HELEN, GA
Below are a series of videos for this destination. I will show you all the ins and outs of the Helen house, probably more than you really need to know. In these videos I very thoroughly make my way through the whole property and show you how to operate, clean, and use the house to its fullest.
GETTING TO HELEN
Thanks for considering borrowing my Helen, GA property from me. The idea of this first video is to go over the costs of this property and how many people you can expect to have at the house comfortably. I'll go over what's expected of you during your stay on the property. I believe most of us share the same obsessions and ideals, so I don't expect many issues. Thanks for the consideration, be sure to watch the rest of the videos below to learn more about the property.
There are a few steps in the process of getting through security and making your way to the Helen property. You'll have no issues getting to the house as all the roads are paved and lowered car safe. Once you arrive at the guardhouse you'll have three ways of entering (asking the guard, passcode, or card). On your initial visit, you'll have a quick form to fill out, and then afterward, you'll be able to make your way to the Helen property.
Once you have arrived at the Helen property, you'll have specific parking that I ask you to please abide by. I also ask you to be mindful of the neighbors and park behind the expansion joint I show in the video. The parking at Helen can accommodate plenty of cars, so you shouldn't run into any issues with space for your vehicles or any guests you might have over.
PRIMARY ROOMS FUNCTION & OVERVIEW
The house has 4 AC units. When you enter the house the temperature should already be set to 72-73 degrees. The Carrier Infinity system is very easy to use and it doesn't take long for the house to cool down. When you enter, you'll find the main controller and extra zone controllers throughout the house. You can adjust all zones from the larger main controller upstairs or each zone independently through its own smaller controller.
The Helen house is pretty big, so it has quite a few light switches with quite a few functions on each control. I will explain how the Lutron switches work and their different functions. After a few days in the house, you should have no problem operating all the home switches. Some are not on the RA2 Lutron system (like the pantry), so they will have different functionalities than the other RA2 controls in the house.
There are some specifics you need to know about the Master Bedroom. Right now the shades work sometimes... (This is an issue I will fix when I remove the automation system). The Master wing has two AC zones. The power outlets on the right side of the bed are controlled by the lamp switch on the wall. The outlets on the right side are not controlled by a switch. As of now, the bedroom fan doesn't work. The house should have a new BigAss Fan installed before anyone visits.
The Master bathroom has quite a lot going on with a bunch of switches for lights, fans, and the sauna. You'll have two separate vanities and two toilets. The bathroom has a large jet tub you can use to relax in and a large walk-in steam shower. I suggest you leave the shower door open after use so the steam can exit the shower to the exhaust fans. The sauna is something I'm not an expert on, but the panel is relatively easy to use and should be self-explanatory; just don't bake yourself too long. The bathroom does have heated floors. This feature will be extremely useful during the winter months.
I have four separate baths in the house, not counting the Master bath. Each bathroom will be fully stocked with linens. We'll have supplied soap and shampoo if needed. These bathrooms are somewhat basic and easy to use. These four extra bathrooms should be enough to accommodate you and any guests that might join you.
The closet organization system at Helen is pretty impressive. The Master closet itself is larger than some bedrooms. All the closets in the house will be updated to our custom closet solution around phases 3-4 of the Helen house transformation. You shouldn't have any problems storing a week's worth of clothes during your stay at Helen.
The kitchen at the property is pretty impressive and you can make just about anything you want here. I suggest you watch the video on this area of the house so you can understand the function of every appliance here. Most of you are adults and have used a kitchen appliance before. The flatware at the house is from Lenox. One thing I hate is crappy flatware at a rental house. You'll have everything you need to make a full meal and eat it too.
I go over the use and functionality of the laundry room and general cleaning supplies at the Helen, GA destination. It's relatively simple; I've supplied you with everything you need. You're more than welcome to bring your own supplies if you wish. I talk about how to wash the microfiber towels using the specialty product sold at Obsessed Garage called Rags to Riches. If you need to clean some basic things around the house during your stay, I show you where all the cleaning supplies are, along with the vacuum cleaner. Please don't trash my place; all I ask is you clean up after yourself as if it was your own home.
If extra linens are needed, I'll have them available for you. You're more than welcome to use the laundry in the house if you want to wash bed sheets or towels during your stay. Each bed has two sets of sheets, so feel free to change them if you're someone who changes sheets often. Linens will be cleaned before your arrival. If extra linens are needed, the closet is located in the hallway of the master wing.
The living room entertainment system has an LG OLED display and a full 7-channel surround with DynAudio speakers. You'll have access to most of the streaming services available so you do not need to log into your own streaming services. Please do not log out of the streaming services. This is a pretty nice system and I would guess better than what most will have in their home, I think you'll enjoy it!
The home audio system in the house is pretty stout. Right now, I have 4 zones of audio in the house that are operating on the BluOS software. Once you're logged into the Helen WiFi network, you'll have full access to these audio zones. BluOS can work with Spotify Connect, AirPlay, or Bluetooth. You can control these zones from within the BluOS app you'd access from your smart device. Watch the video for a full explanation of the usage of the BluOS software.
An oasis inside of an oasis. This space is unlike any other in the house outside of the garage. Prepare to be engulfed with premium sound while enjoying maximum comfort on our massive, u-shaped couch. We’ve decked this area out with Dynaudio speakers, Dynaudio subwoofers, an NAD T778 receiver, NAD amplifiers, and an Apple TV 4K. There’s one caveat here; if you’re not careful, you will doze off on the couch because of how comfortable it is. You’ve been warned.
