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Person Finds A Listing For A House That Has A Fake City In Its Basement And You Can Only Guess Why
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Person Finds A Listing For A House That Has A Fake City In Its Basement And You Can Only Guess Why

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If you’ve ever stumbled across the listing of a mansion for the super-rich, you’ll know that not judging a book by its cover doesn’t apply here. Because these luxurious playgrounds are all about being over and over, and over, did I say “over?” the top. And loving it.

But it turns out, some mansions are more extra than others, even if that beats the term in itself. You see, someone on the internet found a listing of “an otherwise normal McMansion,” which has all you’d expect—tennis court, heated pool, and countless rooms.

But apparently, all the fun is in the basement. The 12089 sq ft property in the Potomac suburb of Washington, DC has a life-sized retro village built in underneath. Cobblestone streets, 15 authentic store facades, real working parked cars ready to take you on the ride of a lifetime… do you want me to continue? Oh, and for those who love a cinema date now and then, a double feature of Mary Poppins and the Exorcist is on the menu. You get the vibes.

More info: WashingtonFineProperties.com

Don’t let this $4.5M mansion gem deceive you—all the fun is underneath it

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

This woman tweeted the insane listing and it went viral

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Image credits: victoriaxxviii

Welcome to the magnificent 12089 sq ft property on Highland Farm Rd in Potomac, MD

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

The property is located on 4 immaculately landscaped acres in the prestigious Round Hill enclave of Potomac, according to the advert. It’s comprised of the main residence featuring seven bedrooms, eleven bathrooms, ten fireplaces, six-zone heating, a two-bedroom guest house, pool house and pool, and lighted tennis court.

The same listing ad indicates that the “unique offering” was constructed by Patrick Cullinane, known for building extremely elaborate mansions. A very similarly styled estate built by Cullinane in 1989 was listed for sale for a whopping $7.5M.

The luxurious entry foyer greets you with an eagle sculpture on the right

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

Light interior meets indulgent design

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Image credits: LORI LEASURE

And there’s always music in the air

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

Cullinane is considered one of the key figures of the luxury class building boom, which dates back to the ’70s and ’80s in the area of Potomac. According to the Washington Post archive, Cullinane’s creation, which had a six-pillared front portico leading to a 20-foot-high great hall with 18 by 26 feet of marble floor, was an absolute highlight in the area. Back in 1977, such a mansion would have set you back $600,000.

Floor-to-ceiling built-in bookcases are here to tell more about the owners than thousands of words

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

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For the naps with a view

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

The dining room brings everyone together

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Image credits: LORI LEASURE

And this family room has an eclectic collection of art objects

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

If it’s a dream, I don’t want to wake up

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

Walking from one room to another is a treat on its own

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

One of the countless bedrooms designed to recharge you for the next day

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

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Image credits: LORI LEASURE

The bathroom is no longer a necessity in this mansion; it’s an indulgence

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

You’d better treat your laundry like you’d treat your friends—with love, care, and affection

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

And this is where it gets even better—welcome to the basement!

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

It features real and working retro cars ready to give you the ride of a lifetime

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Image credits: LORI LEASURE

The post office and movie theater are among the 15 miscellaneous displays

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

No evening promenade can go without cobblestone streets

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

I wonder if Blair Inn happens to have a room for the night

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

No mansion is ever complete without the billiards area

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

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This playground for the kids will make your Sunday mimosas hassle-free

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

If you’re ever feeling rustic village vibes, you may just forget you live in a mansion

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

We’re not done yet without a pool house in that building

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

Everyone deserves one minute for themselves

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

The new owners will be able to dive deep to forget their problems

Image credits: LORI LEASURE

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People were stunned by just how crazy the property is

Image credits: VelvetHydrangea

Image credits: lamecliche

Image credits: GnarledGnome

Image credits: TheKhaldoon

Image credits: queerkreep

Image credits: IamScottlevine

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Image credits: GnarledGnome

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Liucija Adomaite

Liucija Adomaite

Author, Community member

Read more ยป

Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

Read less ยป
Liucija Adomaite

Liucija Adomaite

Author, Community member

Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

Denis Tymulis

Denis Tymulis

Author, Community member

Read more ยป

Denis is a photo editor at Bored Panda. After getting his bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design, he tried to succeed in digital design, advertising, and branding. Also, Denis really enjoys sports and loves everything related to board sports and water.

Read less ยป

Denis Tymulis

Denis Tymulis

Author, Community member

Denis is a photo editor at Bored Panda. After getting his bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design, he tried to succeed in digital design, advertising, and branding. Also, Denis really enjoys sports and loves everything related to board sports and water.

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Eliz Sandy
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is a mansion. Mcmansions are s****y little prefabs with high ceilings and postage sized plots.

Tabitha L
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the article summary "Mansions are for the mere rich, and McMansions are for the super rich. And this one is so extra it has a goddamn life-sized village in its basement." It is quite clear the author does not know what a McMansion is. McMansions are for upper middle class, pretending to be rich.

Load More Replies...
mph seti
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

McMansions are just big houses (cheaply and recently made) in suburbs/gated communities. Mansions are 100% bespoke, often old, and cost a lot more.

Carlos Espinosa
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

McMansion... You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.โ€ โ€“ Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride.

