Student Finances Archives - Hanover Mortgages

March 1, 2021

5 Ways to Save for College Now

When it comes to student loans, my husband and I have opposite stories. While my tuition was partly paid for by my parents and scholarship money, the rest came from $24,000 in student loans. My husband, on the other hand, sailed through school without taking on a single penny of debt.

That’s because his family had been saving in a college fund for most of his life. While I was struggling to make student loan payments and living on a shoestring budget after graduation, he was focusing on his passions and living comfortably on a more modest income than mine.

September is College Savings Month, so here are some of the best ways to save for your child’s college expenses – and how to get them involved in the process.

Types of College Saving Accounts

Start a 529

A 529 is a savings account specifically used for education-related expenses. Parents can contribute money to a 529, invest the proceeds and receive a special tax break.

The 529 is a popular option for parents because many states offer tax credits or deductions on contributions. The tax credits vary depending on where you live. For example, Indiana provides a $1,000 tax credit if you contribute $5,000, while Arizona residents can take a $5,000 deduction for individuals or $10,000 for families.

There are seven states that don’t allow any tax credits or deductions, including California, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, New Jersey and North Carolina.

529 contributions are not deductible on your federal taxes. If you live in a state without income tax, then opening a 529 won’t help you save money on taxes.

529 funds can only be spent on education-related expenses, including tuition, fees and textbooks. If that money is spent on ineligible fees, the family will have to pay a 10% penalty on their taxes. Traveling to and from college, paying for study abroad expenses and school supplies are some examples of non-qualified expenses.

Because you can invest money in a 529 like you would invest in a retirement account, your contributions can grow over time. You can invest those contributions in an index fund or mutual fund.

Many 529 providers allow you to create a personalized URL so other people can add money to the account. For example, you could send out this link before Christmas or your child’s birthday to encourage grandparents and other relatives to make a 529 contribution instead of buying toys.

Anyone can save in a 529, even if they’re not a parent, guardian or direct relative. Plus, they’ll also get the tax credit or deduction.

Each state creates its own annual limit for 529s, and they range from $235,000 to $529,000. Because the limits are so high, you don’t generally have to worry about exceeding them.

Roth IRA

Parents who live in states without 529s can contribute to a Roth IRA. Contributions are tax-deferred, and there’s no penalty for taking withdrawals for college expenses.

The annual contribution limit in 2020 for a Roth IRA is $6,000.

Encourage Your Child to Save

Making your child help save for their own education will teach them a valuable financial lesson. It will show them the importance of putting away money regularly and the patience of saving. If they have a part-time job, encourage them to put a percentage of that money toward their college fund.

If they get birthday or Christmas checks, convince them to deposit most of it in their college fund. Remember, your kids will barely remember the presents they got for Christmas, but they will remember when they apply for college and have to pay tens of thousands of dollars for tuition. You could incentive their savings habit by matching every dollar they put in.

Make Saving Automatic

Putting money away for college is similar to saving for retirement or any other long-term goal. It’s easier to save if you make it an automatic process. Most 529s, IRAs and other accounts let you set up automatic contributions from your checking or savings account.

Choose an amount you’re comfortable contributing every month. If you’re saving in a 529, try to save at least enough to get the maximum tax deduction or credit.

Open a Cash-Back Card

Instead of using a credit card to earn miles or other cash-back rewards, open a credit card that specifically helps you save for a 529. Here are a couple options:

Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card

The Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card provides 2% cashback on all purchases, and cardholders can transfer that cashback toward a Fidelity 529 account. If you spend $1,000 a month with the card, you’ll earn $240 a year in cashback.

There’s no limit on how much cashback you can earn, and there’s no annual fee. You’ll have to create a Fidelity-sponsored 529 account if you don’t already have one.

Upromise Mastercard from Barclays

The Upromise Mastercard offers 1.25% cashback on all purchases and provides a $100 sign-up bonus if you spend $500 within the first 90 days.

If you link the card to a 529 College Savings Plan, the cashback will receive a 15% bump. If you spend $1,000 a month, you’ll earn $172.5 in cashback rewards annually.

This card also comes with a round-up feature where you can round every transaction to the nearest dollar. The difference will be placed in your 529 and will also earn 1.25% cashback. There is no annual fee.

