Can you believe it’s already the final day of our Fantasy Open House week? That went fast, didn’t it? So far the only house the majority of you guys chose to buy is “Sophia’s Harbor.” The vote on “The Artisan” is almost split down the middle, but “Walk Away” is winning at the moment (just barely).
I saved the biggest and most expensive home on the tour for last.
Chateau Torelle was designed and built by Spencer Hill Estate Homes to resemble an authentic French Castle. It has 9,150 square feet and is on the market for $2.45 million. It took us nearly 45 minutes just to walk through it.
It was decorated as if it was the site of a wedding for the day, so you may spot a wedding gown, a wedding cake, and round tables set for the reception. According to the builder, it is “intended for entertaining large crowds” and can accommodate 300 in its massive rooms. (I personally think this is a conservative estimate. The place was huge!)
Well, this is one place you have to see for yourself, so enough yakking and on with the tour!
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June 27, 2008
Well, so far it looks like most of you want to buy “Sophia’s Harbor.” Let’s see what you think about “The Artisan.”
One thing to keep in mind–especially as you look at this house–is that Homearama homes are almost always over the top and a little ridiculous if you try to compare them to normal houses that are built for regular folk like us. It’s like they’re on decorating steroids.
Basically, you’ve got 10 homebuilders who all want to make the biggest impression, be the most memorable, and get the most votes. After the show, everyone who toured the houses votes on their favorites, and awards are given out to the homebuilders who got the most–sort of like what we’re doing here this week! This one really went out of its way to get noticed.
House #6, built by Artisan Estate Homes, features a whopping 9,000 square feet and is on the market for $2.1 million. The home was planned, built, and decorated by Rick Seitz, who has won Best Interior Design awards multiple times at Homearamas past. (I think you can catch a glimpse of him in the kitchen.)
The home was intended to exude “an atmosphere of French and Italian lakeside living.” Check it out for yourself and see what you think!
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June 26, 2008
Ready for Day #4 of our Fantasy Open House week? I already showed you a few photos from this house in my earlier Homearama! post. Now you get to see the rest.
Sophia’s Harbor is a 9,625 square-foot mansion on the market for $2.4 million. It was built by Rookwood Homes and named after the builder’s youngest daughter. According to the builder, it was “designed to be a daily retreat for today’s active family.” They describe it as “a vacation by the shore.”
Take a look!
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June 25, 2008
Welcome to the third day in our Homearama ‘08 Fantasy Open House series.
The name Pavan Kunj refers to “the purifying influence of the wind.” The home’s design originates from ancient Maharishi Vedic architecture, which requires precise proportions, orientation, and placement of interior spaces.
Built by Daniels Homes, the Pavan Kunj has 7,700 square feet and sold for $1.85 million.
The main entrance to the home is from the side courtyard. You step from the courtyard into a two-story central atrium, called the Brahmastan. Skylights, white walls and woodwork, and pale wood floors keep the home lighter and brighter than the other houses we’ve toured so far.
Well, you’ll see. Go on in!
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June 24, 2008
It’s time for House #3 on our Homearama tour. (If you missed the explanation about our Fantasy Open House week, click here to read about it first.)
The Hampton, built by Eagle Custom Homes, has 8,200 square feet and is on the market for $1.7 million. Its design was inspired by coastal Long Island. According to the builder, “The shake shingle exterior topped with cupolas immediately sets a warm, inviting tone that flows to an open floor plan that’s a mix of formal and informal.” What it does not have, however, is a water view, since it’s on the opposite side of the street from the others you’ve seen so far. It sits on a larger lot, though.
I wonder what you’ll have to say about this one?
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June 24, 2008
In case you haven’t heard, we’re touring seven of the homes from the Homearama Home Show in Cincinnati and voting on our favorites this week.
The Manier Sherridan is a ranch-style house with 6,180 square feet that Hensley Homes has already sold for $1.8 million.
According to the builder, the Manier Sherridan’s design is “reminiscent of the Irish countryside. Because the Irish know no strangers, this home welcomes you with a greeting veranda and courtyard.”
The name Manier Sherridan is Celtic and means “Livin’ Large.” (Okay, I made that part up. But it is Celtic!)
Take a look around and see what you think:
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June 23, 2008
Did you know that the Cincinnati Homearama is considered one of the Top 5 home shows in the entire country? People come from all over to see it every summer. They were expecting upwards of 90,000 visitors this year. Aren’t you glad you get to look at these houses without having to push your way through all those other people?
