House Hunting in Ecuador: An Andes Retreat Outside Cuenca for $550,000

A Four-Bedroom Contemporary Home in Ecuador

$550,000

Perched at the eastern edge of El Cajas National Park, a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve, this contemporary home sits on four undulating acres outside of Cuenca, Ecuador’s third-largest city.

With the 110-square-mile park as its backdrop, the four-bedroom, three-bath house “is isolated and surrounded by nature,” said Ashley Rogers, founder of Ecuador At Your Service and the listing agent. “But in less than 30 minutes, you can be at dinner or the symphony in Cuenca.”

The sellers worked with the Cuenca architect Sergio Zalamea to create “a modern house with nature inviting you in, but a home that’s private, safe, and secure,” Ms. Rogers said. Its design includes underground tanks for fuel and water storage, and a discrete 818-square-foot apartment beneath the 1,830-square-foot main home.

From a paved local road, a winding dirt path ascends to the home’s electronic gate and a steel-framed carport. The front door opens to an airy great room whose floor-to-ceiling windows offer sweeping mountain vistas. “The house is near a cloud forest, so the scenery’s ever-changing,” Ms. Rogers said. “Cajas is also one of the world’s best bird-watching areas. You might see condors or a llama, but you won’t see people.”

The great room, heated by a wood-burning stove imported from Chile, opens to a kitchen with steel countertops and stainless steel appliances. Opposite the kitchen, the owners tucked a small office behind a free-standing entertainment center. German-made vinyl tiles, resembling wood panels, cover the floors. Sliding doors open to a floating terrace that juts from the house.

The primary bedroom, with an en suite bath, is on the same level. An oversized headboard conceals a closet area behind the bed, and views from the wide window take in the rolling Cajas scenery. A guest bedroom and bathroom are down a short hallway. The home, built in 2012, is being sold fully furnished, Ms. Rogers said.

Ten feet below the main floor, the owners designed a two-bedroom apartment with a kitchenette and a living room, as well as a “huge pantry and food storage area, perfect for preppers or chefs,” Ms. Rogers said. The level is accessed from its own exterior entrance or by a pull-down staircase under a steel door in the great room.

An antenna-based WiFi system makes up for spotty internet access in the area, and the Mazan River, which runs through the property, supplies the home’s water.

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