This is not a place to sell houses, only discuss them.

If you are asking our opinion ok, but like lucy stated you cannot sell on this forum

Working from an assumption that your question is legit (and I'm not certain it is!)...

I think the design is awful. It's the epitome of ostentatious design with a combination of styles that have no relationship to each other nor to the whole. It looks as if the architect, builder, or owner was unable to contain themselves to a single design element & so threw everything including the kitchen sink into the property.

The era of this type of over indulgence is OVER. Haven't you been watching the news recently! This property is not some gracious decades old estate representing a sense of style & timelessness that is worthy of its size & opulence. Rather, it's just a gauche hodgepodge of overdone extravagance.

Anybody with sufficient true wealth to afford this monstrosity would surely have developed enough knowledge of architecture to be nothing more than bemused by a tour. At least it would provide a client with the opportunity to tour a multitude of different styles at once without the need to visit a dozen different properties...see it all under one roof!

As a construction loan officer who has lent on equally spacious properties...I would have only one response to this property for my builder. "Well, John, you must be soooo proud of your erection!"

/tricia

After reading Tricia's post, curiosity got the better of me and I had to look.

The first photo of the exterior reminds me of the houses that ignited such heated discussion on the building forum. This house has a similar squished feeling with its tight side entry garages, rather busy facade and hidden entry. I see houses with that design in new neighborhoods in my area, too, but they are usually on lots less than 100 ft. wide. This ad, if I read it correctly, states that the property is approx. 5 acres. Anyway, it seems an odd coincidence.

As for a potential buyer being well versed in architectural history, well, I have to disagree with Tricia on that. More likely, in my opinion, the buyer would have been too busy focusing on his career to have time for such enrichment, and his friends and colleagues are likely to share his ignorance. I don't mean to be ugly about it; I am also no expert in architecture or interior design. However, I know enough to be somewhat embarrassed by the hodgepodge of styles in the interior finishes chosen by the builder of our new home (which I am slowly changing as the budget permits.) I finally learned to contain my shocked "Really?!" response after the first dozen or so commented on how much they like the very same excessively gaudy things that I can't wait to replace. So I have no doubt there will be a buyer for the OP's house.

ok i looked not sure what it is supposed to be but over priced

there are houses like that all over the country up for sale for a lot less in areas with better weather then illinois

I looked at a 7000+ sqft house on 35 acres in the hudson valley of ny that was recently lowered to 3.5 mil because the current owner can no longer afford the 25,000 a month mortgage payment

neither can i but was fun to look

I'd say that at that price you have a very limited buyer pool.

Here is a link that might be useful: Direct link

I used to live in Barrington. I bet that house gets multiple offers. Yes, people there have that much money and ARE that tacky.

"Anybody with sufficient true wealth to afford this monstrosity would surely have developed enough knowledge of architecture to be nothing more than bemused by a tour."

Oh, I don't know about that. MTV's "Cribs" has shown that there are MANY people with more money than taste! That house is a lumpy mess.

You know what bugs me the most? The deplorable grammar and spelling on the listing. I'm an editor and writer, and man, if I was paying some dingaling 6 figures to sell my house, it damn well better have proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

The house is goofy looking.

TOO MUCH...of everthing. However, it seems to be on five acres. In my suburb a teardown on an acre in town can go for $1 million.

Sorry if my post was confusing, I'm reaaly not trying to sell this house.

I live near Barrington Hills too and this property has been on market for a VERY long time. Apparently with little sucess... So I was curious to get some opinions on it.

On one hand I can see that the place is trying to have it all - a sunroom, terrace, balcony, outdoor grill, another terrace, billiard room, 6(!) fireplaces, greenhouse and even a wine cellar... But I'm really not sure if it works out well for this house. The exterior is claiming to be english style but kind of ends up looking a mess...

To me, that house is so typical of Barrington - totally over the top and tacky. I agree with Triciae's description that the era of this type of big for bigger's sake housing is over and I also agree that the design is not so likeable. I would bet that house stays on the market for a very long time due to the economy. I would also bet that when it does sell, it's for a price an awful lot lower than what is being asked today.

I just mapquested that address. Isn't the Elgin train line the one that could be getting a heck of alot more train traffic in the very near future? That would be another HUGE reason for a potential buyer to avoid this house.

Ellisa,

The problem is not that the house has so many features. Gosh, you've got to put something in 15,000 s.f. so it might as well be a wine cellar, right?

The problem is the mismash of architectural styles. Pick one...Spanish, French, Italian, English. There's something in that house from each style. They do not make a cohesive whole. It just looks ridiculous.

There's also a quality issue. I've made so many thousands of residential construction loans that I can spot quality from half a block away. This home's finishes are barely above semi-custom grade. That's inappropriate to the grandeur of scale the builder was apparently trying to create. Unfortunately, it's something one sees a lot in the US. We tend to increase square footage at the expense of quality. This particular home's lack of quality (flooring, textures, millwork, etc.) is visible even in the small realtor pixs. Quality is something not easy to describe but you'll know it when you see it, touch it, run your hand over the surfaces, etc. It's like buying a new suit. I can spot the most expensive 100% silk suit while I'm still on the escalator. Once you know & understand what quality is supposed to be you can't ever be fooled again. The knowledge is somewhat transferable from one subject area to another also. Learn what a fine original 17th century Chippendale chair is & you'll be able to spot an equally fine Brilliant Period cut-glass decanter. This poor house is trying to pretend it's aristocratic &, unfortunately, it's lack of pure bloodlines shows! :)

The current owners of this house don't 'get it'. Look at the furnishing visible in the pictures. They are out of scale to their surroundings. This is a LARGE home yet the furniture is scaled for normal surroundings. The result is that what's there is lost in the air space. This home requires huge 10' tall case pieces, large heavy framed artwork that commands a sense of importance, look at the last picture...that round table...it should be at least 2-3 times that size. The entire spaces just look wrong, wrong, wrong. I understand that one is not purchasing the furnishings. My point is that because it's furnished so inappropriately the home's other flaws jump right into my eyes! I possibly would not have noticed the tacky entrance hall had it been furnished to match its scale.

Surely, there's better value for the buck somewhere in the area?! This home will not age gracefully taking on the patina that quality exudes. In 40 years it's gonna look just like a humongous 40 year old track house. :(

/tricia

Oops, I should have typed either 1700s or 18th century. Instead it came out 17th century which is of course incorrect.

/t

Elissa, It's a stone's throw from the train tracks that will possibly have tons of trains running through any time now. That's a huge turnoff.

It sort of looks like a local funeral home.

Eh, another swollen example of excess. One of those houses that screams, "I'm compensating for some, erm, shortfall". lol.

I don't think we can conclude anything about a person by what house they chose to build. God knows why they built it like that, maybe just because they could. I wouldn't want to live in it, even if I could afford to, which I can't........and they probably wouldn't want to live in my house. LOL.