How Do You Give Directions to Your Home?
To keep it easy, here’s what we tell people:
- Blah blah blah
- Go down the hill, then up the hill
- Then turn left after the Castle
You read that right – turn left after the castle.
The Castle in NW Austin
We have a castle in our neighborhood. Well, actually it’s a 1970s house in the back and on the side with the garage, but it’s all castle out front.
Don’t know the story, yet, but am planning to knock on the door one day “soon” and find out if the rumors are true – that the home owner’s daughter liked to play Princess so he helped out just a bit with the fantasy.
What is the most interesting house in your neighborhood?
About BigMama
That is SO cool! I’ve never seen the castle house- we’re up north, it’s pretty cookie cutter
We’ve passed it before but I don’t remember where it is. Can you give the address?
This one is on Spicewood Parkway, near Topridge.
I live near this house and I HATE it! I would rather have a neighbor foreclose and let their house fall into disrepair.
Hi Greg – have you still found yourself referencing it when giving directions to your own home?
Hi Alison,
As the “queen of the castle”, I appreciate that you didn’t give the actual address over the web. You took a great picture.
You don’t have to knock on the door (though you are welcome to do so), I can tell you that my dear stepdaughter (yes, not only am I the queen of the castle, I am a “wicked stepmother”) didn’t like to play princess – she was much better at playing soccer! She also didn’t have cancer, and it wasn’t her dying wish to live in a castle, she is alive and well at age 25. There are other rumors out there, so let me just say that no, we aren’t into kink and have a dungeon. No, I didn’t tell my husband that I would only marry him if he built me a castle, regardless of what the National Enquirer said. Nope, it wasn’t built for a location shot for some sitcom. No, none of our children were deformed monsters (though God and I both know that they all acted like that when they were teenagers).
The truth is simply that my hubby is just a very creative engineer who likes to build stuff and who bought a very run-down one-story house (had been a POORLY maintained rental house when he bought it) that sat way down from the road and flooded a lot whenever it rained hard. As the family got bigger when we got married (we raised 5 kids between us), the house got bigger as well. Why NOT turn it into a castle? Hubby is just starting to finish the side of it so that it looks complete. Now that the kids are all grown, it’s time to start thinking about selling.
We have a massive amount of trick-or-treaters every year. A few years back (2008?), we had something like 700 kids. Unfortunately, it became a safety hazard with all of the cars coming and going, mixed with all the kids weaving in and out between stopped/parked cars after dark. A woman was hit by one of the cars; thankfully, she was not hurt. In 2009, we put a sign out front on Halloween morning that we were not doing trick-or-treating that year so that we could “reset” the madness. It was sad to miss a year, but necessary for the safety of all the kids. Last year, it was a more manageable 300. Although there are a few people that don’t like it, they are in the minority – because rest assured, the trick-or-treaters come to see the castle, not just for the candy. We buy our stuff at the grocery store just like everyone else!
And Greg, since you aren’t paying our taxes, perhaps you should turn your head and look the other way as you drive by – and maybe quit using the house as a landmark if you are so offended by it. But then you’d have to look at the ski chalet across the street from us and use it as the landmark, huh?
PS to Alison – If, by chance you are the mom of the adorable little girls that wrote the letter, I want you to know that we are planning on writing them back. I have a friend who writes calligraphy, and waiting on her help (complete with wax seal).
Hi Tori – you just Made My Day!! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing the real story about this quirky and cool house!
hello Tori, I’m a student from the University of Houston. A media production student actually. I’ve got an upcoming video project to produce and I’m in need of a “castle-like” location. It’s been really hard finding a location around here. After seeing that amazing house of yours, I was wondering if perhaps you and your husband might be willing to rent your lovely home for a day, for my production? Using your home would do wonders for my video if we got to use it. It’d be a small crew and only 3 actors, so we wouldn’t be imposing too much. Well that’s my quick pitch, I’d really appreciate hearing back, and I hope you do. Thanks.