It is not a nasty, dirty wet hole filled with the ends of worms乌鸦传媒�, but a labour of love created for a comfortable stay.
On a property they own in Magna Bay, in the North Shuswap, the van乌鸦传媒檛 Kruis family has made their love for literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien (and films based on said works) into a reality they call the 乌鸦传媒淪huswap Shire.乌鸦传媒� This is where they have constructed a Hobbit inspired yet human-sized berm home, complete with rounded archways within and a round doorway at the front. They call it and while there may not be a sign on its walls welcoming 乌鸦传媒減arty business,乌鸦传媒� the home is a business of sorts, available to rent through airbnb.
Open for just under a year, guests have called Honey Hollow a 乌鸦传媒渕agical place.乌鸦传媒� One commented how it felt as though they乌鸦传媒檇 stepped into Hobbiton.
Residents of Adams Lake, Damion van乌鸦传媒檛 Kruis said he and his family have had a number of short-term rentals, and that it has been a great experience. For their Magna Bay property though, they wanted to do something special, something unique that brings joy to people. That乌鸦传媒檚 how they came up with the idea to build Honey Hollow.
乌鸦传媒淲e wanted it to feel authentic, we wanted it to not be too commercial, so being fans of the Lord of the Rings we talked about what we乌鸦传媒檇 like to see in the property and how we could achieve that,乌鸦传媒� said van乌鸦传媒檛 Kruis. 乌鸦传媒淢y oldest son Daz (Dazmond) and myself built pretty much everything you see. Obviously we had contractors help us with things like plumbing and electrical. Outside of that, everything else we built ourselves.乌鸦传媒�
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The structure itself took about six months to build. Damion expects the landscaping will be an ongoing project.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 not entirely sure why we chose to build a berm house when none of us really have a green thumb; that was an oversight,乌鸦传媒� laughed Damion. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e learning as we go with regards to keeping grass alive and really working towards bettering our inner horticulturalists.乌鸦传媒�
For the van乌鸦传媒檛 Kruis family, highlights of the home include the brick work 乌鸦传媒済iving a rustic, authentic feel,乌鸦传媒� and the rounded hallways. A favourite for guests has been the claw-foot bathtub.
Much time and effort also went into the fine details of the house, including a skeleton-key operated lock in the front door.
乌鸦传媒淪ome of the pieces, it definitely took us quite a bit of time to do the research and find out what we really wanted to have in there,乌鸦传媒� said Damion. 乌鸦传媒淚 think a big part of it, we really took advantage of all the local thrift stores and antique shops to try and find more authentic and unique items.乌鸦传媒�
Damion said he went through the Columbia Shuswap Regional District to acquire the proper permits to operate a short-term rental in Magna Bay, and that his family has received great support from the community.
乌鸦传媒淚 think for us, we really enjoyed the aspect of creating something that we felt the magic in 乌鸦传媒� because a condo is a condo, and we乌鸦传媒檝e worked with properties like that where you乌鸦传媒檙e renting a place to stay,乌鸦传媒� said Damion. 乌鸦传媒淲e really wanted to create a destination, we wanted to have a property where they weren乌鸦传媒檛 just coming because it乌鸦传媒檚 the Shuswap, they乌鸦传媒檙e coming because it乌鸦传媒檚 a cool and unique fun thing to do.乌鸦传媒�
Damion hopes to expand his Shuswap Shire by adding a second residence.
So long as it doesn乌鸦传媒檛 interfere with his guests乌鸦传媒� experience, Damion is open to showing people Honey Hollow. They just need to contact him in advance to make arrangements.
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