Manistee County building now available for short-term rentals

The building’s new owner Greg Carlson, the founder of Five Star Real Estate in Grand Rapids, has rechristened it the Dala House. Its new name is a take on the Dala Horse, a symbol of good luck in Sweden which also represents qualities such as strength and courage.

When Carlson bought the house in 2021 he had his work cut out for him.

“When I purchased it, I thought I was going to come in and I was going to tidy things up … but it turned into a much bigger job,” Carlson said. “I bought this place in October of ‘21 and by December I made the decision that I was going to have to gut the whole thing.”

Property manager Corinn Fink said that work was done “around the clock” in 2022, which transformed the house “from the studs up.”

That meant new walls, windows, doors, siding and completely renovated rooms. 

There are now five individual suites in the building and four are completely furnished and available for rent.

“Guests will be treated to luxury bedding, spa-like bathrooms with rain shower heads, outside lounging porches located perfectly to get the summer lake breezes,” Fink said in an email to the News Advocate. “(It’s a) great location for northern Michigan golf, beach-going and all other activities in northern Michigan.”

Fink says that guests are already making reservations at the Dala House since it opened in early April.

“Near the marina on Portage Lake and public beaches, the Dala House is located on the scenic M-22 route and Arcadia Bluffs golf course and the wine country in Leelanau are both only short trips away,” states part of a listing on Airbnb.com. “The Dala House now has luxury suites with a state of the art water filtration system and hot water on demand.”

A listing for one suite at the Dala House highlights a number of amenities including a stocked kitchenette, living area with 50-inch TV, queen-sized bed and a patio/porch area with a private entrance.

The building, formerly known as the Grund House and later Hotel Onekama, was home to the local telephone switchboard which began service by 1914, according to information from the Portage Lake Association website.

“In 1908, Henry Sandenburgh, who had operated the boarding house in Williamsport, assumed operation of the hostelry, after Mrs. Sandenburgh purchased it. Improvements, which included moving an east wing to the rear of the building were made that year,” part of the website states.

Bill and Winona Green purchased the building in 1945 and renovated it into their home, with spaces for her beauty shop, which opened in 1936 and rental apartments. 

In total, Carlson said he spent around $304,000 to purchase the historic building, and over $1 million in renovations and interior decorating. 

“Corinn is playing that role (of property manager) to create a unique experience, that’s more than just a little motel setting — its higher end,” Carlson said. “So we’ve tried to put those little touches in that make people experience a new level.”

Carlson, a former Grand Rapids resident and now full-time Onekama homeowner, says he is fully invested in the area’s future and has purchased other properties near Portage Lake, including an office building.

He hopes his investments into the area will prompt others to follow suit.

“I just think that this area has so much potential,” he said. “I love this area and I’m grateful to be here and to have found this place, and I’m hopeful that people will find this place too, and that it will become known.”

For more information and updates find the Dala House on Facebook and Instagram.