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Herriman's "Up" house will finally be a home.
The house has been sold, but visitors will still have a chance to see the Disney/Pixar tribute done up in its holiday finest through December.
The house was never officially listed for sale, but builder Blair Bangerter said he decided to sell after meeting Clinton and Lynette Hamblin and realizing they loved the movie just as much, if not more, than he did.
"They love it. They want to leave it just as it is," Bangerter said. "We're leaving it in good hands."
The house is literally a dream come true for the Hamblins, who had been searching for a house with an "Up" feel near their current home in Petaluma, Calif. The couple are self-described Pixar and Disney fanatics.
"We just love the message of the movie — adventure is out there," Lynette Hamblin said of "Up."
Clinton Hamblin was the first to see the house on a visit to his dying grandmother, and immediately knew he wanted to buy it. The home's $400,000 price tag seemed reasonable compared to California housing prices, and the couple had been considering a move back to Utah to raise their children. Hamblin was telling his mother about the house when his grandmother's musings on her death struck him as a sign.
"Isn't this wonderful? What an adventure I'm on," Lynette Hamblin recalls her saying hours before passing away.
The couple found other little signs pointing them to the house, and became convinced it was meant to be. Lynette Hamblin recalls gasping when her husband showed her the brochure, because the retro powder-blue kitchen appliances were the same ones she had chosen for the "Up"-inspired home they were searching for in California.
The couple is scheduled to close on the home Jan. 4 — Lynette's birthday — and hope the homeowners association will allow them to keep the sherbet-colored pastel exterior. The only changes they plan to make are adding their own furniture and Lynette's glass works, most of which are Disney-inspired and include a large number of "Up" pieces.
"There's Disney magic all through it," she said. "We're so glad so many people have had a chance to see it."
The house continues to draw about 1,000 people each week during visiting hours, Bangerter said, and more are expected during the holidays. The house has drawn international attention to Herriman with features in People magazine and The New York Times as well as numerous Disney-tribute blogs.
City spokeswoman Nicole Martin estimates around 45,000 people have passed through Herriman to see the home. City leaders passed a resolution last month honoring the house and its economic impact on the community.
Bangerter received special permission from Disney to build the house, on the condition that after completion, plans were turned over to the media giant, making the house the only one of its kind.
Those who don't tour the home before the end of the year will still get a chance to see its exterior, as the Hamblins plan to leave it as-is — through their retirement. The Hamblins relate closely to "Up" characters Carl and Ellie, even experiencing the pain of miscarriage just like in the movie, and want to grow old together as they did.
"That movie just made us grow as a couple," Lynette Hamblin said. "Life is never over, and adventure is out there." —
Last chance to see 'Up' house
P The "Up" house is decorated for the holidays and will be open for tours from noon to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays in December, except for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Tours are free. The house is at 13215 S. 5390 West, Herriman.