Where’s Shrek when you need him?
A faux-Medieval castle — complete with trap doors, a dungeon and a secret underground grotto featuring a jacuzzi — could be yours for $2.3 million.
Entering the fortress requires visitors to traverse two gates, two watchtowers, a moat, a drawbridge and, last but not least, an actual portcullis.
The kingly residence was built not during the Middle Ages in Europe — but in 1990, in suburban Detroit.
A local businessman began construction on the castle for himself and his two children in the mid-1980s. Although he sold it in 2015, he lived in the castle through 2019.
“It was a give and take between what really could happen — and a dream for a homeowner where money was no object. He wanted to have a home that was something he dreamed about as a kid,” listing agent Michael Kuligowski told Realtor.com, adding: “To live in the house would be like living in a kind of childhood dream for someone who grew up idolizing the Knights of the Round Table and living in the Renaissance era.”
Spanning almost 10,800 square feet, the castle features a total of 26 rooms with custom finishes and hidden surprises.
“The trap doors, hidden passageways and hallways are just fun and unique. They wow your friends and your family,” said Kuligowski of the home’s more idiosyncratic attributes. “Pushing a bookcase and then realizing it it leads to a room. When it’s closed, you’d never know there was a room behind it.”
“Even the door hinges are very Victorian-style and there are details around the home that are undoubtedly castle-like and timeless,” he continued. “It was custom-designed to be a 15th-century-style English castle.”
Made up of five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, the castle is situated on more than six acres land.
Still, it will take a special someone with a truly unrelenting thirst for adventure to want this place. First listed in September, the property has yet to find a buyer.
“The frame is built with 60 tons of steel and construction took over 6 years utilizing artisans from all over the world. The castle is 60 feet tall, or taller than a 4 story building,” the listing states.
“It features a moat, waterfall, drawbridge, portcullis, elevator, 5 fireplaces, 6 new furnaces, secret rooms, hidden doors, hidden passageways, hidden staircase, wine cellar, Tudor style pub, and a few more surprises,” the listing adds.
What’s more, the primary suite features a custom-made bed that was assembled in the room itself and therefore impossible to remove.
The full bar comes with 12-foot ceilings and unique details in the walls.
“They plastered over [a stone wall] and then put some straw in it in the same style they would have done 500 years ago, when they would essentially do mud walls with straw as a bonding agent,” Kuligowski explained.
The castle is the largest home in the upscale gated community.
“This is the biggest lot, but also the first lot that was developed, so it’s in the very back of a neighborhood,” he clarified. “There are homes with different architectural styles but mostly Colonials.”
In describing the ideal buyer, Kuligowski said: “Someone that grew up loving fairy-tales or stories would really fit this house.”