The 2008 show, which ran for the past two weeks and just ended, took place in Deerfield Township’s “Long Cove” neighborhood, the site of several Homearamas in the past. A beautiful waterway runs behind many of the homes, including this one.
I’ve chosen 7 of the homes to show you this week. After each tour, you get a chance to vote and let us know if you liked the house or not.
Ready for the first house? This one is called “The Sanctuary” and was built by Marino Homes. The 6,900 square-foot ranch-style home is on the market for $1.84 million.
According to the builder, “The Sanctuary combines the stately features of a Southern Plantation Home with the casual elegance of South Carolina’s coastal living.” Sounds good to me. Let’s start the tour!
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June 23, 2008
Hard to believe our Fantasy Open House tour of Birmingham, Alabama is already over. This town certainly didn’t disappoint. We’ve seen a lot together this week. Some things made us swoon–sunrooms, bluestone terraces, fountains and pools, long brick driveways, fabulous fireplaces, and walls of windows. We’ve also seen some things that made us shudder–dead animals used as decor, wig closets, and wallpaper that could wake the dead.
Now it’s time to vote for the house you’d most like to live in. This is a Fantasy Open House, which means you can pretend all eight are in your price range. It’s more about figuring out which one closest matches your style than which will give the smartest return on your investment.
You can also vote on which one you’d least like to live in, since you all seem to have so many opinions on the matter! To review, here are your choices:
House #1: French Chateau in Birmingham
House #2: Shook Hill Mansion
House #3: Sleek Greek Contemporary
House #4: Southern Traditional
House #5: Homewood Manor
House #6: Rockledge Estate
House #7: Stately Brick Traditional
House #8: Old Leeds Ridge
~~CLICK HERE TO MAKE AN OFFER ON YOUR FAVORITE~~
~~CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR YOUR LEAST FAVORITE~~
Thanks to everyone who played along with our Fantasy Open House game this week. The comments you left each day made it so much fun. I can’t wait to see which houses you vote for!
May 9, 2008
This is the final stop on our Birmingham Fantasy Open House tour, and I saved the biggest and most expensive house for last. Welcome to Old Leeds Ridge, a sprawling mansion that sits on 5 acres.
Here’s what the description on the MLS has to say about this home, which is selling for $5.8 million:
Welcome to this stunning 5 bedroom, 5 full baths and two half baths estate home! Combining the finest qualities of two different worlds-the order, symmetry and formality of French and Italian design with the rich ornamentation of the Renaissance-this home extols the remarkable beauty of the Beaux Arts movement.
A formal portico, roof-line balustrades, handmade window surrounds and decorative garlands and shields accentuate the splendor of the tri-partite facade. Solid concrete construction offers permanence to this estate home which combined with the elegance of the interior make for gracious living and extravagant entertaining.
Take a look and see what you think.
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May 9, 2008
Welcome to this stately brick traditional home on the market in Birmingham, Alabama, for $2.49 million. It has 4 BR and 6.5 baths and sits on 2.1 acres.
According to the description on the MLS listing:
This incredible home is a Sprott Long Design and was built by Frances Byrant Builders in 1985. It is located on one of the most desired streets in Mountain Brook. The property has a large “L” shaped pool with a beautiful brick patio, fenced back yard, and over one acre of land. Kitchen was remodeled in 2007 with top-end appliances, large island with marble, limestone counters and dark cherry cabinets. Hardwood and brick flooring, high ceilings, crown moulding, and plenty of storage.
Ready to take the tour?
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May 8, 2008
One thing I’ve learned from spending so much time looking at homes in the Birmingham area is that they are building a lot of new ones with all of the character and charm of older homes. There were several that I thought were older homes at first. This one, for example, which is on Rockledge Road in the exclusive Mountain Brook neighborhood, was “recently constructed” per the MLS, even though it looks like it’s been there forever.
According to the MLS, it’s on the market for $2.75 million and sits on 1 acre. It has bluestone porches, a mahogany front door, 10′ ceilings, wrought-iron handrails, copper gutters, travertine floors in the kitchen, and a slate roof.
Let’s start the tour!
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May 8, 2008
Welcome to Day 4 of our Fantasy Open House week! You guys are really good at this. I love how you pay such close attention to the details of each house and point things out that I hadn’t noticed before. You don’t miss anything.