Apply for Scholarships

Once your child is in high school, they can start applying for merit-based and need-based scholarships to offset the cost of tuition. Students can start searching for scholarships at any point in high school, but should especially focus during their junior and senior years.

Students can search on national databases like Scholly and FastWeb, but also try to find scholarships on their own. They can search for scholarships based on their particular interests, city or state and other personal details. For example, if they’re interested in computer programming, they can find computer programming-specific scholarships.

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Source: mint.intuit.com

February 23, 2021

$16.9M French Provincial Mansion Near NOLA Is Louisiana’s Most Expensive Home

Now on the market for $16,895,000, a mansion built to the most exacting specifications has achieved the distinction of being Louisiana’s most expensive home.

Owned by Shane Guidry, CEO of Harvey Gulf International Marine, and his wife, Holly, the house on Northline Street in Metairie, LA, just outside New Orleans, is a 15,230-square-foot French Provincial masterpiece.

“It took him three years to design and build this, and they used the most high-end products in this house that you may ever come across,” says the listing manager, Peggy Bruce, who is working with the listing agent, Shaun McCarthy.

“It’s an outstanding home. When you think of luxury, this is what that entails,” she says.

For starters, to make sure there was enough marble for the ground floor and that all the marble matched, the Guidrys bought the entire quarry in Italy.

“It’s 24-by-24 marble flooring that is just luxurious. The veins are just beautiful, and it all just kind of flows together, because it all came from one quarry,” says Bruce.

Exterior

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Entry

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Interior

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Living space

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Master bathroom

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Closet

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Quite apart from its ultra-sleek appearance, the marble flooring is heated in the first floor master bedroom and bathroom.

“In the master bathroom, it’s a walk-in shower, and there’s a clawfoot soaking tub in the front of the shower,” Bruce says. “The walk-in has two entrances and four shower-heads. It’s got hand-carved mosaic tile in the shower.”

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Watch: This Ghirardelli Family Home Is a Feast for the Eyes

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In the master closet and elsewhere in the home, the cabinet hardware is solid silver.

“It’s tremendous. Everything was hand-milled and hand-carved—custom-done,” she says.

The enormous kitchen offers an array of custom cabinetry, a chandelier, and a large island with plenty of room for seating.

Kitchen and dining area

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Bathroom

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Bedroom

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The mansion in the town’s Metairie Club Gardens neighborhood has a total of six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and four half-bathrooms, all with tall ceilings. In the entry, the ceilings are 24 feet high.

“It’s dramatic,” Bruce says, adding that the owners purchased many antique fixtures in Europe and brought them back, rewired them, and included them in their design.

“You go into a lot of homes that look like this on the outside, and you expect the inside to be a little gaudy,” she says. “This is so tastefully done. It is beautifully appointed. Everything just flows perfectly.”

Home theater

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Gym

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Many of the home’s features are connected to automated technology, and can be controlled via a mobile device or remote, including the home theater.

Bruce explains that it has leather seats for 15 people and includes a digital ceiling that can be set either to clouds, or to the night sky, with twinkling stars.

Spa

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Spa

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Spa

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Shower

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There’s also a full spa with a massage room, wet and dry saunas, and hair and nail stations.

Canine friends can enjoy an indoor dog home and washing station.

Outdoor space

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Outside, there’s a large outdoor kitchen, along with a petite pool.

“It’s a cocktail pool”—a small pool with steps, Bruce explains. “It’s not very deep at all. It’s really for just lounging and sipping cocktails or just kind of cooling off if it’s a hot summer night or summer day.”

In addition to the three-car garage, there’s room to park a variety of vehicles on the half-acre property.

The owners purchased the land in 2011 for $1.2 million, and Bruce says they poured at least $15 million into building this dream home. But times change, and the family is moving out of town to pursue other interests.

“I think the perfect buyer for this home is someone that values being in the New Orleans area and understands what went into this house—because it is a hefty price,” Bruce says.

The pool of buyers looking for this type of home in the New Orleans area is not large, and Bruce says the future owner might be someone from out of town.

“Beyoncé put a play on this house a few years back, and the owner wasn’t interested in selling at that time,” she says. “We have tried to reach out to Beyoncé using some connections we have, but haven’t received a response yet.”

