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A longtime Morro Bay, California widow, artist and entrepreneur has decided to sell her prized getaway, nearly four years after her death.
Reggie Whibley designed and built a treehouse-like cabin on 25 acres about a 30-minute drive from Arroyo Grande, California, with a friend who was reportedly a Disney artist. A remote cabin will provide the new homeowner with a natural environment — without internet or cell service — complete with a special guest space.
The property is located in a canyon near Lopez Lake on a private lot with no neighbors, and Whibley’s widow, Judy Whibley, is asking $1.75 million. The towering home sits on giant metal tree stumps that were hand-painted by a Disney artist (who would not be identified) and touches of magical design permeate the home’s approximately 1,000-square-foot interior.
Steven Ferrario of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Haven Properties represented the listing.
The one-bedroom, one-bathroom floor is made of walnut burl wood cross-sections and composite resin and marble. Meanwhile, the main staircase is made of olive wood and mahogany with stainless steel. Green tiles and bright paint brighten the kitchen as two Mexican copper sinks decorate the home’s bathroom.
The mansion was built using reclaimed wood from sites that Whibley’s salvage and construction company, Associated Pacific, built years ago near Morro Bay, which was then rebuilt, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Haven Properties told Inman.
Although the listing’s open floor plan has only one bedroom, the guest space has been fashioned with a vintage airplane found in this property just steps from the main house. The 1953 Beach Craft has been converted into cozy, private accommodations. Just behind the plane is an outdoor bathroom designed to look like an airplane wing.
Whibley completed construction on the home in 2010, and was known to use it as a weekend getaway and a place to host fun gatherings. “He was a real party animal,” Gavin Payne, broker and owner of BHGRE Haven Properties told Inman.
“In the eyes of a good man, [the property] it’s almost priceless,” continued Payne. “But finding value against comparable properties … that’s why Steve [Ferrario] he pulled me out of there, and I said, ‘There’s nothing like this.’
The home was put on the market in early August, and since then, the hunt has been on for a like-minded owner with the late Whibley.
Once Ferrario and Payne can find the right buyer — a special someone who’s happy to own a property in the middle of nowhere without Internet or cell service — Payne expects the buyer to care less about what it costs to own the property. at home.
“My opinion is that the person will pay anything to get it,” he said. “It’s just a matter of finding that person.”
Since the best home buyer can be someone located in any part of the country or beyond, getting a name out on social media is very important, says Payne, because the usual search parameters that buyers use won’t work. in this place.
“No one calls and says, ‘Hey, I want a tree house in the middle of nowhere with no internet and no airplane,'” Payne said. “Therefore, the marketing of this place is to attract [a buyer] it’s very important in this case because trying to find one person who might be in Upstate New York or Colorado … conventional marketing is not going to reach that person. “
The stream runs through the area along the canyon wall, and the trail runs along the river, eventually hitting Lake Lopez.
Payne said he estimates about four of the 25 acres of the property are flat and could easily be used as a site for other buildings. Among other ideas, he said a potential buyer might want to convert the property into a homestay or glamping, or use the flat area to grow a large garden. A home can also be great as a writer’s or artist’s studio.
Whibley was born in 1944 in Ventura, California, and attended California Polytechnic State University to study Industrial Arts. After that, he taught woodworking and art at Morro Bay High School before founding the company that would become Associated Pacific.
Whibley and his colleagues were “instrumental” in building the marina at Morro Bay, according to his biography.
“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 of his many adventures around the world, including his escape from Morro Bay,” the obituary read.
Whibley passed away on Aug. 9, 2020 at the age of 75.
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