If Life’s a Beach.. Retirement is a Beach House with Haiku Fans

Bob Gurga and his wife, Lisa Lucke, moved into a “retirement home” a few years ago. Their retirement home is a little different than most, however. It doesn’t offer shuffleboard, or knitting nights, or watercolor lessons. And when there are “residents meetings,” Bob and Lisa are the only people in attendance, though their cat and their three Norwich terriers demand a say in matters too.

The couple’s home is on Vashon Island, a ferry ride away from Seattle. It began as an 800-sq-ft cabin in the 1930s, but the only things about it that haven’t changed over the years are its waterfront location and jaw-dropping views. By the time Bob and Lisa moved in, the house was vastly expanded but wall-to-wall beige and floor-to-ceiling boring. They’ve spent much of their time since then updating and renovating, with new windows, fresh coats of paint and new ceiling fans and light fixtures. At last count they have four Haiku fans installed, with more to come.

Bob says an appreciation for good design is in his DNA. He spent 37 years working for Honda, in everything from service, to sales and marketing, to product planning and development. By the time he retired, he was Vice President of the Motorcycle Division of American Honda — in charge of “the fun stuff,” as he calls it. He saw his first Big Ass Fan at a Honda Museum in Torrance, California, and it impressed him enough that when he and Lisa needed ceiling fans for their house, they went with Big Ass’s residential Haiku fans.

Bob appreciates the aerodynamic shape of the blades, or airfoils as we call them. And they both love the convenience of the fans’ SenseME technology, which they’ve integrated with Nest thermostats. Haiku fans are in the living room, two bedrooms, and a designated yoga room, where the airflow really makes a difference by the end of the practice. And because the fans don’t make a peep, they never interfere with Lisa’s concentration.

Thanks to the automatic comfort and convenience of the Haiku products, Bob and Lisa have more time to focus on the things they want to do in  retirement, including volunteer work, gardening and planning their next trip.

As the old Gershwin song goes, that sounds like pretty nice “work” if you can get it!