A Filmmaker’s Creative Retreat in the Sierra Nevada Foothills Lists for $2.5 Million

“My goals of this whole thing was to have a retreat and to have a connection with nature,” Mills said in a YouTube video. “I’ve always lived in cities, and I knew I wanted to do something more than that in my life. So, that was the whole idea of trying to get 60 acres, trying to get a property where you felt wildness. Often in the morning, you see a deer, wild turkeys, or a fox. I wanted to walk in the woods and understand nature better. That was my big passion.”

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Fast-forward almost 25 years, and the “aesthetically appetizing and surprising” abode dubbed the Mountain House has now popped up for sale at nearly $2.5 million, after first hitting the market in 2023 for $3.3 million. Eric Lavey of The Beverly Hills Estates holds the listing.

Bordered on three sides by U.S. Forest Service land, the timber-framed and slanted-roof structure has three bedrooms and two baths in roughly 2,200 square feet. Organic and minimalist details abound in the form of seamless concrete floors and walls made from recycled paper-based Homasote boards, while cozy nooks can be found in almost every corner, and oversized wood-framed glass doors slide open to the outdoors.

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Other highlights include a living room sporting a wood-burning stove, a dining area that connects to a kitchen outfitted with open shelving and stainless appliances, and a bath equipped with a porcelain tub. Up top is an expansive open-air deck with hammocks, a dining area, and an exposed-beam roof that serves as an umbrella protecting the home from the elements.

An added bonus: The grounds, which occupy the site of a 19th-century gold mine known as Sailor Flat, are laced with wagon roads, trails, and seasonal streams.

Click here for more photos of the Nevada City residence.