4.81 acres of woods and brook at the end of a quiet Durham lane.
A classic white Colonial at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. Out back, 4.81 acres open into tall hardwoods, a brook with a little footbridge, and a walking trail the owners built by hand. From the corner rooms, you can hear the brook running.
Inside, the layout works for how people live now: a library office with its own balcony, a kitchen built around an island, a fireplace in the family room, and a finished lower level ready for game night. Upstairs, four bedrooms, including a primary suite with a walk-in closet.
Black-and-white checkerboard underfoot
Granite counters, stainless appliances, marble subway tile and a sage green island with stools for three. The window over the sink looks straight into the woods, so washing up comes with cardinals at the feeder and leaves turning in October.
Navy built-ins, French doors, a balcony over the trees
Floor-to-ceiling shelves hold every book you own and then some. Take the 9 a.m. call out on the balcony with coffee, or settle into the wingback and read until the light goes gold.
Brick hearth with a wood-burning insert
Stack the log rack, put the kettle on, and watch snow collect on the branches through the big windows. Hardwood floors run through the main and upper levels, and laundry sits on the main floor, so nobody hauls baskets downstairs.
Pub-style bar, rec room, room for guests
Pull a stool up to the bar, run a ping pong tournament, or set up a pool table in the 29-foot rec room. When the movie runs late, there's flexible space for overnight guests.
The owners built a nature trail through the woods so they could spend more time out there. It winds down to the brook, crosses a red-railed footbridge and ends at a sitting area by the water. Their words for what to do there: listen, watch for wildlife, or simply enjoy doing absolutely nothing.
Morning coffee on the deck, looking into the canopy. Dinner on the stone patio below, with café lights strung over the garden paths.
Fenced raised beds and grounds cared for organically for years. The bees came back, and the birds return to the nesting boxes every spring.
A fenced area lets four-legged family members run while you sit on the deck and supervise.
A small retreat tucked among the trees, with a path down from the yard. Good for reading, napping or watching the light change.
The acreage offers potential for an accessory dwelling unit, subject to town approvals. Think in-law suite, studio or guest cottage.
Patterson Lane ends in a cul-de-sac. The only traffic is a neighbor walking the dog.
Maples and oaks go orange and gold outside the glass.
Ice on the branches, sun cutting through bare trees.
First green on the hillside, birds back in the boxes.
Full shade, garden in, the brook running behind it all.
It was the five beautiful acres of protected natural land behind it that we fell in love with.
Even the sound of leaves crunching beneath our feet in late autumn is something we love.
We hope the next owners will love and appreciate this beautiful place as much as we have.
The sellers of 51 Patterson Lane
Durham is the kind of place where you see the same faces at the farm stand and at town meeting. Late summer brings the Durham Fair, Connecticut's largest agricultural fair, when the whole town turns out for blue-ribbon pies, ox pulls and the midway lit up at night.
The rest of the year, the woods behind the house do most of the entertaining. Middlesex County's farms, trails and river towns fill in the weekends.
Coginchaug Regional School District 13. Confirm school assignments with the district.
Photos show the light. They can't give you the sound of the brook from the corner rooms or a walk down the trail in October. Walk it with us.
Debbie Huscher & Tanya BottaroListed by The Huscher Team at REAL Broker CT LLC · Debbie Huscher, RES 0766293 · MLS #24214973. Solar panels are leased. ADU potential is subject to town approvals. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.