I’ve been really amazed by the variety of architectural styles represented in Birmingham homes. This one looks very Old English to me, at least outside.
According to the MLS description, this home is on the market for $2.25 million and sits on an acre:
Bill Ingram design construction started in 1999 finished by present owners in 2002. Layered Stucco with slate roof. Huge Cook’s kitchen with Limestone counters, commercial appliances and beautiful breakfast area. Two walk in pantries, all custom cabinetry. Cedar beams in kitchen. Cedar ceiling in dining room with gorgeous chandelier.
Master suite on main with French doors to terrace and heated pool. Three huge bedrooms upstairs with laundry area and 2 baths. Staircase is iron and brass. Full finished basement with bedroom, bath, laundry and work out room. Also huge storage area. 3 car detached garage with cedar carriage doors and finished office/playroom over garage and a media room in the 3rd floor of the garage. Magnificient view of Red Mtn and Vulcan.
Magnificent view of Vulcan? Does that mean Leonard Nimoy lives next door? (Ha! I’m here all week, folks! Tell your friends!) Seriously, I’m thinking that must be a mountain or something. Someone from B’ham can clue us in. It’s probably some famous landmark and I’m showing my ignorance for not knowing about it.
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May 7, 2008
Okay. As promised, I’m going to show you two houses today, tomorrow, and Friday instead of one a day as I had originally planned. Here’s the second one for today (if you didn’t see Open House #3: Sleek Greek Contemporary, be sure to check it out, too).
Take a look at this traditional home on the market for $2.85 million in Birmingham. It has 7 bedrooms and 6.5 baths. According to the agent’s description on the MLS:
Nestled on a beautifully landscaped private wooded lot in the heart of Abingdon. Gorgeous appointments throughout with attention to detail! Ideal for entertaining with beautiful family room that opens to enclosed Bluestone Terrace with pool, fabulous sunroom and large wet bar that opens to both terrace and courtyard with fireplace, gas lighting, and fountain!
Gorgeous new addition with 2nd two-bay garage (4 deep) with dark stained floor and vented for heating and cooling, beautiful sports room with vaulted ceiling. Beautiful banquet-size dining room! Fabulous master bedroom suite that opens to pool. Large media room. Billiard room, exercise room with mirrored wall, and incredible wine cellar!
Let’s start the tour!
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May 7, 2008
The great thing about having my own blog is that I can do what I want with it, really. I am the boss. I can change the rules in the middle of the game.
The boss has hereby decided that since there are so many interesting homes on the market in Birmingham, we’re going to look at two Open Houses each day instead of one from here on out. In other words, I’m adding three more tours to the original five I had planned.
You’ve all been playing along with the game so well this week that I think you can handle it.
The third home we’re going to look at is a 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath contemporary, described on the MLS as a “spectacular classical Greek” home. Can a house be both classical and contemporary? Judge for yourself!
According to the MLS, the home was built in 1988 and is on the market for $1.49 million. The exterior features genuine, multi-layered stucco and a limestone terrace. The inground pool with spa is surrounded by gardens. And here’s my favorite line: “With your own U.S. Open-grade tennis court, you can enjoy the outdoors and find that exercise can indeed be fun!” Any house that can convince me that exercise is fun is one I should probably buy.
Let’s start the tour!
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May 6, 2008
Ready to check out the second home on our Fantasy Open House tour? All week we’re looking at homes worth millions of dollars in Birmingham, Alabama. This is Shook Hill Mansion and it’s on the market for $4.99 million.
According to the MLS Listing, it’s a European-style mansion that sits on over 3 acres. There’s plenty of room to entertain for the weekend because it has 8 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. Other features include 4-story elevator, red tile roof, heated Gunite pool, exquisite moldings, coffered ceilings, and “handsome paneling.”
To top it all off, the home was designed from top to bottom “by famous decorator Andrea Carmichael.” I have to admit I had never heard of famous decorator Andrea Carmichael, so feel free to fill me in if you have. I did find her website if anyone’s interested: Andrea Carmichael Inc.
Okay, now that you’ve read all about it, it’s time to look around.
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May 6, 2008
Are you ready? Got your comfy walking shoes on? Because it’s time for another Fantasy Open House! As promised, this week we’ll be touring homes for sale in Birmingham, Alabama.
