’s Find, we venture into West Virginia to get a sneak peek at a mountain retreat near a historic spa town.

This modern-day cabin is in Great Cacapon, a rural area about seven miles from Berkeley Springs, a town that became popular in the 18th century for the supposed healing properties of its mineral springs. A young George Washington was apparently one of the first to start frequenting the baths located about 90 miles from DC.

This cabin is tucked away on 11 acres in the mountains, and the oversized windows look out onto a private vista of the Great Cacapon State Park. A terrace, sunroom and a many-windowed living room are designed to maximize views.

The original house was built offsite then assembled on the foundation, owner Chris Haines tells UrbanTurf, so there were opportunities to put in additional windows, open up walls, and reconfigure internal footprints.

“For me it was a blank slate to try different techniques, styles and configurations,” Haines said. “I took what was a very dark house and turned it into a flexible, light filled home.”

Upon buying the home, Haines took it down to the studs and rebuilt virtually every surface. “What you’re seeing now is the culmination of all that trial and error to the point where I now feel it has fully succeeded as a perfect vacation property—great spaces to spend time with each other, as well as ‘away spaces’ to retreat and be alone.”

On the interior, there are two official bedrooms, in addition to a sleeping alcove with room for a queen-sized bed and a bunk bed room. The master bedroom has a large soaking tub, and there are napping and reading nooks located throughout the property. The living area is open to the kitchen and dining room, and the family room has more of a man cave-like, cabiny feel.

Outside, there is an outdoor shower, fire pit, wraparound deck and mature garden. If buyers like the way that the home currently looks, it is being sold fully furnished. The house will be on the market as of this weekend. More photos and details below.

• Address: 1543 Orleans Road, Great Cacapon, WV (map)
• Price: $445,000
• Bedrooms: Two
• Bathrooms: Three
• Listing Agents: Teresa White, Perry Realty

Photos courtesy of HomeVisit. Marketing by Lindsay Reishman Real Estate.

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/this_weeks_find_west_virgina_getaway_in_george_washingtons_spa_town/7400.