Wine room

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For more photos and details, check out the full listing.
Homes for sale in Metairie, LA
Learn more about Metairie, LA

Source: realtor.com

February 16, 2021

$20.75 Million Lakefront Estate Is Wisconsin’s Most Expensive Home

An estate on a coveted piece of lakefront property now holds the title of most expensive home in Wisconsin.

Recently listed for $20.75 million, the mansion on Snake Road in Lake Geneva, WI, is ideal for a wealthy Windy City resident in search of an escape.

Built in 1906, the home, known as Villa Hortensia, measures 12,396 square feet and sits on 20.5 acres of lakefront property about two hours from downtown Chicago.

“From the beginning, [Lake Geneva] has been a retreat for the wealthy. That’s why a house like this gets built,” says the listing agent, David Curry. “The combination of a huge property, with highly pedigreed design, in relatively nice condition, is a rare combination on the lake.”

In Curry’s opinion, the location of the property is hard to top.

“What makes the property exciting—it’s not just a cool house with a classic design,” he adds, noting that it’s on what he describes as “one of the top 10 pieces of dirt on the lake.”

Built for a Chicago meatpacking tycoon, Edwin Swift, and named for his wife, Hortense, the estate has serious architectural credentials. The architect Howard Van Doren Shaw and the landscape architect Jens Jensen worked together to create the timeless residence, which is flanked by a number of other prestige properties.

“It’s on Snake Road, which is where the majority of our large legacy estates are located,” Curry explains.

Billionaires own the homes on either side, but this villa creates an indelible impression.

“When you’re driving up to it, you see it for quite a distance before you arrive at it. It’s just immense,” he adds.

Exterior of estate on Lake Geneva, WI

Geneva Lakefront Realty

The current owners have held onto the home for about 20 years and are year-round residents. Curry told us that full-time residents are a rarity on this exclusive stretch of lakefront homes.

Despite its size, Curry thinks the prestige property may be better suited to an owner who uses it as a getaway.

“It’s more than likely the ultimate and best use of this property is similar to the other ones on the lake, which are almost entirely vacation homes,” he says.

The house has 18 rooms, including six bedrooms, 10 full bathrooms, plenty of living space, and a finished basement.

It also boasts great bones.

“Old homes like this with an architectural pedigree, the layouts weren’t complicated. They weren’t busy, like they would be today,” Curry says. “The simplicity of it really stands out. It’s just clean. It’s simple. The rooms are all oriented to face the water.”

He also points out that the house doesn’t seem overwhelming or stuffy.

“I think what struck me the first time I visited is how approachable it was,” he says. “It isn’t some big, weird museum, where you rattle around in it. It’s a really smart, intuitive design.”

In addition to the main house, there are a three-bedroom guesthouse, a boathouse, and two storage buildings.

The property also offers 502 feet of lakefront frontage with a gentle slope, a rarity on this lake.

“From the entrance on Snake Road, all the way down to the main house, it’s largely level the whole way through,” Curry explains. “One of the unique parts about the property is that it doesn’t just wind down a big, steep, unusable wooded hillside, and then dump you out on the lake. The whole drive in is reasonably level and usable property.”

For entertainment, there is a pool and a clay tennis court. Curry says the land would be perfect for soccer or any other kind of outdoor activity. There are also two piers on the lake for boats.

The current owners have updated the roof and mechanicals, so Curry says that all the new owners have to do is come in and make it their own.

“This home has original millwork, original doors, original windows, and original detailed latticework. It’s got tons of original features, but I do think a new buyer will probably upgrade the kitchen, and probably the baths, repaint, and swap some fixtures here and there,” he says. “It does not need some form of massive renovation. It needs appropriate cosmetic updating.”

Source: realtor.com

February 12, 2021

Former Schoolhouse Turned Winning Wedding Venue Needs a Buyer To Say ‘I Do’

For just a few years in the late 1920s, the children of Malabar, FL, attended class in their schoolhouse on Marie Street.

Then the Great Depression forced the school to close. Over the decades, the former schoolhouse has served as apartments, a woodworking shop, a mill, and most recently, a wedding venue.

Now the 8,000-square-foot building, zoned both residential and commercial, is on the market for $1.1 million.

“We fell in love with the building, and we thought we could live here,” says the listing agent and current owner, Joanne Murdoch. She and her husband, Tom, bought the property in 2012 and had big plans to renovate it and make it their home.

However, the demand for quirky event venues intervened.

