It has all the trappings of a luxury country estate that even the pickiest homebuyer could wish for, but there are a few unexpected extras that really set this Michigan property apart from other high-end homes on the market. Now on offer for $6 million (£5m), the Doomsday-ready compound is built to offer protection should disaster strike, with a video surveillance security system throughout, a nine-acre private lake and its own underground bunker that can comfortably hold 20 people. Click on to explore...
The current owner is renowned Scientologist and drug rehabilitation centre owner, Per Wickstrom. He began building the compound in 2013 and over the next five years developed the grounds to include a 20-person bunker, in preparation for a natural disaster or nuclear war (or indeed, a global pandemic). According to local news site WBCK, Wickstrom is selling the property whilst going through a divorce with wife Svetlana, pictured.
The property encompasses just over 323 acres, incorporating a mix of woodland and wetlands. It offers direct access to five lakes, and mature rolling timberland that has remained unharvested for years. A half-mile-long driveway leads up to the main house and three additional homes can also be found dotted around the circumference of the acreage, including a Stone House and a Lake cottage.
Once inside discover open-plan living; with high ceilings, large windows, sliding doors and decked verandas that provide unspoiled views out across the Deep Lake and beyond, without another person to be seen for miles. Within the 8,364-square-foot indoor living areas, you will find a total of five bedrooms, six full bathrooms and three half bathrooms.
This spacious hallway welcomes you inside, beckoning you towards the expansive winding staircase. Walk up those stairs and you'll find the second and third floors with separate hallways to a master suite and the bathroom-connected 'Jack and Jill' suite. Luxury flooring reigns throughout, in walnut, marble and tile.
Across the main floor, you'll find the open-plan living areas, illuminated via large windows, recessed spot lighting and chandeliers. This light and airy space connects the family, dining and kitchen areas to the outdoors via sliding doors.
In the kitchen, you will find many high-end appliances, including a Sub Zero refrigerator, a six-burner Thermador range/griddle, a Thermador dishwasher, a Miele built-in coffee system, a KitchenAid built-in microwave, custom cabinetry and quartz countertops. Conveniently, a Whirlpool washer and dryer can also be found on every level.
With tree-framed views out over the veranda, the wood-panelled private office provides a cosy space to hash out a plan for when the apocalypse hits.
The main decked porch boasts dramatic views out across the private lake, providing extra living space to sit and admire the sunset across the entire acreage.
You'll be pleased to learn that the entire lower level features in-floor heating and multiple fireplaces, perfect for chilly winter nights fending off an inevitable apocalyptic snowstorm. You’ll also discover a kitchenette complete with refrigerated drawers, ice maker, and wet bar, should the world be consumed by firestorms instead.
The fifth bedroom suite lies on the lower level, with a large double bed that faces out towards surrounding greenery, with an ensuite bathroom to your right.
On this level you'll also find a large recreational/living space, featuring a mirrored workout room and a yoga room, to keep your fitness levels up during any fallout-related lockdown. The spa hosts infrared, steam and dry saunas, a hot tub built by Endless Pools, a heated towel rack and even a laundry room.
For those lonely nights spent facing the impending end of the world, this home cinema room comes kitted out with a wall-mounted projector, multi-level seating and luxury recliners with drinks holders in the arms. Now, let’s check out the second floor…
There you'll discover sliding door access to the sweeping composite decking, affording glorious views out over the nine-acre Deep Lake.
Deep Lake lives up to its name, at 30 feet in depth. The expansive, privately owned body of water is stocked with bluegill, bass, perch, crappie and bait fish.
The master bedroom suite has beautiful hardwood floors and a statement four-poster bed, as well as large walk-in wardrobes fitted with a wealth of built-in cabinetry and offering plenty of storage options. It also hosts its own bathroom suite.
The master bathroom is awash with marble and mirrors, all lit by a chandelier. Here you can enjoy a full-sized, jetted soaking bath tub, laundry room and matching twin bathroom and shower rooms, avoiding any arguments between partners.
The entirety of the third floor is currently utilised as one large walk-in wardrobe. But if that wasn’t quite enough space for your hazmat suits and designer threads, there's another, remarkably neat and tidy walk-in wardrobe on the second floor, complete with a window seat for some much-needed reflection time.
You won’t find yourself short of parking space, with four uncovered spaces and four garages. Technically, since it’s private land and there are 323 acres available, you could also park a helicopter or two, if you needed to.
Painted in camouflage and concealed beneath six inches of steel, this huge bunker hides in plain sight within the compound. The 5,000-square-foot underground shelter has an air purification system, solar-power and is connected to running water and electricity, so inhabitants can survive doomsday for months.
Constructed and installed by Rising S Bunkers from Texas, the shelter has not one but two fully functioning kitchens, where you could cook up a post-apocalyptic feast from all the grow-room produce you’ve lovingly cultivated.
The solar-powered steel bunker even comes with a shooting range, presumably to prep for impending attacks by zombies, or simply to practice your aim and dispel some inevitable cabin fever.
You may not realise this, but the compound comes with three extra homes. Here we have the Guest House, located at 10257 Crase Road. Originally built in 1971, this single storey 962-square-foot house was remodelled in 2017 and features natural gas, air conditioning, a backup generator and a surveillance system for the surrounding grounds.
Next up we have the lake house, located near the northeast corner of the property. This lakeside cottage had been home to the caretaker in the past, and is one of the more private houses with direct access to the lake. Here you’ll find three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a large pole barn to the rear for storing equipment.
Originally built in 1925, the three-bedroom Stonehouse was refurbished in 1990 and has its own basement. The charming stone exterior surrounds 1,344 square feet of interior space, and was a rental property in the past.
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