Today we’re visiting an elegant home built in 1991 to look like a French Chateau. You already saw its ornate powder room yesterday. According to the MLS listing, this 4 BR, 4.5 BA home is on the market for $2.85 million.
It may look French, but it was built with an interesting mix of materials culled from all over, including a slate roof from an old courthouse in Mississippi, beams from New Orleans, limestone blocks salvaged from an opera house, and a fireplace brought back to the U.S. from Portugal.
Take a look and then decide if it’ll go on your short list of favorites. At the end of the week you’ll choose which of the homes that we toured that you’d want to live in. If you could only buy one, which one would it be?
To start the Open House tour, click “more” below:
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May 5, 2008
This week’s Fantasy Open House tour was so much fun! Thanks to all of you who so gamely participated in it. I think I’ll pick another town for us to tour again soon.
Here’s how things are looking in the polls at the moment:
My, aren’t we picky with our pretend money? Clearly, we haven’t found anything we really want to spend it on yet. This is bad news for the homeowners who are hoping to get real money from someone. If you haven’t voted on all of these houses yet, don’t worry. The polls will remain active until the end of the month, and I’ll announce the final tallies then.
To thank you for playing along, I’m giving you a bonus Open House today. No voting necessary for this one, but feel free to leave your thoughts about it in the comments. I’m working day and night on a writing project right now, slaving away at the computer for long stretches at a time, and I love it when your comments “ping” into my inbox. So take pity on me and continue sending them!
This Tudor estate is in the same Hyde Park neighborhood as the others we looked at and is selling for $2.35 million. I had to show it to you if for no other reason than the “hammock room” (I think the MLS listing actually calls it a solarium).
Click “more” below to look inside this historic Tudor estate:
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April 9, 2008
This week at Hooked on Houses we’re looking at houses for sale in the historic Hyde Park neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Ready for the final stop on this week’s Fantasy Open House tour?
Don’t even try to pretend you’re above snooping inside houses. I’m onto you. The last two Open Houses I posted this week have gotten so many hits that my computer is smoking. (If you’re in the minority and truly don’t care to peek inside these places, then you’re on the wrong website anyway, so you can just scoot along.)
This Tudor home, sitting in the same leafy, older neighborhood as the last two we looked at (on Rookwood Drive and Edwards Road), has 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and is on the market for $699,900. Check it out and then vote on whether you want to buy it, sleep on it, or leave it.
Click “more” below for house tour:
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April 8, 2008
This week at Hooked on Houses we’re touring houses for sale in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Cincinnati. I think you’ve all got the hang of the Fantasy Open House by now. Just like with House #1 on Rookwood Drive, you take the tour and then place your vote.
The next one on our tour is a more moderately priced (compared to the first) $350,000 Arts & Crafts-style home with 5 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. It has stained-glass windows, original woodwork, front and back staircases, 9-ft ceilings, and built-ins galore.
Will you want to buy it, think about it a while, or immediately walk away after you look inside?
To begin the tour, click “more” below:
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April 7, 2008
It’s finally Spring, and for real estate junkies that only means one thing–the MLS is bursting with juicy new listings for us to check out! It’s my favorite time of year.
I’ve been known to while away many a lazy Sunday afternoon searching the real estate listings online to see what’s on the market and how much things are selling for. It’s fun to take a peek inside other people’s places and see how they’re living, don’t you think? I can’t believe I’m the only one who has this slightly offbeat obsession with looking at houses. (You’re here, aren’t you?)
I should have a bumper sticker that says “I Brake for Open Houses.” They’re hard for me to resist, even when I’m out of town. I used to have a standard line–”My parents are moving into the area, so I thought I’d see if this would work for them!” But now I just come out with it and say, “I saw the Open House sign and thought I’d check it out.” I’m sure the real estate agents always saw through me before anyway. I’ve got House Snoop written all over me.
With online listings, it’s like Open House 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I’m hooked on them. So this week I thought it would be fun to show you three different houses for sale in Hyde Park, Ohio (an older suburb of Cincinnati). Then we’ll take a poll after each one in which you can vote to 1) Buy it, 2) Sleep on it, or 3) Walk away!
First up is this $2.59 million stunner with 6 BR and 5.5 BA and over 7,000 square feet on Rookwood Drive. Take a look and see if it’s someplace you’d like to live.
To tour this home, click “more” below:
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April 7, 2008