“Everybody was coming out with these barn venues, and we thought this building would make a great wedding venue. So that’s the direction we went into for a number of years,” Murdoch says.

Interior of former schoolhouse in Malabar, FL

realtor.com

It took a few years to renovate the property to make it ready for happy couples. The schoolhouse on the Sunshine State’s Atlantic Coast was in sore need of updated infrastructure.

“It was industrial-looking when we got it,” Murdoch explains. “We had to redo all the electrical, the plumbing, the heating, the septic, all the safety stuff throughout, the landscaping, the lighting. It was a complete restoration.”

Rechristened as the Banyan Estate, thanks to the banyan tree on the grounds, the venue has held weddings and other events for the past few years.

The main level has a large pavilion room and a smaller hall—each with new windows and vintage chandeliers. There are also several bathrooms throughout the venue space.

Upstairs, the loft area provides a more intimate setting for smaller gatherings. This was the space where the Murdochs initially planned to live.

It has a full bathroom and plenty of room to configure and carve out bedrooms and other living spaces.

Somebody coming in to use the building as a residence will have to tweak it a bit, Murdoch says. But with the home’s major systems in place, the work that’s left will require an eye for design.

Right now, the only kitchen in the space is designed for commercial prep, so anyone wanting to live in the building full-time will want to add a cooking space.

“We always saw the upstairs part being the loft, and the other two spaces could be any kind of business you wanted,” Murdoch says.

Before deciding to turn the property into a wedding venue, she and her husband imagined a business making cheese in part of the space and setting up a dance studio in the rest.

The building sits on almost 2.5 acres and abuts 350 acres of environmentally preserved land that will never be developed.

Finding a property with this kind of zoning, great location, and fascinating backstory is a big win.

Murdoch says she imagines the perfect buyer as “somebody who loves historic buildings, who can appreciate a beautiful and large piece of property.”

The property is co-listed with JJ Tippins at Pastermack Real Estate.

Source: realtor.com

February 11, 2021

Fixer-Upper With a Premium Pedigree: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Childhood Home for Sale

A historic home where Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, spent a lot of her childhood is on the market. Although the exterior emits plenty of historic vibes, the home is a real fixer-upper.

“The current interior is unfinished, and needs to be finished by the buyers,” says the listing agent, Paul Hallenbeck.

The agent has high hopes for an enterprising buyer willing to take on this well-pedigreed property.

“It’s going to be incredibly grand,” he says. “I want to go back to the house when it is finished.”

It may not be complete, but that doesn’t mean that this prime piece of property on the Hudson River will come cheap. The 10,000-square-foot Second Empire-style home in Germantown, NY, is listed for $5.25 million.

Known as Oak Terrace, Eleanor Roosevelt’s grandparents built the home in 1865.

“It was their summer house when they lived in New York City. Due to tragedies in her family, she eventually ended up living with [her grandparents] and spent summers there with them. Her bedroom is identified, so you can visit it,” Hallenbeck explains.

Roosevelt’s memoirs say she spent time reading books under the shade of the trees on the estate.

The location and setting is hard to top—for reading or whatever leisure pursuit you choose.

“It’s directly on the Hudson River, with views of the river and the Catskill Mountains beyond. It’s 25 acres and has total privacy there,” Hallenbeck says.

Those gorgeous views are visible from a wraparound veranda accessible from a number of spots in the house.

Inside, there are 18 rooms highlighted by a 700-square-foot great room with dramatic 16-foot ceilings. A grand staircase goes up 36 feet and is topped by a spectacular coved ceiling with skylights.

Each of the six bedrooms in the four-story house comes an attached bathroom, including what Hallenbeck says will be a marvelous master suite.

Van Lamprou, a co-founder of Dolce Vita footwear, is the home’s current owner. He bought the home in 2013, for $2.85 million.

In the years since, he has poured lots of money into unglamorous but necessary elements to bring the home into the 21st century.

“The current owner has done an enormous amount of work,” Hallenbeck says. “He has redone the roof, drilled a new well, put in a new septic, installed modern heat and AC in the house, redone the fireplaces, and completely reinsulated the house.”

In addition to that infrastructure work, the home’s entire electrical and plumbing systems are also new.

Now that the crucial systems are in place, the next step is to finish off the interior.

“The owner decided to move ahead with other projects, instead of finishing the interior—which I think is probably a very good idea when you have a house like this,” Hallenbeck explains.

