Whenever Alex Boylan went sailing on Medicine Lake in Plymouth, an unusual house caught his eye. It was clad in stone and stucco, with a turret and a distinctive Cotswold-style roof that gave it a fanciful, fairy-tale character.

"It's known as the 'Mushroom House' or the 'Hobbit House,' " Boylan said. "It's a fun house — cool and unique."

After the house went into foreclosure and ended up on the market, Boylan, an Edina Realty agent, took a look inside. He discovered an interior as out of the ordinary as the exterior.

Built in 1990, the 3,600-square-foot home is filled with natural stone walls, arched stone doorways and wood everywhere — ceilings, floors, paneling and rustic columns, including cedar and teak. The front entry features a two-story rock waterfall, while the master bath boasts a massive, slate-tiled shower and a spiral staircase leading up to a sauna with its own hobbit-like roof.

"It was built by a single guy, and it's his vision," Boylan said.

In addition to its Tolkien-esque architecture, the house has a fairy-tale location: on a dead-end street, giving it privacy, and on a peninsula, giving it 170 feet of shoreline with wraparound views.

The distinctive dwelling known as the “Mushroom House” sits on a peninsula on Medicine Lake in Plymouth.

"No matter where you are, you're overlooking the lake," Boylan said.

Last year, he and two other investors bought the Mushroom House, with plans to remodel it and soften its masculine vibe.

"It was so heavy and manly, with all that stucco, stone and wood," he said. "We hired two female designers to lighten it and help make it a little more feminine."

A mushroom remodel

The house still has its craggy rocks, including the two-story wall in the entry, although the plumbing for the waterfall was removed because it was leaking. But now the house also has a bright new chef's kitchen with creamy cabinets, stainless-steel appliances and light granite countertops.

The house also has three bedrooms, two baths, two fireplaces, a family room, office and a boat launch.

Boylan said he knows that the idiosyncratic dwelling isn't for everyone. But for those who love living on the water and can appreciate the home's quirky character, it's something special.

"It's such a unique house," Boylan said. "People either love it or hate it."

If you're in the former category, Boylan has the listing: 612-242-9318.

Kim Palmer • 612-673-4784