The odds against it were enormous, roughly 1-in-76,000,000, but someone had to win the gorgeous new house with stunning views of Vermont's tallest peak, and Erik Makstenieks was that man.
Makstenieks, 39, a stay-at-home Dad from a suburb of Chicago, walked up the driveway of his new vacation home Friday morning with his wife Katie and family in tow.
The couple had never been to Vermont until they learned they had won the HGTV 'Dream Home Giveaway' last month -- a $2 million package that included the keys to a fully-furnished 3,400 square foot getaway, a 2011 GMC Denali SUV, and $500,000 in cash.
"I cannot believe it," Mrs. Makstenieks, 34, said as she walked through the front door for the first time. "We are so blessed."
At one point, standing in the family's new living room with 15-foot tall windows overlooking the Stowe Mountain Resort ski trails still covered in white, Mrs. Makstenieks seemed close to tears.
"We will definitely learn to ski, it's certainly motivation sitting in these chairs and looking out at those ski hills seeing people go down," she said. The couple has two young children and plan to make the Stowe house a vacation getaway.
For the local community, months of glowing national HGTV promotion provided considerable exposure as well.
"The Dream Home has cache, marketing cache, and the impact will last a long time," said Michael Colbourn, Vice-President of Stowe Mountain Resort. "Just the entries alone in the contest -- 76 million people, 76 million impressions -- of Stowe and of Vermont, is a dream come true, a marketing dream come true."
Colbourn joined HGTV executives and a crowd of cheering sponsors to watch the Makstenieks receive the keys to the new house. Dozens of companies contributed building materials, furniture and appliances incorporated into the house.
"It turned out beautifully," said project builder BRendan O'Reilly of Gristmill Builders of Stowe. "It's a great functional house, and it's very environmentally friendly."
Many of the planks used on the siding and trim were milled nearby. The home features an outdoor spa, multiple fireplaces, a bunk bed with room for 8, an expansive master suite, and gourmet kitchen with top of the line appliances.
And those views.
"Just driving here from the airport, it's a beautiful state," said Mrs. Makstenieks, who works at an investment bank in Chicago. "And we've heard amazing things about the town, people are already so nice and friendly and welcoming,"
0 comments:
Post a Comment