Big question---what does your spouse think of the idea?? If he's open to it then explore the possibilities. Consider how you could use the house. As a close by "get away" it offers a big yard, small pool, and lake access. Great things for a family with 3 boys. It wouldn't be too far away if you did have a kids ball game to attend. Owing it would allow for the option of you parents relocating and living in it, or perhaps just staying there part of the time. Or, you might find after living in it part time that you like it so much you want to move into it as is or do a sensitive addition. Or, you might find that after owning it for a while that 2 houses are a pia and decide to sell it! You could do any, or all, of those things while you owned it. But you can't if you don't own it. So should you rush to buy it? NO. Like any real estate purchase look hard before you leap. We had our 2d home inspected BEFORE we bid on it. That gave us a good idea of what was needed and how much repairs/renovation would cost (of course there were many surprise problems) and if we really wanted to pursue it. I checked county records re sales prices, taxes, easements, etc of it and surrounding homes. We talked to the neighbors. We also looked at at least 6 other places after discovering this one to make sure it was a good choice and value. We went from my husbands long declared "I'd never own a second home" to his "Honey, what would you think of buying a house on a small lake and oh, by the way I paddled by one for sale today" to buying it in less than 2 weeks. Now it has been 2 years (and lots of renovation) and every time we are out there (frequently as it's only an hour drive)I comment on how glad I am we bought it. Besides the lake, I love its bright contemporary feel as opposed to our traditional in town home. The lake house better reflects me and makes me happy so I understand your falling in love with such a neat mcm home. In summary, if after you both think it through and are interested, look carefully, come up with an estimate of repair/remodel costs (x1.5 to be realistic!), figure out how much you are willing to pay/market value considering those costs then go for it. If you can't get it for a realistic price walk away. If the condition turns out to be too deteriorated--walk away. Either you'll get another opportunity when no one else buys it or you can console yourself by thinking about all the negatives/ impracticalities/second yard to keep up/ etc. that you missed. Let us know the outcome. PS- If you don't buy it you should suggest they list it on the mcm website Lottaliving.com to help it find an appreciative owner.

Hello Xtal, Thank you for your suggestions and feedback! And Roselee, thank you for sharing this. :) I wholeheartedly agree that the facade looks too new (I call it cartoonish). I'm not a fan of the stone that was selected and agree that if it had an older look it might blend in a little more. The original owner later added an enclosed courtyard to the side. I'm assuming he was unable to source the original stone because he used a completely different one. I prefer the look of that stone over the main house. He also added an arrow slit. :) Our "moat" is functional as it has french drains. I love the idea of planting Cypress trees between the windows but I'm afraid of the roots impeding drainage later on. I did plant a Brakelights Red Yucca in the center as well as three evenly spaced Pride of Barbados seedlings I grew on each side. The walls are so boring and I'm hoping the contrast of the reds and oranges give it some interest. I have thought about planting creeping fig under the turrets to help age it but I'm a bit gun shy after reading horror stories of ivy gone bad. I do love the look of it. Turret where I would plant the creeping fig (please ignore the impulse buy plants hiding along the wall, they are in pots): It's funny you mention using ponyfoot in the fountain. I had originally planted that but the deer kept it chewed down to stubs or would uproot the entire plant. I finally caved and planted Woolly Stemodia which they ignore. The Silver Ponyfoot is now coming back! I'd prefer the Ponyfoot but I'm afraid if I take out the Stemodia, the deer will return. I would love to see the green and silver Dichondra blowing in the wind. If you look closely, you'll see the ponyfoot mixed in with the Woolly Stemodia: Here's a closer up distorted pano of the house that shows the moat area a little better: I may seriously consider the creeping fig up the walls/turrets to help age it a bit. I have also considered repainting the window trim and the parapet walls (I think that's what you call the top?). Here's an overly adjusted realtor picture from when we bought the house. I kind of like the darker top... Ok, enough distraction and daydreaming! I need to gear up and get back out there while the weather is so nice. Thanks again for your observations! It really helps to hear honest feedback, opinions and ideas that could help me achieve the look I'm desiring. Take care - Joanna

There are some great threads in the Building a Home forum about the design process, and also with book/reading suggestions. Here are some other posts from forum member Virgil, who's an architect, [What's A Well-Designed House?[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/whats-a-well-designed-house-dsvw-vd~5370217) Tips for Buying Land, Designing and Building A Custom Home Part 1 of 3 Tips for Buying Land Designing & Building Custom Home Part 1 Continued [Tips for Buying Land, Designing and Building A Custom Home, Part 2[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/tips-for-buying-land-designing-and-building-a-custom-home-part-2-dsvw-vd~5079485) [Tips for Buying Land, Designing and Building A Custom Home, Part 2 continued[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/tips-for-buying-land-designing-and-building-a-custom-home-reposted-dsvw-vd~5213136) [Tips for Buying Land, Designing and Building A Custom Home, Part 3[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/buying-land-designing-and-building-a-custom-home-part-3-dsvw-vd~5213150) and also What are you doing to make your house enrich your life? Here's several thread with book recommendations, https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5402585/books-for-building-and-designing-a-home#n=22 https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/3281434/book-suggestions#n=31 Good luck! In so many cases, where one door closes, another -- and better -- one opens : ) .

When we were building, we put our house on the market and sold it the first week. The buyers needed to close within 90 days or lose their quoted mortgage rate so we closed in September although our house wasn’t going to be ready until January. We rented our house back from them but here’s the deal with that. Unlike a normal renter/tenant agreement, we would have been responsible if anything broke, such as furnace, stove, etc. When January came, our new house was not even close to being ready but the owners wanted their house. It was hard to find housing for less than a year lease but we were lucky our builder had another development of apartments that we rented for five months until our house was ready. The stress was incredible, moving twice during that time and we had to put most of our furniture in storage. This time, we just bought a condo and now have to list our home. I’m not sure which is more stressful. I wish you luck on your move.