It will allow any buyers to customize to their personal taste the decor, finishes, and layout.

Hallenbeck estimates that the project will cost at least a million dollars.

“We’ve had quite a few people come with their architects and designers, trying to figure out how to finish it in the right way for them,” he says.

The perfect buyer is likely to be a family looking for a private weekend retreat, he says.

“When you’re outside here, you see the river and the Catskill Mountains beyond, and if you’re lucky, you see a boat or two on the river,” he adds. “But what you hear is nature, the wind. You don’t hear motorcycles or traffic. There are very few places like that.”

Source: realtor.com

February 4, 2021

The Pumpkin Carver’s Lake House: A Home for His Hobby

See how Russ Leno is pursuing his passion in the place he truly calls home.

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‘It would be boring if we all did the same thing’

When he started whittling for fun in his 20s, Russ Leno didn’t know he would one day carve the world’s largest pumpkin.

“I started honing my pumpkin-carving skills because I could be at home with [my kids],” the master sculptor explains.

A design engineer by trade and an artist by heart, Leno relished the days when everything was done by hand. But over time, computers started taking over the job, and he needed a new outlet.

First he started sculpting sand because his friends were doing it, and then he tried his hand at carving snow and ice. Pumpkins were an afterthought.

“It was somebody’s turn to have a party at their place, and they ran down to the store and got pumpkins,” he explains. “It was so much fun to carve in the new style we were starting.”

Leno describes his style as “creating a scene on a pumpkin,” but that’s an understatement. From a 1,200-pound mechanical piranha to a medieval castle and dragon, Leno’s Halloween creations are as imaginative as they are complex.

“It would be boring if we all did the same thing,” he says. “Just like people who play music, you wouldn’t want to hear the same style over and over again.”

‘It’s comfortable’

Over the past 25 years, Leno’s hobby has grown into a professional endeavor. He’s traveled all over, carving for wineries and even a vice president.

“I’m averaging 50 pumpkins a year and usually all of them are in the 250-pound range and bigger,” he says. “250 pounds used to be a ‘big pumpkin,’ but now it’s 500-700 pounds.”

His workspace has also grown.

“When I started out, I just used a table in the kitchen,” he explains. “Now I have this shop, where I have a lot bigger space to store my stuff and put my tools. It’s comfortable. You can move around and not have to worry about a mess being made inside your home.”

A work in progress, Leno’s shop is housed in a large garage behind his new lake house in Shelton, WA.

“I think if you have a passion for something that you love to do, you’ll make some type of area or space to do it in,” he says. “It’s important that you have some space that you can set up and then leave and come back to.”

‘You pinch yourself’

Leno moved to Spencer Lake this summer and plans to retire there.

“I’ve looked all around the Northwest, and I’ve never found anything that I’ve liked better than being down here in the south [Puget] Sound region,” he says. “It’s just beautiful down here.”

When he’s not carving, he takes his boat out on the lake or works in the yard. And he’s always thinking of ideas for his next Prizewinner.

“It’s quiet compared to where I’ve been before,” he says. “It gives my mind more room to think.”

A brown A-frame with a second-story deck, the house is filled with warm wood, walls of windows and Leno’s carvings.

“Life throws a lot of things at you, so to get your dream place is something I never thought I’d have,” he says. “You pinch yourself.”

Video by Jessica Sherry.

Related:

Originally published October 2015.

Source: zillow.com

February 4, 2021

Prep for ‘Prost!’ Season: 9 Bavarian-Style Homes to Inspire Your Oktoberfest

Dust off your lederhosen and steins, because it’s the most wunderbar time of the year!

If you can’t make it to Munich for Oktoberfest, you can still enjoy a good beer at one of the American events happening all throughout the country in September.

From Frankenmuth, Michigan, to Fredericksburg, Texas, you’re certain to find a spirited group of Germanophiles somewhere during the month celebrating all things Bavarian.

To get inspired for Oktoberfest, check out these nine Bavarian-style homes for sale right here in the U.S.

A taste of Germany on the central coast

For sale: $795,000

Nestled near the heart of downtown Solvang, California — a central coast town with Danish roots — this traditional Tudor gets you all the charm of a Bavarian home with all the modern American finishings you’re accustomed to, like an updated kitchen with granite countertops and hardwood floors. The home also features a bocce court, a large 3-car garage and an elevator from the garage to the second floor.

