Awbrey Meadows home: Views that wow

Hiking and biking, picturesque scenery and a simple lifestyle are just a few reasons why many people are drawn to Central Oregon.

From your average Joe, to high rolling CEOs, it brings many people from different walks of life.

“I think the major economic impact for having residences like this is when we have out-of-towners come to Bend for the first time, it shows them, especially if they’re from a major metropolitan area that Bend has a level of sophistication that they may resonate with,” said Kerry O’Neal, principal broker at Strategic Realty in Bend.

We find that sophistication O’Neal is talking about in a 5,200-square-foot home in the Awbrey Meadows subdivision.

A vision by the homeowner, it was brought to life in 2008, and is one of the newest properties in its community.

“We’re fortunate in Bend that we have a tremendous amount of business owners or people that have recently owned businesses that come here and reinvest a lot of their funds into the local economy,” said O’Neal.

One of the priceless features to this home is the beautiful canyon views with access to the Deschutes River.

“You can see all the way up river probably about half a mile and down the river all the way through the bends,” said O’Neal. “Just one of the most spectacular views on the canyon within the city limits of Bend.”

Every room of this home brings the outdoors in, through expansive windows and tons of outdoor living space.

“You have a complete wrap-around deck here on the upper story, and then below the bedrooms have their own private decks off (them), as well as the downstairs living area,” said O’Neal.

Sitting on an acre of land, the property has access to trails winding down to the Deschutes River. But if you don’t feel like leaving the house, you can take in all of the sights, right from the couch.

“They didn’t want to miss anything,” said O’Neal. “So they have a closed-circuit television shining right down into the canyon on the river, and then that displays on the main television in the living room.”

Walking through the house, it’s clear the goal of the design is to make you feel like you’re on a retreat.

“That’s a full steam sauna, so you’ve got the rocks in there and everything you pore the water on and create a fantastic environment in there,” said O’Neal.

It’s a great feature to have, especially after a long day of skiing,

“Sore muscles from a lot of hours up on the mountain — that’s the perfect place to take care of them,” said O’Neal.

Keeping those chilly Central Oregon winters in mind, the bathroom floors, the garage and driveway are all heated. A beautiful kitchen, walk in closets and tons of storage space don’t hurt either.

The price tag: just under $2 million. O’Neal says it’s a reasonable price for the one of a kind property.

“It would be very, very difficult, if you said that you wanted to go replicate this somewhere,” said O’Neal. “Finding this location and then being able to build this close to the canyon would be very, very difficult.”