Man Living in Cave Faces Foreclosure

ABC News ^ | February 24, 2009 | SCOTT MAYEROWITZ

[americanophile]

You've heard plenty of stories about foreclosures, but the latest victims of this brutal recession are about to lose their cave.

That's right. For nearly five years, Curt Sleeper and his family have lived in a cave. His mortgage is about to come due and, like millions of other Americans, he can't refinance.

So now, the 17,000-square-foot, subterranean home is being auctioned off on eBay.

Sleeper and his wife Deborah bought the cave outside St. Louis in May 2004 for $160,000. To pay for it, they sold their old home, TV and even the DVD collection. They made a 50 percent down payment and borrowed the other $80,000 from the seller. It was a five-year loan with a single balloon payment at the end.

The Sleepers now have until May 1 to pay off the remaining $83,000 or sell the property. It's not a foreclosure sale yet, but if they can't come up with the money, they risk losing the house.

Besides the initial $80,000 payment, Sleeper said he spent another $150,000 on renovations to the cave and the surrounding 2.8 acres he owns.

The original plan was to refinance. But Sleeper, a self-employed computer consultant, said...

[jprobst]

What Batman is gay and is joining O’s new army?

[Mr. K]

wow! I’ll buy it

[tbw2]

I think the 160K was more for the 2.8 acres.

[melissa_in_ga]

I haven’t read all the comments, but was aware of this story.

1. I lived in the Festus/Crystal City area until I was 7. My father grew up there, and my grandmother recently passed away, still living in Festus. Beautiful area.

2. He took out owner financing for a creative home. One of his problems is he can’t get any comparables. I mean really...how many people actually live in caves? This cave has some history, though. If you look him up on Ebay, some rock bands played there (Bob Seger comes to mind).

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Either ‘The House on the Rock’ or my own lead-lined bunker, LOL!

[tbw2]

I think he poured so much into renovations he forgot to save for the balloon.

[SatinDoll]

Yes, it sure can. But my roof isn’t tons of limestone measured in yards!

[americanophile]

LOL!

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Wish I had the cash to buy that place.

[Sir_Ed]

I saw this on a TV show years ago, something like Vacation Home Search or somesuch, and it is a VERY nice cave...it has a river running through it, stalactites in areas, and would be a way cool place to live in.

Too bad he couldn’t make it work...

Ed

[Sir_Ed]

Beautiful!

What state’s that in?

Ed

[PureSolace]

That’s a kickass house! I want one!

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Uh-oh! Alley Oop is about to go homeless!

[beaversmom]

Me too.

[beaversmom]

We've driven by Hole in the Rock a couple of times in Utah. We always wanted to go in, but me being cheapskate didn't want to pay the admittance:

Roadside America

Albert Christensen's home is in a neighborhood of its own -- the knobby, treeless void of southeastern Utah. Not content to be just another guy with a drill and a dream, he hand-carved his luxurious suite of rooms out of a natural cliff face in the 1940s. He called it Hole N' The Rock. It lies on US Highway 191, south of the natural thrills hub town of Moab -- seasonably overrun by hiker hordes, rock climbers, off-roaders, and rafters.

Albert blasted and drilled for 12 years, then moved in with his wife Gladys in 1952. The couple operated a diner in the first room until 1955 (Albert's first heart attack). Albert died in 1957, but Gladys lived 17 more years, running a cafe and gift shop.

Today, the cliff is covered with huge painted white letters that scream out "Hole N' The Rock," letting passersby know there's something here that's wondrously unnatural. A Rushmore-like head of Franklin Roosevelt is carved into an alcove near the entrance.

Inside is a 5,000 square foot home with 14 rooms. Some are interesting simply because of the sheer rock-carving mania they required. A cavernous bathroom is referred to as "a toilet in a tomb."

When not chipping out more closet space, Albert dabbled in taxidermy. Some of his projects, such as two stuffed horses and a donkey (beloved pet "Harry"), are displayed, along with his religious paintings. Not without her own pursuits, Gladys's doll collection is left untouched as a memorial.

When he died, Albert was starting work on a 100' staircase that would cut up to the top of the rock, where his wife would have arranged a rock garden. Mr. and Mrs. are both buried in an alcove a short walk from the entrance.

Elsewhere in Utah, Hole-in-the-something attractions thrive, no doubt inspired by Albert's work. There's that Gas Station-In-The-Rock in Hanksville. And let's not forget the Bed and Breakfast-in-the-Rock in the Canyonlands area, with rooms originally carved by a polygamist for each wife to live in, confided a scandalized cashier at Albert's place...

Erik and Wyndee Hansen purchased the "Rock" from Gladys' son, Hub Davis, in 2000. They've added a trading post, surrounded by an array of outdoor statuary for sale, and a 2-story outhouse. They intend to preserve the interior as is.

[gorush]

West/Central Wisc.

[Sir_Ed]

Thanks, with your name Gold Rush, I thought it might have been in the Sierras!

It’s a lovely piece of property...

Ed

[gorush]

Thanks, but no, the screen name just identifies me as a big fan of the MahaRushie.

[Sir_Ed]

Oh, of course!

My mistake...thank God for Rush!!

Ed