See more Solvang homes for sale.

A cozy Bavarian-style cabin

For sale: $399,000

You’ll think you’ve transported yourself to the Bavarian Alps in this tiny cabin in Leavenworth, Washington. Stunning views of the mountains await when you return from a day exploring downtown Leavenworth, which just so happens to be modeled after a traditional Bavarian village.

See more Leavenworth homes for sale.

An old-world chalet

For sale: $345,000

This Hague, New York, home was designed to imitate a Bavarian-style ski chalet — and it doesn’t disappoint. With a classic gable roof, ornamental balusters on the sweeping back porch, and floor-to-ceiling windows in the large family room, this home is the perfect place to unwind and enjoy the mountain views.

See more Hague homes for sale.

A colorful German-inspired home

For sale: $329,900

This stately Toledo, Ohio, home features hallmarks of traditional German architecture, such as half-timbering and a light-colored facade, but it stands out with a playful yellow bay window in the front. Although it has mixed European influences, such as an Italian tiled roof and some medieval England-inspired stained glass, this house makes you think you’ve suddenly found yourself in the picturesque German countryside.

See more Toledo homes for sale.

A (gingerbread) cookie-cutter home

For sale: $324,900

It’s not hard to imagine drinking out of a stein and chowing down on some sauerkraut in this adorable Irons, Michigan, cottage. Reminiscent of a traditional German gingerbread home, it features classic German half-timbering, decorative shutters and a colorfully outlined gable roof.

See more Irons homes for sale.

A Bavarian stunner in the Elka Park mountains

For sale: $429,000

A cross gable roof, a wraparound balcony trimmed with green balusters, and a Bavarian lodge-style feel inside make this Hunter, New York, home truly unique. Top it off with unbelievable mountain views from nearly every spot in the home, and you’ve got a perfect spot to celebrate future Oktoberfests.

See more Hunter homes for sale.

A perfectly German ski chalet

For sale: $258,000

After a long day at the slopes, come home to this charming Bavarian-style ski chalet in Bartlett, New Hampshire. Tucked away on a wooded lot near hiking trails, this whimsical home has plenty of space for weekend visitors and tons of quirky details, like heart cutouts on the decorative shutters.

See more Bartlett homes for sale.

A Bavarian home fit for a Grimm’s fairy tale

For sale: $2.4 million

This Saugatuck, Michigan, home looks like it belongs in the pages of a fairy tale rather than a neighborhood near Lake Michigan. Interior designer Dale Metternich once called this house a home, which features classic German half-timbering, wooden shutters, and a stately interior that any royal family would feel right at home in.

See more Saugatuck homes for sale.

An inviting Bavarian lake home

For sale: $589,900

This Fenton, Michigan, home is quiet and secluded with a location right on the lake. An A-frame roof over the front entrance, multiple storybook-like balconies, leaded windows and colorful half-timbering are just a few of the details that set this home apart.

See more Fenton homes for sale.

Top photo from Zillow listing.

Related:

Source: zillow.com

February 3, 2021

Summer Smackdown: Which Home Is Your Favorite?

Now trending: tiny homes, treehouses and more! From future-focused to fabulous prefab, who will win? Weigh in with your vote.

They’re 2018’s biggest home trends! We’ve seen everything from an architect’s out-of-this-world getaway to a shipping container home you’ll want to double down on.

So what happens when these homes go head-to-head? Pick your favorite and check out the results!

Pizza oven tiny home photo by Jim Jernigan; tiny home with bouldering wall photo courtesy of Tiny Heirloom.

Tropical Hawaiian escape photo by Erik Hecht; island treehouse tower photo by Erik Hecht.

Pennsylvania mountain house photo from Zillow listing; woodsy Washington cabin photo from Zillow listing.

Source: zillow.com

February 3, 2021

This Stylish Treehouse Is Luxury Off-the-Grid Living

More castle-like than rustic, this forested glamping retreat took the couple three years to build.

Kati O’Toole and her husband, Darin, wanted to create a giant piece of artwork on their private and heavily wooded seven-acre property in Montana. They ended up with what they refer to as the Montana Treehouse Retreat — a two-story, fully finished treehouse nestled among three living trees.

