If being the Innkeeper of an established, highly regarded Boutique Inn has appeal, and if you prize the idea of living in an area rich in natural beauty, western history, and bountiful agriculture then maybe the North Fork Valley's Stone House Inn is worth a look.
The Stone House Inn is perfectly located to serve as a home base for visitors exploring the wonders of the North Fork Valley... including the North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Crawford State Park, the Needle Rock Natural Area, the West Elk Wilderness, West Elks AVA viticultural area, and the farming, ranching and fruit growing region of the North Fork Valley of Western Colorado. The North Fork Valley is rich in scenery, western culture, fresh organic foods, and blessed with a deeply embedded artistic and creative culture. It serves as an "under the radar" center for the rural good life in western Colorado. If you are considering a lifestyle change, maybe this is what you have been looking for!
In 2026, the Inn's founders are celebrating our 25th successful year in business. Building the Inn into the destination it has become has been a labor of love and a pleasure; and welcoming grateful travelers from around the world has been a rich experience. However, life is full of transitions, and we are called to return to our origins to care for aging parents; creating an opportunity for the next generation of Innkeepers to carry on and expand on our long-term vision of offering the finest guest experience in the North Fork Valley.
Arriving on the scene long before the ultimately unsatisfying Airbnb craze came to dominate lodging, we tap into a deeper and older tradition of offering fine, community-rooted, personal lodging, with results much more satisfying than that of a homeowner trying to make a quick buck with an Airbnb listing. We offer experience-based lodging services, with an aim to enrich the lived experience of our guests both inside their lodgings and beyond, by providing superior amenities for an enjoyable stay, as well as plentiful information and guidance for a full appreciation of all there is to explore! While the property has undergone nearly constant improvement over our thirty years of ownership, the Innkeepers are undertaking a few final improvements before formally listing the property for sale. This legacy property will be fully updated and ready to show by December 2026, with a feasible transition into a new owner's hands by the start of the 2027 tourist season in April/May.
Property Details...
Property Age: The Collins Stone House was built for Kenley & Sally Collins and their five sons between 1907-1910 using an architectural style common in their home state of Virginia.
Construction:
Stone House:The original (front) portion of the home was constructed in 1907 using sandstone quarried from the walls of the nearby Smith Fork Canyon - the same source used to construct the Crawford school (now Town Hall) in 1906. The sandstone foundation is 2' thick, and the walls are 18" thick. The back portion of the home, built in 1910, employed an identical 2' thick sandstone foundation, however, the above ground walls were constructed of poured concrete blocks, using material dredged from the Smith Fork Riverbed mixed with lime. The main floor living room addition was added in 2007, of 2'x6' frame construction. The roof is enameled steel Pro Panel roofing. Mechanicals: Primary heating source installed in 2000 is natural gas hot water baseboard heat present throughout the finished portion of the home. Cooling and back up heat for the second floor is provided by an electric mini-split heat exchange system installed in 2026. The mini-split has been sized to allow for expansion to the lower living quarters (but not presently installed). Cooling for first floor guest units is provided by window air conditioning units. Hot water is provided by an energy efficient heat exchange 60-gallon hot water tank installed in 2025. Upgrades: Home fully rewired in 1996 with 200-amp power. Home fully re-plumbed using copper and PEX piping between 1996-2022. New water service line and sewer line installed in 2022. New enameled steel-clad wooden Pella doors and windows installed in the original portion of the house and the entire upstairs between 2016 & 2021 (JELD-WEN windows and doors in downstairs living room, dining room and utility room - 2007). White oak variable width flooring installed throughout first floor between 2019 & 2021. Custom kitchen & utility room cabinetry in 2021. New upstairs bedroom carpeting in 2026. New fir siding on west exterior wall, and all exterior wood and trim painted with Sherwin Williams Emerald line exterior paint in 2025 & 2026. Chimney cap installed on west chimney in 2026. Exterior stone re-pointed, as needed, in 2026. Timber Frame Cabin/Retail/Office Building: This building enjoins two separate buildings under one roof. The retail/office space is typical frame construction, utilizing a small portion of the original building built in the 1920's and added onto in 2022, complying with modern building standards. The Timber Frame Cabin portion, also constructed in 2022, is based on a custom timber frame design ad built by local builder, North Fork Carpentry, using locally-harvested and cut timbers. The foundation is primarily solid concrete slab, with two smaller sections of elevated frame floor (the sunroom in the Cabin and the back room in the retail/office space). Roof is enameled steel Pro Panel roofing. Mechanicals: This building has separate water and sewer taps and meter from the main building. Primary heating source is electric in-floor hot water heat. Cooling and back up heat is provided by an electric mini-split heat exchange system added in 2025. Garden Shed/Greenhouse: The garden shed was constructed in 2022 using 2x6 stick building techniques on a poured concrete slab and includes both a lower-level garden/storage area, and un upper-level kids' playhouse (with ladder access at rear). Roof is enameled steel Pro Panel roofing. The garden shed is 10'w x 12'd. The greenhouse, which is attached to the south side of the garden shed, is 6.5'w x 11'd, with a crushed gravel floor. Roof is transparent corrugated plastic panel, with walls of repurposed window sash from the main house. Garden shed does not have independent power, however, two outlets are wired in and can be connected to outdoor power via extension cord plugged into an exterior outlet in the adjacent building, less than ten feet away.
