A Barndominium Lodge on Nearly 14 Acres by Sundown Lake
$699,900
Moravia sits in Appanoose County, in the wooded lake country of southern Iowa — nearly 14 secluded acres with a private stocked pond, food plots, and exclusive access to Sundown Lake.
This 2021 barndominium lodge is built like a fortress and finished like a showpiece: 13-inch insulated concrete walls, three-zone in-floor heating, and a true chef's kitchen with a Wolf and Sub-Zero appliance package and quartz surfaces throughout. Inside are 4 bedrooms (one non-conforming), 3 baths, and 3,500 square feet — with a huge bunk loft, a custom bar, and a walk-in-pantry safe room for added peace of mind. A covered porch on cultured-stone pillars looks out over the grounds, and the oversized garage has four big overhead doors, two of them drive-through, for equipment, boats, and gear. For the self-sufficient side, there's a fenced raised-bed garden, established food plots and fruit trees, and full camper hookups for guests.
Listed at $699,900, recently reduced. Listing courtesy of Jason Kok, Lake Homes And Farms Realty.
Homestead Potential
Water & Infrastructure
The water setup here is genuinely exceptional. A private, stocked fishing pond sits a short wooded stroll from the house, and the property carries exclusive access to Sundown Lake — a managed fishery known for trophy largemouth bass and the Iowa state-record black crappie, with an active re-stocking program for walleye, bass, and perch. The lake access includes two motorized boat stickers with unlimited non-motorized use, so canoeing, kayaking, and pontoon days are all on the table. The home itself will be on a private well and septic typical of rural Appanoose County — confirm both, but the recreational water story is about as good as it gets.
Crop & Income Potential
The current owners have clearly cultivated this as a homestead, not just a lodge. A fenced, enclosed raised-bed garden is ready for vegetables, herbs, and flowers, the soil is fertile enough for real canning-and-preserving harvests, and established fruit trees and food plots round out the productive side. The 14 acres of thick cedars, hardwoods, and trails double as prime wildlife habitat — deer, turkey, and small game — so hunting is a genuine food source here, not just recreation. Southern Iowa's long growing season and rich soils make this productive homestead ground.
Sustainability
This is one of the most resilient builds we've featured. Thirteen-inch insulated concrete walls mean extraordinary energy efficiency, quiet, and durability — this home shrugs off both weather and time — and the three-zone in-floor heating keeps operating costs sensible despite the size. The walk-in-pantry safe room adds real storm and storage security, and between the garden, the food plots, the hunting, the fishing, and the camper hookups, the property is set up for a self-reliant life or a rental income stream. It's turnkey resilience, already built.
The Boundaries
Get a current survey to confirm the 13.65-acre boundary and that the pond and all the structures sit within your legal lines. Because Sundown Lake is a managed community, there's a modest HOA (about $67/month) — understand exactly what it covers, the lake-access and boat-sticker rules, and any building restrictions before you close, since those govern a lot of what makes this property special. Verify the private well and septic as part of due diligence, and confirm any easements for the trail and lake access.
Beyond the Property Line
Local Flavor & Small-Town Character
Moravia is a small town in Appanoose County, in the lake-and-timber country of far southern Iowa. This corner of the state is quietly famous in two circles: trophy-whitetail hunters, who prize southern Iowa as some of the best big-buck ground in the nation, and anglers drawn to its lakes. Nearby Centerville, the county seat, is built around one of the largest historic town squares in the United States, and a well-established Amish community in the surrounding countryside keeps roadside stands and craftsmanship a part of local life. It's an unhurried, deeply rural place with more water and woods than crowds.
Agricultural Resources & Neighbor Networks
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach maintains an Appanoose County office — and ISU is one of the country's premier agricultural universities, so the gardening, food-preservation, and small-livestock resources behind it are first-rate. The county's Master Gardener and canning programs are a natural fit for a property with an established raised-bed garden and preserving-worthy harvests. For wildlife and habitat, the Iowa DNR offers strong guidance on managing food plots and timber for the deer and turkey this land is built around.
Outdoor Recreation & Natural Surroundings
Beyond the private pond and Sundown Lake, this region is a genuine outdoor destination. Rathbun Lake — one of Iowa's largest, nicknamed 'Iowa's Ocean' — is close by, anchored by Honey Creek Resort State Park with its golf, marina, and beach. Stephens State Forest, the largest state forest in Iowa, offers hiking, hunting, and horseback trails across thousands of wooded acres. Between world-class whitetail hunting, trophy bass fishing, and boating on multiple lakes, the outdoor calendar here is full in every season.
Listed on Zillow
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