Alex Bare and his family stand on the steps of the newly renovated cabin that will be utilized as an AirBnB located on the northeast corner of Starve Hollow Lake, 1531 W. County Road 400S, Vallonia.
Erika Malone | The Tribune
Submitted Photo | Alex Bare
The upstairs living room includes two large windows bringing in natural sunlight and various activities for families to enjoy.
Submitted Photo | Alex Bare
Realtor Alex Bare, right, and his wife Katie renovated a dilapidated one-story cabin into a cozy two-story AirBnB right outside the northeast corner of Starve Hallow Lake in Vallonia. His children pictured in the photo are from oldest, Natalie, Avery and Emmaline.
Erika Malone | The Tribune
Submitted Photo | Alex Bare
The cabin features a fully functional kitchen with a stainless steel oven and other amenities.
Submitted Photo | Alex Bare
The living room located downstairs includes a TV and an open space for families to come together.
Submitted Photo | Alex Bare
The upstairs living room also offers a dedicated work space.
Submitted Photo | Alex Bare
No septic, no water and no air conditioning.
Alex Bare and his wife, Katie, turned a single floor bare-boned shack into a two-story cozy cabin getaway for those who want to enjoy what nature has to offer.
Located on the northeast corner of Starve Hollow Lake at 1531 W. County Road 400S, Vallonia, Katie said they saw this property a long time ago and loved it.
“Because of the access to the public land he’s just always wanted it,” she said. “When it came up for sale it was a great opportunity.”
The couple bought the cabin in November of 2022 from a gentleman who had previously owned the property for 20 years.
From the time they bought the property until now, it took the couple a year and a half to change the small cabin into a serene AirBnB.
From constructing a second floor to staining all the planks by hand, the Bares said they were pleased to see their dream come to life.
“There are not a lot of AirBnB’s in this area so, we thought this would be a good place to have a nightly rental that people can come out and enjoy,” Alex said.
The Realtor from Re-Max in Seymour said he and his wife often do house flips as a side business venture and since moving to Seymour five years ago they have successfully renovated around six properties.
“He made it happen,” Katie said.
Alex said one of his favorite parts of renovating the cabin was installing two large windows on the second floor, something he was hesitant about at first.
“They were very expensive, but from the outside and the inside it makes the cabin what it is,” he said.
The couple said one of the most challenging parts of the process was receiving their easement from the state to re-install utilities on the property.
“When we brought our property there was an existing easement, but it was not a utility easement so at first we had no right to bring utilities back,” Alex said. “It took us about a year just to get that easement back. For a long time, we were like ‘Is this really going to happen?’,” Alex said.
With construction complete and the time came to decorate, Katie said she used Pinterest as inspiration for her styling and used neutral tones.
“I wanted to keep it simple,” she said. “We tried to make the outside and the inside fit for the area.”
With this being one of their biggest flips to date, the couple said they are excited to relax for a while before moving on to the next one.
“I think the goal is to do about one a year,” Alex said.
The “Hollow Creek Getaway” which includes three bedrooms, four beds and two baths has access to more than 2,000 acres of public land with hiking trails, fishing and hunting.
With added entertainment of air hockey, foosball and a firepit, the couple said it is the perfect location for a peaceful vacation with the family.
Now up and running, the price is discounted to $146 a night currently with an eventual average rate range between $180-$200 a night. It can be found on airbnb.com.
“We are excited to share this with everybody in the community,” he said. “It’s a great place for fun events, sleepovers and families.”