Stately escape

Tanglewood's most expensive manor elegantly strolls onto market for $10.99M

Home buyers looking for something that blends the idea of a private oasis with a space that wows guests need look no further than 5412 Sturbridge Dr. The manor-style home is on the market for $10.995 million, listed by Bobby Yazdani and Brian Spack of Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty. The Jack Preston Wood-devised estate sits on 1.19 acres.

Every aspect of the home is grand. Imagine walking through the French mahogany doors into the grand foyer, looking up at the duple iron and teardrop crystal chandelier, set in a niche high above a double marble-clad helical staircase that sweeps upward, creating a jaw-dropping entrance.

Or, think about sinking into a sofa in the formal living room within the rotunda, where arched miniature leaded glass transom windows and double height butted glass windows flood the space with light and offering sweeping views of the grounds. Picture guests waving from the scenic overlook above the great room, taking in the coffered ceiling above and the sports and recreation spaces outside.

A private hallway leads from the grand foyer to the secluded master suite, itself an opulent oasis in a home that's filled with superlatives. The suite's athenaeum features a tray ceiling fortified by stone columns, making it a comfortable reading nook. Mount a television to the wall and it becomes the perfect spot to binge watch in seclusion.

Three sets of French doors accent the sleeping chamber, leading to the pool and gardens and the spa-like master bath, with its oversized walk-in shower with dual shower heads and shower wand, a private water closet, dual vanities and sinks, and leaded glass windows. The dressing room holds space for suits and gowns, shoes and purses, and everyday wear. Seasonal attire is easily stored on the third-tier pull-down rods.

The grounds of 5412 Sturbridge are as luxe as the home itself. In the backyard, a bubbling fountain within a waveless basin draw the eye towards the heated swimming pool and stone-framed wall of water. A heated spa adjacent to the pool offers another space to relax, and beneath the pergola is a stone-backed, cascading 10-foot water wall that trickles into the pool below.

In the northwest corner of this estate, find the sports complex, where owners and guests can practice their golf or tennis swing, smack the tetherball around the pole, put together a pick up game of basketball.

Josh Gremillion for Sotheby’s International Realty

The grand foyer of 5412 Sturbridge allows for a jaw-dropping entry through the French doors and into a space that sees the double helical staircase sweeping upward into the home.

Other incredible features of this massive manse include a movie theater, a second-floor game room with kitchenette, a first-floor library with a spiral staircase leading to a second story with built-in shelves, a third-floor studio that can be a yoga or art space, and seven bedroom with ensuite baths.

From its Tanglewood location, the city is easily accessible, making 5412 Sturbridge the perfect home for those looking for something that is in the heart of Houston with the feeling of being tucked away from the Bayou City's bustle and go.

Royal Flip

Chip and Joanna Gaines finally sell $2.7M Fixer Upper castle in Waco

Photo courtesy of Magnolia

The Gaineses listed the 6,176-square-foot Waco castle at nearly $2.7 million.

Texas' king and queen of home renovations, Chip and Joanna Gaines, are done lording over their 136-year-old castle in Waco. The stars of TV’s Fixer Upper have found a buyer for Cottonland Castle, Mansion Global reported. The sale is pending.

The Gaineses listed the 6,176-square-foot castle, in Waco's historic and affluent Castle Heights neighborhood, at nearly $2.7 million. They bought the property in 2019, when it carried a $425,000 price tag.

The castle, with a sandstone and limestone facade, is modeled after a German castle along the Rhine River.

Chip and Joanna Gaines, Fixer Upper Chip and Joanna Gaines are preparing to hand over the keys to their castle. Facebook Magnolia Network

The duo spent several years restoring the castle to revive its original character. That work became the foundation for their six-part 2022 series Fixer Upper: Welcome Home – The Castle. They opened it to the public for guided tours and introduced Magnolia brand tie-ins, like a “Colors of the Castle” paint collection.

“People love things that are nostalgic. They love things that are antique-looking, and I want this place to feel like it did in 1915,” Joanna said during an episode of Fixer Upper. “Whether you walked into the space in 1915 or today, it has that same feeling of history and love and beauty and castle-ship.”

A year after the series aired, the castle failed to sell at auction, according to Mansion Global. It went on the market in June. Amanda Nesbitt of Magnolia Realty, the real estate brokerage founded by the Gaineses, has the listing.

The three-story castle offers “a seamless blend of historic grandeur and modern functionality,” according to the listing.

That grandeur includes millwork, antique tile floors, diamond-paned windows and seven ornate fireplaces. The four-bedroom property features three-and-a-half bathrooms, a formal dining room, a great room, a card room, a library and a conservatory.

All furnishings, accessories and decor “have been thoughtfully curated to complement the home’s design,” the listing says, and are included in the sale.

The castle has a rocky modern history.

Jack Schwan bought the property in 1969 for $50,000, according to the Waco Welcome Center.

Over the years, the Schwan family made many repairs and renovations. The family tried to sell the castle in 1982; they thought it was worth close to $1.25 million following the overhaul. In 1991, the property sold only after a drastic price cut.

“Over the next two decades, the home passed through various owners’ hands and fell into disrepair. Many owners found the castle too large and in need of too much maintenance to be a financially feasible home,” according to the Waco Welcome Center.

The castle sold again in 2014, and a group led by Oxford scholar Dirk Obbink tackled renovation work. The Gaineses bought it five years later, after it had been neglected and abandoned.

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