House for sale in St Joseph, MI - Beautiful Refuge for $347,777
ST JOSEPH MICHIGAN HOUSE FOR SALE - THE BEAUTIFUL FOUNDATION FOR A COMFORTABLE AND SECURE FUTURE
Current owners
Meet Scott and Eka
The Michigan Wildflower House was purchased in 2020 to be our home. The home had the perfect bones for us to build a home that could be a shelter from the storms of nature but also from the circumstances of the world like the COVID events that had engulfed the world at that time. Life changed and our St Joseph, MI house is for sale.
When
The Michigan Wildflower House was purchased in 2020 to be our home. The home had the perfect bones for us to build a home that could be a shelter from the storms of nature but also from the circumstances of the world like the COVID events that had engulfed the world at that time. Life changed and our St Joseph, MI house is for sale.
When we moved in virtually everything was original to the house from 1967. Since December 2020 we have updated almost every surface inside and out, including the landscaping.
The goal has been to upgrade the house so that it could be heated and cooled regardless of the power grid or utility's ability to supply energy. We added solar in 2022 to have a long term guarantee of stability in our electrical costs. The furnace and AC are operational but outdated. The AC unit has a leaking drain pan. Our plan was to replace them in 2022 but "supply chain issues" for both the well digging and the geothermal unit delayed that. With the combination of the solar and the geothermal unit the utility costs would be locked in at under $100 per month. We are providing a $6,000 allowance towards a new HVAC system or geothermal system.
home pictures
EXTERIOR
A new metal roof is in the process of being installed and will be completed prior to the home sale.
This roof will be the last roof the house will need for 40+ years. The roof was installed over the asphalt roof for insulation, sound deadening, and additional protection.
The home is brick lower level and aluminum siding on the upper level.
The fascia and soffit are painted wood. The process of adding more soffit ventilation has been started.
The aluminum siding was painted in 2021 (front and west) and 2023 (rear and east).
Our plan for the house is to replace the aluminum siding with a vertical steel panel siding. See example in the photo below.
PLAN FOR REPLACING THE SIDING
One alternative that we were considering for the aluminum siding is a reflective vertical siding that will reflect the colors of the wildflowers in the yard and look amazing with some landscaping lights on it. This is an example from Latitude 42 in Oshtemo, MI.
YARD AND LANDSCAPING - WILDFLOWERS
We call this the Michigan Wildflower House because we converted a large portion of the yard from lawn to Michigan wildflowers. This was done to dramatically cut maintenance and chemical use, to provide beautiful blooms from March through December, to create an environment that supports pollinators (bees, butterflies, humming birds) and the beauty they bring.
YARD AND LANDSCAPING - RECREATION
We also prioritized dedicating the side yard from lawn space to recreation and again wildflowers. We are in the process of installing a pickle ball court that can also be used for basketball, volleyball, badminton, and a skating rink in the winter. It could also be used as a large patio area or additional parking.
YARD AND LANDSCAPING - GARDEN SHED
The home has a large gardening shed that provides an amazing amount of seasonal storage. The shed was new in 2019.
YARD AND LANDSCAPING - BACKYARD
The home's backyard has a large area of wildflowers too with a fire pit area in the center of the backyard. The plan is to have a restful fire pit area surrounded by fruit trees and wildflowers. Our plans included a deck from the dining room patio door that would rise by two steps to a main deck and then steps down from there to the fire pit area. Our plans also included removing the tree in the southwest part of the backyard. Included with that was a plan to bury the power line from the southwest corner to the house.
YARD AND LANDSCAPING - FOOD SECURITY
The last few years have highlighted the need for a plan B in case "supply chain issues" impact your ability to get food. We have planted the yard with edible perennials, berries, fruit trees, an area for raised, and vertical gardens, and an area for chickens for eggs. The wildflowers would also be leveraged for honey production.
GARAGE
The house has a two car garage that was renovated to add significant storage and organization space. The garage also has significant attic space that is easily accessed with a set of pull down stairs.
MAIN LEVEL - MUDROOM, BREEZEWAY AND 4-SEASON ROOM
One of the main renovations on the house was the conversion of a covered patio space into a heated and cooled four season room, mudroom, and breezeway. The four season room has a large craft-style work desk. The space was intended for a work shop/crafting area but has become my office. Because of the south east exposure of the room we planned to put a vertical farming structure (there is a a grow light that will be installed on the ceiling). We also planned to use a solar radiant heating for the space in the winter to supplement the mini split.
MAIN LEVEL - KITCHEN
The kitchen is a good size at 14.6' x 10-1/4" and has been freshly painted, with new flooring, dishwasher, backsplash, faucet and window. The stove and oven are gas. The kitchen sink is in front of two large windows in a corner to provide light and a view of the backyard. In the medium term we were going to remove the wall separating the kitchen and dining room to make the space and natural lighting more open.
MAIN LEVEL - DINING ROOM
We have a small family so we had no use for a dining room . Eka currently uses the space for growing plants because of the southern exposure and natural light,
Our one renovation that we would do on the room is to convert a nook that was probably intended to house a hutch, to a laundry closet (space for washer and dryer). or just for extended kitchen storage and built-in shelves for plants. The flooring is new.
UPPER LEVEL - HALL BATHROOM
The hallway bathroom is a very good size with a large closet, plenty of under cabinet storage and three large medicine cabinets. The tub/shower could use a refreshing.
home pictures
UPPER LEVEL - MASTER SUITE
The original master suite is a typical master suite from the 1970s. It is a nice sized 14’ x 14’ room, with a large traditional closet. This is a perfect mother-in-law suite or guest suite. Our short term plans were to replace the carpet in the room and the windows.
UPPER LEVEL - MASTER SUITE
The master suite bathroom has a shower. The cabinet, tile and floor need refreshing.
UPPER LEVEL - 2ND BEDROOM
The western bedroom is 14” x 10-1/2’ with a large closet and a western-facing window and a north-facing window. We currently use it as a large secondary walk-in closet, but it is an excellent location for a home office.
UPPER LEVEL - 3RD BEDROOM
The north side upper level bedroom is 12’ x 10-1/2’ with a good size closet. It was in our plan to change the window and the carpet.
LOWER LEVEL - OUR SANCTUARY
The house was previously set up with a traditional layout of all bedrooms on the upper level and a large family room in the lower level. That lower level also has a small full bathroom, and a small bedroom attached off of the family room. The lower level is not the basement and the windows are above grade for egress. That bedroom was converted to a walk-in closet. That room also has a beautiful (romantic) gas fireplace. We love that this space became our sanctuary.
LOWER LEVEL - WALK IN CLOSET
A small bedroom off of the former family room was converted to a very good size walk in closet. See the gallery below for more photos.
LOWER LEVEL - MASTER BATH
The master bathroom is small, with a small shower , good sized closet and a small vanity. Our future plans were to move the closet space into the walk in closet's sliding door closet area. , and then extend the shower/tub into the former closet space.
BASEMENT - UTILITIES ROOM
The basement can be accessed through the lower master suite/living room or through the mudroom. The layout creates and opportunity to develop the basement area into a separate rental space. Currently the utilities room houses the HVAC. With a geothermal system a lot of that space can be freed. This is also where the laundry area is and has a lot of room for storage.
BASEMENT - OFFICE/CRAFT ROOM/LIVING ROOM
We began the process of converting a "playroom" from previous owners. The space is very large. With the stairway egress to the garage the space could be used as a guest room. We are in the process of installing laminate flooring for the space. The current ceiling needs some attention.
Our Photo Gallery
