In 2006, John Yavornik started to build his dream home in rural New Mexico to showcase his hobbies and passions. A recent cancer diagnosis is now forcing him to sell that beloved property.
The 5,000-square-foot home is located at 826 County Road 11 in Cuba. In the early 1980s, Yavornik built his first solar home in Estancia, while working as a dentist. He was fascinated with adobe-brick construction from the age of 20, and sought to build his “forever home” in Cuba after retiring at the age of 55.
Yavornik said it took him two years and $500,000 to build the home. He constructed every aspect of the house out of adobe bricks and even took the required trades tests to be able to install his own electrical and plumbing systems.
The property is listed for $985,000 by Realty One of New Mexico realtor Josephine Graf. The house features five specialty rooms, one for each of Yavornik’s passions (music, art, theater, office and exercise) and two bedrooms. The home includes a detached seven-car garage, a 500-square-foot guest house, a heated endless pool, infrared sauna, art studio and a theater room.
The property is almost entirely furnished and includes Yavornik’s Kubota tractor, Yavornik said. With the right offer, Yavornik is willing to give away his 1979 Rolls Royce, he added.
Graff said the house best suits someone who has similar interests as Yavornik, needs two bedrooms or less and enjoys remote living.
Yavornik said he chose to move to Cuba after working for 25 years in Dallas, Texas, because of the community and scenery of the town.
Nearby attractions include the Santa Fe National Forest and Jemez Mountains.
“I was diagnosed with cancer five years ago and sadly, the cancer recurred about a year ago. The Mayo Clinic told me that it is incurable but I can get treatment at MD Anderson in Houston and have a long, normal lifespan with this treatment. So therefore, rather than traveling back and forth, we decided to sell the property,” he said.
