When I asked Nick Leyendecker to rattle off some of the eye-catching features inside his latest listing, he paused and then chuckled.
"Pretty much what you see," Leyendecker says of the mammoth Plymouth estate, which hit the market last week for $2.8 million. "The owner was really the designer, and it's hard to take you through it better than the photos do; it's just one of the most unique homes I've ever been inside."
Leyendecker is quite familiar with the six-bedroom, five-bathroom, 9,825-square-foot property: He's friends with the seller, and even attended pondside bonfires on the 36-acre lot as its three-year construction process began. Completed in 2017, the newish home is unlike anything else available in the metro; when greeted by the purple exterior paint job, correctly assume you're not entering a greige McMansion built for maximum appeal.
Here's where I'll muster all my literary might and attempt to describe some of those eye-grabbing features...
Size: It's one of just 18 current Twin Cities listings that exceed 9,800 square feet. Of those, only this one sits on a lot larger than 15 acres.
Style: Where to begin? A multi-story crystal centerpiece cascades down into the foyer as you enter, and the over-the-top decorative flourishes just keep coming. Steampunk lighting, finishes, murals, artwork, and accents abound—check out that main-floor bathroom with clocks, pipes, and gears for days. And don't miss the humanoid sculpture dangling from the skylights above the dedicated hot tub room. As for the furniture, yes, that desk is a sawed-off classic car and, yes, arcade cabinets are everywhere.
Hidden features: That's not just any retro Coke machine—it's the secret entrance to what's currently being used as a board game room. Elsewhere, a steel vault door opens into a poured-concrete safe room, and there's a DJ booth tucked behind the bar.
Smarthome: A Jetsons-esque present awaits, as this place is tricked to the gills with fully remote controlled doodads, gizmos, and whatsits. "The whole house is operated by buttons, motion, and voice—it greets you when you come home," Leyendecker says.
For the auto enthusiast...: There's heated parking for up to nine rides, including the main four-stall garage that's rocking a damn disco ball.
For the ADA compliance enthusiast...: "The basement is setup to be multi-generational," Leyendecker says. "It's basically a zero-entry suite, and totally wheelchair accessible, though it could be used as a standard basement."
For the deep-cut Simpsons enthusiast...: The bathroom painting that depicts my favorite Homer quote, "You'll have to speak up, I'm wearing a towel"? Chef's kiss. The seller is a confirmed Simpsons nut.
Are we forgetting anything? Probably!
"From a marketing standpoint, all this stuff makes it more interesting," Leyendecker says. "And for the right person, probably makes it more desirable, but somebody could also tone it down pretty easily. My guess is a lot of the artwork could end up with the new owner."
Leyendecker says the seller likes to build a dream house every decade or so and is thus ready to move on from this parcel, which he purchased as a blank slate in 2013 for $350,000, according to county records.
"The owner is a successful businessman who, sort of by hobby, designs homes for himself; he loves to entertain" Leyendecker says, adding that, "for a multitude of reasons," he'll never forget attending Super Bowl LI at the Plymouth mansion. "There are two really crazy homes here in Minnesota that he has done, and now he's primarily living in Florida."
Enjoy the following photo tour of his sprawling Minnesota vision, courtesy of Sky Definition and Provisuals Media.
