Wish you could live in a castle? Build your own.
By Chuck Cage
Lakeland, Florida’s Ledger ran an article today about T.J. Baker — a man who’s converting his own “50-year-old tract home into a bona fide King Arthur-style castle.” My favorite part from the article:
“He built his version of a parapet, or fortress wall. To the roof, he added crenulations — the technical name for notches like those found in a king’s crown. Eventually, he hopes to add a second story with a Romeo-and-Juliet inspired balcony. He also wants to turn his garage doors into drawbridges and build a moat around the house.”
Some neighbors object, but Baker — an architect by trade — seems to have done his code homework, and there’s no homeowner’s association in his neighborhood. Best of all, the local kids love it!
Kudos to Baker for living his dream — and making it happen with his own work.
Castle Fit for a King [TheLedger.com]
January 5th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
I heard an anecdote about some American businessman who got rich and moved to England, bought a castle (a real, hundreds-of-years-old castle), and took up residence there.
Soon after moving in, one of his neighbors invited him to a Party, a fairly formal affair to meet the other lords and ladies in the area. He got into a conversation with another fellow about the ups and downs of owning a castle. “I just love how spacious the kitchen is! We did some serious remodeling of course, but it’s really nice in there now.”
“Interesting. I’ve never been in my kitchen.”
January 5th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
He’s not an architect, he’s a contractor!