Named The Thatch House but referred to locally as the Mushroom House, it was built from the original stone walls set by Charlevoix-based architect Earl Young.

Built as his first home in 1919, the house did not feature Young’s developing unique hobbit-home style, but in a dramatic re-design, The Thatch House showcases the storybook magic of the Young houses which I will share with you tomorrow.

The new “mushroom house design” took nearly two years to finalize. The beautifully flowing roof is crafted from the finest natural thatch hand-reaped in Europe and shipped to the US. During one of the coldest winters, a master thatcher painstakingly worked to ensure that the new house was ready to greet the new spring.

As Michael stayed in the motor home to watch football, I went to view Charlevoix’s mushroom houses. Some 5-minutes’ drive past the Mushroom House and two gentlemen flagged me down asking if I knew where the Mushroom House was located! The long and short of it was that these gentlemen had rented the house and had gone out walking, got lost and couldn’t find their way back home! I gave them a lift back to the house where they eagerly posed for a photograph for my blog! Such nice gentlemen – they even tried to give me money for taking them home!

Available for rent throughout the year, The Thatch House has six bedrooms, five-and-a-half bathrooms, a media room and a lounge on the top floor where guests can enjoy sunsets over Lake Michigan.