A gated estate near Holland has an asking price higher than any residential sale that’s closed in at least 20 years in Ottawa County.
A pair of out-of-state sellers listed their 8,600-square-foot main house and a 3,300-square-foot guest house on a lot next door in Park Township for an eye-popping $12.5 million on Aug. 2. The sellers, who own additional properties in Park Township, asked not to be named for privacy reasons.
Kersh Ruhl and Lauri Sisson, founding Realtors of Michigan Homes and Cottages/Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt in Holland, are representing the sellers.
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Based on a search of the multiple listing service Wednesday, the combined asking price is higher than any residential property sold in the county during the past 20 years.
The closest comparable sale was a five-bed, three-bath home with 825 feet of Lake Michigan frontage on 19.5 acres in Grand Haven Township that sold for $9 million in 2016.
The next highest Ottawa County list price for homes currently on the market is that of the Reenders mansion. The sellers cut the price to $7.85 million in May, down from January’s original list price of $8.1 million.
Sisson said she believes the price for the Park Township estate is justified because it’s a “one-of-a-kind property.”
“To recreate it would be nearly impossible,” Ruhl added, noting double lots are hard to find on Lake Macatawa.
The sellers acquired the properties in 2018, built the guest house from scratch and so extensively remodeled and added onto the main house that it’s unrecognizable from the original structure built in 2007, Ruhl and Sisson said.
The general contractor for both homes, which were completed in 2019, was Holland Township-based BPS Builders LLC.
Outdoor living
Together, the properties comprise about 1.6 acres on Pine Creek Bay, in the coveted Waukazoo Woods neighborhood.
“The location is pretty stunning,” Sisson said.
Ruhl added that Pine Creek Bay is a “calmer” part of Lake Macatawa. “Parking a boat at your dock becomes a whole lot easier in Pine Creek Bay, just due to the protective nature of the bay. So it’s really ideal for boaters,” he said.
The estate includes 215 feet of water frontage and docks with eight slips and lifts for boats, kayaks and dinghies. One of the slips is zero step, allowing wheelchair users to easily access a boat.
The grounds feature impeccable landscaping; a huge patio with an outdoor kitchen, grills, fire rings and a covered lounge for TV watching by the fireplace; an outdoor heated pool and hot tub; pickleball and volleyball courts; a custom playground; a vegetable garden; and an eight-stall garage.
Ruhl said the outdoor pool area is one of his favorites, as the cooking surfaces are equipped with appliances to cook in just about any culinary style or technique, and the pedestals around the gated perimeter have individual speakers instead of a central loudspeaker, for a quieter ambient sound.
“It’s like a resort,” he said.
Indoor luxury
The main house features six beds and eight baths, while the guest house has three beds and four baths. Both the main and guest houses boast panoramic lake views.
The palatial primary residence features a main floor owner’s suite with a large bathroom with double sinks and two closets, and a tub for soaking while watching TV.
Its main floor also includes a vestibule equipped with party refrigerators, ample storage and boat key management; a massive great room with high coffered ceilings and a two-sided stone fireplace; a large open-plan kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances that flows into a spacious dining room; and one of the home’s two offices.
A main-level sunroom is also stacked with amenities, including a refreshment center, ice makers, a glassware dishwasher and a co*cktail pantry.
An elevator offers access to all levels. Upstairs are more bedrooms, and a bonus room includes a pool table, game table, home theater and lake views. An upper floor family loft provides a kitchenette, laundry area, play area, bunk rooms, a nursery and bathrooms.
Ruhl described the layout as “thoughtful” in its planning and execution.
“The flow of the house was designed in such a way that it just makes life easier,” he said.
Guest cottage, tech features
The smaller dwelling offers the same level of luxury as the owner’s residence.
It has a second-story living area that includes an open foyer on the main level, a covered front porch, a primary bedroom with an en suite bathroom, a second bedroom with a cozy sitting area and a dorm room that sleeps six, per the listing.
There’s an upper-level screened deck, as well as a game room with table and arcade games.
The three-stall guest garage is designed with two stalls facing the driveway and one stall facing the lake, which lets occupants store their boat gear and easily access the dock.
The house is equipped with a Control4 home automation system that offers distributed audio and 21 TVs, per the listing.
An advanced home security system has cameras and central station monitoring. Two large generators provide backup power for the complex.
The outdoor spaces have a snowmelt system for the concrete to allow residents to walk to the hot tub in winter without trudging through snow and ice.
For those times when overflow space is needed, the property also features RV parking with hook-ups for power, water, sewer and cable.
There’s also a dog run with secure gates, a dog door/room, hot and cold water spigot, and a nightly wash-down system.
“It’s a true luxury estate,” Ruhl said. Sisson added: “Every detail is so well thought out.”
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