History

An amazing, beautiful, creative man named Gary built most of House himself over the course of about ten years.  In 2000 he stumbled across the property after taking a wrong turn and fell madly in love.  The only structure at that time was the original A-frame house.  To repeat: Gary built EVERYTHING ELSE HIMSELF.  He turned the goat pen into a bedroom, and added a beautiful kitchen and bath.  He built an outdoor shower and an "In-House," which is an outhouse with an actual plumbed toilet.  He built a yoga studio for his wife, Donna, and a gaming room for himself.  He built a MASSIVE 2000 square foot lanai, and instead of cutting down the huge Florida Oaks that were in the way, he built around them, so now there are two awesome trees in the middle of my porch.  He added a little workshop and a koi pond.  He used multiple exotic woods like Eucalyptus, Cyprus, and Purple Heart Palm.  He cleared away all the garbage and debris that had accumulated on the property before he bought it, only to find a veritable bamboo forest leading down to the creek in back, along with wild pineapple plants and an orange tree.

in 2000 Gary discovered this property and saw something magical and wild.  When I found it listed on Trulia in 2015 I saw the same thing.  We bought it without even visiting first.  All we had seen was pictures online, and we haven't had a single second of regret.  This place is AMAZEBALLS.  We will continue to build in Gary's absence, but always with respect and deference to his aesthetic.  So far we've added a jewelry studio for me, and are currently working on a winter cottage for another pair of Epicureans.

Gary and Donna now own a lodge in Colorado that looks eerily similar to House.  It's got Gary's signature style all over it.  I'm so glad they decided to open a business so that people can visit and experience their creativity and kindness. 

So thank you, Gary.  Thank you, Donna.  Thank you for building paradise.