“Storybook home coming to life” is the perfect description for the home featured in this week’s column. I have lost track of the number of times I have mentioned my never ending desire to have magical woodland creatures come to my home to clean my bathroom, wash my floors and cook a couple of meals.
There is little doubt that my quest for said magical creatures will be accomplished in Charlevoix, Michigan. Yeah, I know, I know. Michigan? Who would have thought? But wait until you see this home.
Known as “The Thatch House,” this home is located at 304 Park Avenue, Charlevoix, Michigan. It has 10 bedrooms, seven-and-a-half bathrooms, and is 6,000 square feet. The owners are asking $4.5 million.
Now I know your first reaction is probably something along the lines of this.
The snarkiness is understandable because you can picture yourself being the only hobbit house on the block. You, my friends, would be wrong.
This storybook house is just one of 33 Earl Young creations. They are affectionately known as “Gnome Homes” or “Hobbit Houses.”
Young was an artist who also happened to be a master builder. The only blueprint he used to build these homes was to have them accommodate the landscaping already in place as opposed to the other way around.
The stonework is absolutely incredible. Young used limestone, fieldstone, and boulders that he found throughout Northern Michigan.
Built in 1918, this was the first home Young built.
The original home did not look like this, however. The description says this home “did not encompass Young’s developing unique hobbit-home style, but today, in a dramatic re-imagining, The Thatch House exemplifies the storybook magic of the Earl Young mushroom houses. The new mushroom house design, conceived on a napkin by the new owner, took nearly 2 years to finalize.”
Shout out to my girl Karen Eubank. That is how preservation is done, baby!!!
If you need some help picturing yourself living in this house I can help.
Now while I am in no rush to move to Michigan, visiting Charlevoix and doing the walking tour of these homes has made my bucket list.
If I come across any woodland creatures with brooms or mops I will just stuff them in my backpack and bring them back to Dallas.
For more photos go here.
