T Cody Turnquist likes to imagine the 750 feet from his clients' Orono house to the water's edge on Lake Minnetonka as being part of a golf course.
"There's quite a bit of topography change — roughly 40 feet of drop from house to shoreline — so it does have this par 3 fairway appeal," Turnquist said.
A real estate agent with a background in architecture, Turnquist represents a family that has listed one of the most expensive homes for sale in Minnesota. The roughly 8,000-square-foot estate, with six bedrooms and five baths, sits on 7.7 prime acres on coveted, quiet Maxwell Bay.
It's available for $6.75 million, and last changed hands in February 2020.
"My clients bought it as their forever home, but circumstances changed," Turnquist said. "And now it can be someone else's dream."
Built in 1952, the property has undergone sundry renovations by various owners over the years, but none were as extensive as the refurbishment done by Timothy and Gayle DeVries 15 years ago.
"They added on to the east and west of the home and bumped out a portion on the southern façade, including an upstairs bedroom," Turnquist said. "In all of it, they took into account its 1952-era bones and also added a second, detached garage [for a total of seven parking spaces]. Their reno took great pride in its architectural heritage while bringing it into the 21st-century."
That architectural heritage is an early example of an emergent style that has coalesced around Minnesota lakes and that nods to East Coast estates, Turnquist said. The architectural elements include large windows to take in all the lake views, seamless indoor/outdoor living spaces, three-season screened-in porch and sunroom, real wood siding and cedar shake roofs.
"If you look back to the charm of this house, you can see the similarities of what people are doing today on a much more magnified scale," Turnquist said. "Instead of 8-foot ceilings, it's 10. But if you break down the elements, it's the same Nantucket vibe that has progressed the architecture around the lake."
The property, which has meticulous details, was built to capture views of the lake and to take in a flood of natural light. There are indoor and outdoor features for entertaining, including a firepit and a seamless three-season porch.
The owner's suite is on the main floor with its own private porch. There are five bedrooms upstairs. That level also houses a multi-purpose room located above the attached garage that's currently used for exercise.
"That's a unique space that's used as a gym but could be used as a fun gathering room, a ballet space with a little stage or for a golf simulator," Turnquist said.
The house has five fireplaces, all woodburning, and the property is shielded by heavy woods on either side.
"It's only 25 minutes from Minneapolis but you do feel like you're up north," Turnquist said. "It's a sanctuary and oasis that gives you the ultimate in privacy."
T Cody Turnquist (tcody.turnquist@compass.com, 612-578-1093) and Andrew Spilseth (Andrew.Spilseth@compass.com; 612-396-2951) of Compass has the $6.75 million listing.
