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The widow of a long-time Morro Bay, California, craftsman and entrepreneur has decided to sell his treasured getaway, about four years after his passing.
Reggie Whibley designed and built the tree house-like cabin located on 25 acres about a 30-minute drive from Arroyo Grande, California, with his friend who was reportedly a painter for Disney. The remote cabin will provide a new homeowner with a natural oasis — without internet or cell service — complete with an extra-special space for guests.
The property is situated in a canyon adjacent to Lopez Lake on a private lot with no immediate neighbors, and Whibley’s widow, Judy Whibley, is asking $1.75 million. The elevated home sits on top of a pair of sizable metal tree stumps that were hand-painted by the Disney artist (who could not be identified) and touches of magical design permeate the interior of the roughly 1,000-square-foot home as well.
Steven Ferrario of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Haven Properties is representing the listing.
The one-bedroom, one-bathroom home’s floors are made of Walnut burl wood cross sections tied together with composite resin and marble. Meanwhile, the main staircase is made of olive and mahogany wood with a stainless steel railing. Turquoise-colored tiles and vibrant paint brighten the kitchen as two striking Mexican copper bowl sinks adorn the home’s bathroom.
Much of the home was constructed by using reclaimed wood from piers that Whibley’s marine salvage and construction firm, Associated Pacific, had built years earlier along Morro Bay, which were later reconstructed, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Haven Properties told Inman.
Although the listing’s open floor plan only features one bedroom, a space for guests has been fashioned out of an antique plane located on the property just steps from the main house. The 1953 Beach Craft has been converted into cozy, private sleeping quarters. Just behind the plane is also an outdoor bath house designed to look like an airplane wing.
Whibley completed the home’s construction in 2010, and was known to use it as a weekend getaway and a place to host lively get-togethers. “He was a real party animal,” Gavin Payne, broker and owner of BHGRE Haven Properties told Inman.
“In the eyes of the right person, [the property] is probably priceless,” Payne continued. “But establishing value against comparable properties … that’s why Steve [Ferrario] had me go out there, and I was like, ‘There’s nothing that’s like this.’”
The home was put on the market at the beginning of August, and since then, the hunt has been on for an owner with like-minded tastes to the late Whibley.
Once Ferrario and Payne are able to locate the right buyer — it’s a special person who gets excited about owning a property in the middle of nowhere with no internet or cell service — Payne anticipates that buyer won’t care much what it costs to own the home.
“My thinking is that that person will pay whatever it takes to get it,” he said. “It’s just a matter of finding that person.”
Since the best buyer for the home may very well be someone located in any part of the country or beyond, getting the word out on social media has been very important, Payne said, because the typical search parameters buyers are using won’t necessarily apply to this property.
“There’s nobody calling saying, ‘Hey, I’m looking for a tree house in the middle of nowhere with no internet and a plane,’” Payne said. “So yes, the marketing of this property to attract [a buyer] is really very important in this case because trying to find that one person who could be in Upstate New York or Colorado … typical marketing is not going to reach that person.”
A creek runs through the property along the canyon wall, and a trail runs alongside the creek, which ultimately hits Lopez Lake.
Payne said he estimates about four of the property’s 25 acres are flat and could easily be used as an area to construct additional structures. Among other ideas, he said a potential buyer might want to turn the property into a retreat or glamping site, or use the flat land to grow a large garden. The home would also be ideal as a writer’s or artist’s studio.
Whibley was born in 1944 in Ventura, California, and went to California Polytechnic State University to study Industrial Arts. Afterwards, he taught woodworking and art at Morro Bay High School before founding the company that would become Associated Pacific.
Whibley and his partners were “instrumental” in developing the marina in Morro Bay, according to his obituary.
“With a glass of Jim Beam in hand, his loving wife Judy and cat Tony by his side, he always had a tale to tell about his many adventures throughout the world, and his escapades in Morro Bay,” the obituary reads.
Whibley passed away on Aug. 9, 2020 at the age of 75.
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