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“Everybody thought we were crazy [at] the beginning, like ‘What are you guys doing building a treehouse here?’ Our parents thought we were crazy,” says Kati.

But the hard work and vision paid off, and now visitors from all over the world routinely come to stay at their carefully crafted work of art. The 700-square-foot treehouse features a master suite with a deck that overlooks the forest, a living area with three benches that can double as sleeping quarters, and two bathrooms. Guests can also prepare a meal in the treehouse’s downstairs kitchen, complete with a refrigerator, a stove, a sink and a dishwasher.

“There’s even air conditioning in this treehouse, because we wanted to create a very luxury experience here. I have to be honest — the treehouse is nicer inside than the house that I live in, so I like to come back here and just have a little retreat away from it all,” says Kati.

Every detail of the treehouse was painstakingly thought out, and most of the materials were either sourced locally or repurposed. The trim and the interior feature wood that Darin himself milled, sanded and finished, and the breakfast table nook was made from the base of a tree located right on their property.

One of Kati’s favorite details of the treehouse, however, is the spiraling exterior staircase, which is wrapped around a large tree shipped in from Darin’s grandmother’s yard, roots and all.

Although Darin handled most of the heavy-duty construction of the structure, Kati’s handiwork is all over the interior.

“We wanted it to be kind of funky and modern — but still have some Montana accents and still be a little rustic too. So there were many things coming into play, and we wanted people to feel like it was a very cozy home away from home when they came here, and just like a one-of-a-kind Montana experience,” she says.

A combination of white shiplap and multicolored wood paneling covers the interior walls, giving the home an eclectic yet polished farmhouse look, and expansive windows create an open, airy feeling in the small living spaces. Modern elements that are dotted throughout the house, like the industrial chandelier in the kitchen and the black hexagon and subway tiles in the bathrooms, are more reminiscent of a boutique hotel than a remote treehouse located near Glacier National Park.

Close to Kati’s heart are the pieces by local artists that don the walls, with some of the pieces coming from guests who created the artwork while staying at the treehouse.

“It’s been really cool to see [how] this place inspires people,” she says.

But the defining characteristic of this home — and what guests travel miles for — is the unique experience of living out your childhood dreams of sleeping in a treehouse.

“It’s a very unique feeling that most people have never experienced, to be lying in bed and seeing a tree — or you’re actually moving. And people have told me that they love the experience, and it’s — yeah, it’s a treehouse. That’s the beauty. It’s a real treehouse,” says Kati.

Related:

Source: zillow.com

February 2, 2021

This Converted Van Is a Tiny Home on Wheels â House of the Week

With a house on wheels, home is anywhere you park it — and life on the road is a family affair.

In 2016, Jace Carmichael and Giddi Oteo upgraded from their first van home to a 2005 Freightliner Sprinter. The new van’s from-scratch build-out allowed them to add a safe seat for their new baby, Juniper.

Their goal isn’t to live in the van — it’s to live out of it. An 84-square-foot house that travels with them means this family can live sustainably on a small budget and spend quality time in places like Mexico, Big Sur, and Yosemite and Zion National Parks.

Lightweight solar panels on the van’s roof provide off-grid electricity, and multiple windows let in sunlight. Indoor-safe propane heaters keep the van warm on chilly nights.

The kitchen is equipped with an inset cooktop, a fridge and freezer, and woodblock countertops for meal prep.

Across from the kitchen is a workbench where the couple make jewelry for their online business, Carteo Handmade.

The sleeping area boasts a king-size mattress with storage underneath, and pale wood closets line the walls. Bright white textiles and interior paint make the space feel light and airy.

The van has water storage tanks and a 12-volt water pump for the kitchen sink. A composting toilet slides out from under the bed, and hot outdoor showers come courtesy of a solar tank on the roof.

Keep up with this rolling home via Our Home on Wheels, where Jace and Giddi share their build book, along with van listings for other people who dream of making #VanLife their real life.

Related:

Source: zillow.com

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Top photo from Zillow listing.

Pizza oven tiny home photo by Jim Jernigan; tiny home with bouldering wall photo courtesy of Tiny Heirloom.

Tropical Hawaiian escape photo by Erik Hecht; island treehouse tower photo by Erik Hecht.

Pennsylvania mountain house photo from Zillow listing; woodsy Washington cabin photo from Zillow listing.