On the market: A custom-built mountain sanctuary for $5.9M

Jay Linard and his wife, Sharon, were drawn to a 100-acre property at the base of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Schuylkill County, Pa., for the same reasons most people are drawn to protected mountain property.

"The land, privacy factor — and particularly the views — drew us to our site," he said.

From there, they built their dream family home. "We didn't buy; we built," Linard said.

It was a five-year process, beginning in 1997. Architect Peter Bohlin, known for designing homes for Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, spent two years designing the property. Construction was completed in 2001.

The Linards were looking for a timeless design, and the four-bedroom, 13,800-square-foot home resists style- and era-specific description. The home was twice featured in Architectural Digest.

Linard said he can't pin down his favorite part of the home.

"Every room has its own character, and when you are in a particular room, you feel like it is your favorite spot," he said.

Now that the property has been listed for sale, he said, he thought new buyers would find the custom stonework throughout the home appealing. The limestone used on the site was hand-selected and quarried in Kansas, where fossils are found in abundance. As a result, small fossils can be found throughout the home.

"The most important appeal to a buyer is the magnificent stone and woodwork of the home," Linard said. "This, in conjunction with the glass work to capture the views, are the home's greatest qualities."

Linard recently purchased a company in Georgia, and the couple have decided to relocate to a property along the Toccoa River nearby.

"At our age, we would also like to move toward the warmer part of the country," he said. "Georgia is great. Not too cold, and not too hot in the Blue Ridge mountain area where this property is located."

The home is listed with Craig Sachse at Keller Williams for $5,900,000.