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There is a home in the Stonebridge Park neighborhood that evokes nothing else as much as an Old World, European country manor.

The home on Graystone Court is like nothing else in the Yampa Valley. The iron chandelier in the living room is about 7 feet in diameter, there is a library with a 40-foot ceiling and a master bathtub in its own oval-shaped room beneath a vaulted cupola. If you know where to look, there's even a secret room.

The 10,022-foot house overlooking Fish Creek recently was co-listed by Charlie Dresen and Pam Vanatta, of Prudential Steamboat Realty, for $6.8 million.

"I've spent 15 hours photographing the interior of the home, and I've really gained an appreciation for the level of craftsmanship," Dresen said. "The molding was hand-milled, every doorknob was hand-forged, and the external lighting is handmade gas lamps. It's definitely very European."

The level of luxury could be illustrated by describing the secondary master suite, with its 300-square-foot bathroom. It is separated from the bedchamber by a dressing area featuring a dual wardrobe area with four chandeliers of its own and room for an antique architectural detail from the altar of a church. The his-and-hers closets have glass-paned doors with internal curtains.

The shower area, completely unenclosed, has two large chrome showerheads.

The home is so secluded that there is virtually no need for window treatments other than to keep the morning sun out. Stonebridge Park, reached via Steamboat Boulevard, is the only gated community within the Steamboat Springs city limits.

"This is a very romantic house, and it's one you can't just drive by," Vanatta said. "Buyers feel safe in this neighborhood. It feels like you're in a manor outside London, but it's not. You're in Steamboat and five minutes from everything."

'Labor of love'

The original developers of the subdivision have gone to great lengths to protect the 100-year-old pine trees along the creek from the prevailing beetle infestation in the surrounding mountains.

"All of the major rooms are oriented to overlook the creek," Dresen said. "It's so peaceful and it will always be that way. You couldn't replicate this home if you set out to."

The home has five bedrooms, each with its own full bath. The kitchen is designed for someone who enjoys cooking for a family and has its own sitting

room with fireplace. The partial basement has been finished into an entertainment room with a drop-down screen, but even here, the emphasis is on the tasteful, Old World aesthetic.

Just off the formal dining room there is a stone-faced, temperature-controlled wine grotto.

The great room is dominated by views to the creek and an unusually large gas fireplace fitted with a custom-hinged iron enclosure that is about 6 feet tall.

The master bedroom's wardrobe area has its own coffee station and drawer-style refrigerator.

The owners and interior designer clearly shared a sensibility that called for downplaying many of the trappings of a 21st century house.

Wherever one goes in the home, it seems there is a sitting room with comfortable chairs that invite one to sit down with a book and lose track of time.

However, Dresen is quick to say that all of the internal systems are as modern as possible.

There are twin heating systems - in-floor and forced air gas heat, the latter to allow the volume of the home to be brought up to temperature quickly. The sprayed-in Corbond foam insulation ensures energy efficiency and a ventilation system ensures proper air exchange. Where the home borders a dark wooded area, twin exterior walls enhance the energy efficiency.

There is a central audio system with unobtrusive speakers in every room, but the flat panel video screens that have become ubiquitous in some Steamboat homes are tucked out of sight, if they exist at all.

Graystone Manor was completed two years ago and Vanatta said the owners realized after completing it that it was too large for their needs, and they would be happier downsizing.

Dresen said he felt certain they would feel some regret about selling the home.

"Probably, when it does sell, it will be a little sad because this was a labor of love," Dresen said.

Dresen said it was difficult to place a dollar value on the intangibles - the private lot in the city limits and the music of the creek - when pricing the home for sale.

Vanatta said the asking price was set with the slowdown of the last year in mind but added the holiday resort period has brought with it people interested in looking at homes in the price range.

"We looked at replacement value, and we looked at comparables," she said. "We priced it in the market, for this home. There are qualified people in town looking right now - absolutely."