Lot Details: Two separate lots were joined in 2021 to create a total footprint of .394 acres. A link to the county assessor's property listing: Account. The property borders Colorado Highway 92, Cedar Avenue, and crosses over the Clipper irrigation ditch. The west border was staked but not surveyed in 2022.
Finished area: The finished area of the Stone House itself is approximately 3,104 sq. ft. The finished area of the newly constructed/rehabbed adjacent commercial/cabin building is 909 sq. ft (500 sq. ft. dedicated to the Timber Frame Cabin unit; 409 sq. ft. of retail/office space). Total square footage of finished space in the Stone House Inn complex equals 4,013 sq. ft. Unfinished basement storage/mechanical area encompasses and additional +/-480 sq ft.
Outdoor/Landscaping Features: Extensive custom pigmented concrete sidewalks/gutters and handicap accessible corner at the intersection of Highway 92 & Cedar Avenue installed in 2021 - to code and certified by Colorado Department of Transportation and constructed using rebar and fiberglass reinforcement. Fourteen-foot circular pigmented stamped concrete patio in north yard. Quarter circle pigmented stamped concrete patio adjacent to retail/office space. Rectangular (6'x7') concrete patio also in north yard. Sandstone raised garden walls, two flagstone patios, and crushed decorative gravel hardscaping installed in 2021. Custom iron work (gate, railings, fences, bike rack and decorative ironwork) 2016-2022 by acclaimed local metal artist, Ira Houseweart... two-time champion of TV show "Forged in Fire". Elevated private deck (7' x 10') off of main level living room constructed using Trex decking. Hot Springs brand hot tub (2-3 person) new in 2023 with adjacent 6'x6' Trex deck. Off street parking for 2-3 vehicles - with option to add car port. Four on street parking spaces in front of the house, plus two spaces in front of the Timber Frame Cabin/retail/office space.
Property Tax: $4,270 in 2025. This is a mixed-use property according to the County, meaning that the residential portions are taxed at a residential rate and the business portions taxed at a higher commercial rate.
Business Receipts: Available to serious parties.
Current Configuration vs Potential Configuration Options...
Current Configuration: The Stone House compound is currently configured with a roughly 1,700 sq. ft. two story residential unit encompassing the entire second floor and the back portion of the main floor. The residential portion includes a kitchen/dining room, half bath, large living room with built in bookshelves, a spacious utility/work room (laundry, supplies and storage for the Inn) on the main level, as well as access to an elevated deck off the living room. The upper level offers a second living room, a craft room, full bathroom, and two bedrooms with entries on either side of a shared alcove. The residential unit is accessed via an entry door on the north side of the house.
Two guest rooms (Magpie & Raven) are accessed via private entrances from the spacious covered front porch. A third guest room is accessed down a set of nine exterior steps on the south side of the home - this unit (the Stone Studio) is a walk-in basement unit with private entrance, bath and windows to the outdoors in both the entry door and in the kitchen. The adjacent building houses the 500 sq. ft. Timber Frame Cabin unit in one portion of the building, and a roughly 400 sq. ft. retail/office area in the other portion of the building - each with their own entrances. The retail/office space opens up to a quarter-circle stamped concrete outdoor patio area.