THE GARAGE
The lighting system in the garage is pretty easy to use. This is something you'll want to pay attention to because I guess that a lot of you will want this in your garage at home. We're using a mix of CREE, SLG & Maxlite lights in the space to make the best-lit garage we've ever built.
You're welcome to use everything in the garage; I only ask that you treat my garage as if it were your own. You'll have access to every tool you could ever need. I have a complete collection of Milwaukee tools available, accompanied by cabinets filled with Sonic Tools. If you get your car dirty while staying here, we have fully stocked the garage with every car detailing product you’ll need. If you want to paint correct your vehicle while you’re here, go for it. The Helen garage was remodeled entirely to showcase the vision of what I call being Obsessed.
I'll have a full OG Spec custom install available for you to use while you're staying here at Helen. I'm sure many of you have seen me use this system on video or you have one of our custom install systems yourself. If this is your first time using our custom install I suggest you watch the video to get the best use out of the system and understand its function.
While your stay at the house you're more than welcome to use the car lift. It's pretty easy to operate the Nussbaum lift. I'll have everything you need in the Sonic lockers to get your cars up in the air. I'm going to trust you to not smash your vehicle into the giant steel beam above it, you won't hurt the house but you will 100% destroy your car. Please watch the whole video on how to operate the lift before using it!
The Helen garage has a full Prevost, COXREEL, and Fiac silent rotary screw air compressor installed for your use. The garage will have three hose reels at your access that you can use to blow out polish pads, fill tires or use a pneumatic polisher if you would like. This is a pretty self-explanatory system. If you have any problems just let us know.
The garage has a pretty stout sound system. The usage is pretty easy, it will already be in standby mode and ready for you. You simply need to hit the home button on the Apple TV remote & switch the receiver to HDMI 1 input as shown in the video. Please do not jack the volume up high if you don't hear anything playing, this system is very loud when at 25% volume so don't blow up the speakers! I do ask you to keep the doors shut if you're blasting your favorite music and the neighbors are home. If you're tech savvy you should have no problem using this system.
OTHER ROOMS FUNCTION & OVERVIEW
I have an entire desk setup in the house for those who want to sit down and get some work done. The desk has two USB-C cables to plug in your laptop and has full audio and video support from the ultrawide Dell monitor and Dynaudio speakers. If you prefer to sit or stand, the desk is a motorized L-desk from UpLift so that you can choose your desired working comfort.
I will walk you through the process of using the EVO flattop grill. You'll want to use the scraper I've supplied to clean the top; I find it best to scrape and clean the grill while it is still a little hot - don't have it on full heat. Think of the EVO grill like a giant cast iron skillet; don't ruin it with heavy cleaners. You don't want to get the EVO flattop perfectly clean with soap and detergent; doing so will remove any seasoning from the top. After you've scraped the grill top, you’ll want to scrub it with some avocado oil with the supplied abrasive pad for a final cleaning. Lastly, you’d wipe the excessive avocado oil from the top with toweling and then wipe the rest of the grill down with the cleaner provided.
Okay, this is my new favorite area of the property; this outdoor kitchen is equipped with Naturekast cabinets. These are the best outdoor cabinets in the market, this cabinet array will outlast you. Equipped with an Alfresco grill and EVO cooktop, they make some really good steaks and smash burgers! In this video, I will go over what you need to get you going and what you need to do when cleaning up. This kitchen is a functional and fully equipped cooking area that allows you to prepare, cook, and serve meals while enjoying the great outdoors, with plenty of seating for all your guests that stay at the home. After your first cookout, you will see why I love this section of the house!
The pool at Helen is pretty simple. The whole system is managed through a very simple wireless AquaLink Jandy remote system. Helen has a pool service that comes out every week to manage the pool and associated systems. The pool area does have a small kitchenette with a sink, cooler. Please remember the pool is heated, so make sure you do not leave the heater on all day. Be sure to watch the video where I go into greater detail about how the pool functions operate through the remote control system.
The game room in the basement is set up with a ping-pong table, arcade machines, kitchenette, eating area, and a TV with most streaming services already logged in for easy watching. Over time this room will evolve and have more fun stuff added to entertain yourself, family, and friends.
The perfect shot of expresso and latté happens with this high-end machine. Linea Mini features include dual boilers, an integrated group, a hot water spout, a thermal stability system, an internal pump, PID control, a water reservoir, connected app capability, and barista lights. It seems like a lot for an expresso machine, but we’re doing nothing less than a lot here at Destination OG.
Matt doesn’t drink coffee, but many of you who will experience this place do, which is why we wanted to have this iconic machine in the house. It perfectly synchronizes grind, brew time, and temperature to deliver world-class coffee in under six minutes. Expect an aromatic cup of full-bodied flavor no matter how much coffee you make.
The Racing Sim is Here! Podium 1 stopped by to install the racing simulator at the house, and it's awesome! I couldn't be more thrilled about this new addition and can't wait to share it with you guys. The racing simulator is a top-notch immersive experience. Whether you're a seasoned racing enthusiast or a beginner, this simulator provides hours of entertainment. You, your family or friends can all take turns competing against each other, cheering, and having a blast. In this How-To, I go through all the ins and Outs of the Sim and how to enjoy it to its fullest potential! I promise you won't be disappointed!
