77 Elk Mountain Scenic Highway

The house sits forty feet above the scenic highway on a lot that was graded, in 1964, to face due west. Every principal room looks at the Blue Ridge and, on a clear evening, you can see four ridgelines going from gold to violet in about twenty minutes.

It is a true mid-century ranch: low roof, wide eaves, cedar ceilings, a stone hearth with a floating hearth seat. The current owners restored rather than replaced — refinished the original walnut cabinetry, rebuilt the kitchen behind the original pass-through, and put in a wall of glass where a narrow band of windows used to be.

Two bedrooms and a bath sit on the west wing, the primary on the east with its own deck. Below, a daylight basement with a workshop and a second living space opens to the terraced garden. The driveway is steep but paved and it turns around at the top, which is not true of most of this road.