Options: A big advantage of the property is its versatility as far as possible alternate configurations are concerned. Here are a few options with appropriate renovations or alterations...
Expanded Stone Studio Unit. The present roughly 300 sq. ft. Studio can easily be expanded to add a dedicated bedroom. This can be accomplished by removing the back wall of the closet. Behind this wall is a fully finished room (presently used for storage) that is large enough to accommodate a queen-sized bed, dresser, nightstand and wall-mounted television. There is a finished closet built in already. Making this adaptation could allow for a higher rental rate and more versatility for the unit.
Expanded Timber Frame Cabin Unit. The Cabin and the retail/office space have a boarded-up doorway connecting the two. It would be an inexpensive and simple operation to add a working door in the existing boarded-up door frame, allowing for a much-expanded Cabin, bumping up the living area to over 900 sq. ft. This could be used as a rental (long term or short term) - or utilized as either an Innkeeper's quarters or an additional dwelling unit (ADU) for a parent or child.
Addition of a Fourth Ground Floor Guest Unit. With an Innkeeper's unit relocated to the Timber Frame Cabin, or relocated to the upstairs of the main house, an additional guest unit could be incorporated on the main floor. Renovations needed would include the conversion of the first-floor half bath back to a full bath (which it had been originally), installation of a double-locking stairway door, and the introduction of an exterior stairway and entrance through what is now the west second story window.
Expansion to a Second Floor Two-Bedroom Guest Unit or Innkeeper's Quarters. With the addition of the aforementioned exterior second floor stairway and entrance, the upstairs of the house could be converted into an apartment of nearly 1,000 sq. ft. for Innkeeper or for rental. The second story already includes a full bathroom, living room, craft room, two bedrooms and a basic kitchen. This had, at one time, been an Innkeepers quarters and could be re-converted.
Conversion of the Boutique Inn into a full Bed & Breakfast. While operating a Bed & Breakfast did not work with our lifestyle, conversion to a more traditional Bed & Breakfast set up would have the advantage of allowing for additional income potential. Presently, the one cafe in Crawford (the Boardwalk - right across the street) operates only for lunch and dinner six days a week with brunch on Sunday. Presently guests typically get a light breakfast and morning drink at the Lazy J Coffee Shop next door, but adding breakfast would be a welcome option for many guests, and a lucrative add-on for a future innkeeper.
Conversion of the Historic Home Back into a Private Residence while Renting Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU). Who would not enjoy having the entire Stone House to oneself to enjoy in peace? The Inn was originally constructed one hundred and twenty years ago as a family home for seven. While it might be tight for seven today, it does boast four sizeable bedrooms (two upstairs and two downstairs - five if you count the Stone Studio)! The process to re-convert the property to a family home or getaway estate would be simple and would only require the removal of the shelving built into the doorway that joins the dining/kitchen area to the northeast bedroom... a process that might require an hour or two of labor! While enjoying the entirety of the Stone House as a private residence, it would still be possible to retain significant money-making potential with the continued rental of the Stone Studio and/or the Timber Frame Cabin. This option is a hybrid allowing you to enjoy all the joys of this fine private residence, while significantly offsetting the cost of maintaining the property... the best of both worlds?
Ownership Opportunity...
This versatile and well-established property has a proven income potential over 25 years of operation and could be a fantastic lifestyle property for the right Innkeeper(s). The sale of the property will include the business name, stonehouseinn.net URL and informational website, past client contacts, all business furnishings, decor, appliances, linens and supplies. The property also comes with all outdoor furnishings (porch swing, rockers, tables and chairs, outdoor benches, patio furniture, umbrellas, two fire tables and hot tub). The undisputed good name and reputation of the Stone House Inn, with almost un-interrupted five-star reviews on Google, Trip Advisor and Expedia is a valuable asset for a new Innkeeper. The Inn's website was built by a thirty-year Chamber of Commerce board member, and former publisher of the North Fork Valley Visitor Guide (Nathan), featuring extensive visitor information and resources. A better head start to success could hardly be wished for!
If desired, the current owners may be open to a transitional period during which they operate the Inn on behalf of the new owners or stay on site during a training window.
The Listing price of $1.1M is factored at $275 per square foot with the business and all listed business property inclusive.
To view photos of the business portion of this property, please refer to the other pages of this website. For photos of the residential portion of this property, please view this slideshow...
