Unique interior, hillside views highlight new A-frame Airbnb outside Ligonier

Facing east as it commands a hillside off Old Lincoln Highway in Ligonier Township, the new A-frame home that attracted considerable attention during its construction this summer is dubbed Diamond View for good reason.

The use of exterior glass in the home allows unobstructed views of nearby picturesque Ligonier Borough that stretch into the distance to Laurel Ridge.

“It’s breathtaking when you’re up there,” owner Nino Comanici said of the site. “It deserves an amazing house, so we didn’t want to cut corners.”

Many Ligonier-area residents and passersby watched in fascination after Comanici broke ground in March and the A-frame home gradually took shape on a hillside above the area of the seasonal Ligonier Country Market.

A social media user sought an explanation for the “large bubble-type piece out in front” of the A-frame house.

The answer: It’s an outdoor barrel sauna featuring an end wall of one-way glass.

“You can’t see in, but you can see out,” Comanici said. “Outdoor saunas aren’t really a thing here yet. But, why have it inside, where you’re looking at a wall, when you can have it outside with a beautiful view?”

Comanici built the unique home with the help of a design studio in Spain. Hence, the inclusion of the outdoor sauna and other European touches.

“I’ve always been a fan of homes on architectural sites and Instagram,” he said. “I took bits and pieces of really cool homes I saw and put one together with help from the designer.”

Scenic getaway

Comanici, who has other rental properties, intended the high-end house primarily as his young family’s scenic getaway from their home in Plum.

The family originally planned on opening it to occasional weekend guests. But since they made it available beginning on Nov. 27 for Airbnb stays, Comanici said the demand for bookings has been unrelenting.

After he spent an initial three days there with his wife, Cassie, and their two young children, reservations quickly began stretching into January. “I don’t know if we’ll ever get to use it again,” he said.

Comanici purchased the property after a friend realized his family’s dwelling there — formerly home to the Pine Terrace members club — could not be saved. American chestnut beams were preserved from that older structure, to be featured in the new A-frame.

Even before the property became available, Comanici was attracted by Ligonier’s small-town charm — spending time there with his family during special events such as fall’s annual Fort Ligonier Days.

“We have a place in Indian Lake in Somerset County, and we would drive through and stop in Ligonier,” he said. “Everything about it is amazing.

“It’s just a very unique house. I truly don’t believe there’s anything like it in the Northeast that’s available for Airbnb.”

Interior space

The home’s roughly 3,000 square feet includes an open-concept living space on the main floor that incorporates a kitchen, a dining area and a living room.

A freestanding fireplace adds its own glow to the recessed lighting that illuminates that room as well as other areas of the house. “We have over 1,000 feet of tape lighting,” Comanici said.

Suspended half-moon lights bring focus to the 10-foot-long black walnut dining room table.

Including two upper levels, the home efficiently fits in three full bathrooms and four beds — placed among three bedrooms and a “stargazing” loft.

At the very top of the A-frame, guests can lie on the loft’s king-size bed and survey the heavens through four of the 22 skylights positioned throughout the house.

“Because it’s in an A-frame, the ceiling is on an angle and you can see in all directions,” Comanici said.

One of the unique bathroom features is a set of twin pedestal sinks backed by 6-foot mirrors. “They were carved out of a huge block of granite,” he said of the pedestals.

Comanici’s wife selected the paint shades that are blended together on ceilings as well as interior walls. He noted the overall effect is muted, not taking away from the visual impact of the home’s architecture and custom-made furnishings.

For the same reason, the stairs leading to the second floor have side walls of clear glass.

“We set the stairs up so it doesn’t obstruct the view,” Comanici said. “I just wanted to be able to see everything.”

Natural lighting and views of the outdoor scenery get equal emphasis.

“There are doors and windows everywhere,” totaling about 90 panes of glass, he said.

All-glass front

The home measures 44 feet tall and more than 25 feet wide at the base. “The entire front of the home is all glass,” he noted, providing a spectacular show as each day begins. “When the sun comes up, it’s right in front of you.”

A spiral staircase leads to a lower level featuring another fireplace, a bar and an indoor golf simulator.

“I’m a big golfer,” Comanici acknowledged.

When weather permits, outside relaxation is accommodated by a lower deck with a hot tub and an upper deck that wraps around the home.

Depending on the selected dates, Airbnb reservations at the A-frame range from $500 to $800 per night.

“We originally weren’t planning on making it as special as it turned out to be,” Comanici said. “I just wanted to build something cool.”