Demi Zwaan
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love it! Not the decorating, I'd have someone redo that, but the shape, the rooms, and the amazing basement, LOVE IT! That basement is ideal for parents with Alzheimer's btw.

comboplush
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! Came here to say that but couldn't find quite the right phrasing for "you could host dementia patients in your cellar!" though

Load More Replies...
Johnny
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm disappointed they didn't paint a fake sky and just left exposed beams. Otherwise I'd totally buy that place, it's a steal at only $4.5M since it includes an entire town in the basement.

Tabitha L
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What does "Walking from one room to another is a treatment on its own" mean?

Dilly Millandry
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nothing. I'd hazard a guess that someone who doesn't speak English as their first language wrote that. Maybe they meant that the 'window treatments' are lovely or that it is a real treat to walk from room to room. I suspect that they mashed the two together.

Load More Replies...
TheHerplover
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is great. I only wish it had water slides to each room. (I am an adult child, yes)

Laugh Fan
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am not at all a morning person but if I could get downstairs to the kitchen via a water slide every morning I would find it extremely easy to get up each day - water slides in homes should definitely be a thing!

Load More Replies...
Liz
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is my hometown. I did not grow up in a house like this, but I had "friends" who did. I can tell you that having that much money from a young age really messes with kids. Not that it's any news...just that I've seen it firsthand.

Katchen
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

$2-$2.5 Million could get you a nice (small) ranch house in some parts of Palo Alto/ Menlo Park.

Load More Replies...
pei meow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would love to live here! Decors a bit old fashioned tho...

Joeshar
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

$4.5 million looks like a cheap price for this huge mansion

Kaeden
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is SO cool! Definitely no mcmansion! That is a strait up mansion! Huge and awesome!

Hoppinger
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That basement was designed as one big playground for the owners children. I'm sure the idea that all the other kids would want to come over and play there, and that the other parents might get jealous over such an obvious show of ostentatiousness never crossed the owners mind...

Birb
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you live in the mansion and your friends come they can sleep in the fake inn if it has real beds and bathrooms

b l a n c
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

oh my gosh i am dying for the bookshelves!!! i'd spend 4.5 BILLION on this if i had the money and was legal age to buy a house lol

okpkpkp
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would not move from my home in northern California to Maryland. I'm a left-coast type of guy.

Deson
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm one of those semi Evil people who would put the words "Is The" on the movie sign. In small letters just to see if people catch on and what their reactions would be.

Richard Brier
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm fairly confident that the owner had visited the British Museum of Transportation in Glasgow, Scotland. The basement is a rough copy of the entrance.

Lisa Chambers
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Reminds me of the "towns" created for Senior citizens who may have memory problems or dementia. I wasnt thinking this was an at-scale town when I opened this.

CorgiGirl
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Except for the pool and the outside, this is just plain ugly. I sure would not want to live in a pretentious home like this. Not even remotely comfortable.

PaulV
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Here's a fun blog with a definition of "McMansion" that I'm going with. Explore and have a good laugh. Subscribe. Trust me. She runs a great blog. https://mcmansionhell.com/post/148605513816/mcmansions-101-what-makes-a-mcmansion-bad

Surya Amriza
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

With great luxury mansion, comes great maintenance, internet, water and electric bills.

Joshua Walters
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My first thought was that it was something for someone with Alzheimer's, like the things they have in certain countries and certain old folks' homes. It would be a safe environment for them to live what life they have left semi-normally.

Zelda Blue
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love it and would buy it in a heartbeat if I had the funds. What a gorgeous home with a bit of whimsy on the side.

Lola
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thatโ€™s something I would do if I had that kind of money.

Cori
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is a house to be looked at, not lived in. So many white carpets. And I agree with Velvet Hydrangea. Rich people DO do weird things with their money.

Dorothy Parker
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Something similar on Bravo, Real Housewives of New York City this season, (12,) episode 3.

Rebecca Schultz
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How did they get working cars into the basement? Disassembled and then reassembled in basement?

Geth
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The interior decoration hasn't been updated since the late '80s-early 90's. It's like a weird time capsule.

Max L.
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The massage parlor dude is quite creepy. The whole looks some psycopath dungeon.

Kenny Kulbiski
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The top half looks too uncomfortable to live in. Like for display purposes only. The village looks good but I'd think you'd get tired of it real quick. I think I've just talked myself out of buying it.

Lokiโ€™s Lil Butter Knife
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The facade of the mansion is actually quite nice- it reminds me of some of the older manor houses we have in the UK. Mind you the interior decorating tastes are definitely not my style, but it not nearly as garish or tacky as I thought it would be. This is most certainly not a Mcmansion.

Curry on...
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

Aunt Messy
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

That is a butt-ugly house. The exterior looks like someone tried to imitate a Victorian mental institution, the inside is both hideous and pretentious. What a cubic waste of money.

Eliz Sandy
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is a mansion. Mcmansions are s****y little prefabs with high ceilings and postage sized plots.

Tabitha L
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the article summary "Mansions are for the mere rich, and McMansions are for the super rich. And this one is so extra it has a goddamn life-sized village in its basement." It is quite clear the author does not know what a McMansion is. McMansions are for upper middle class, pretending to be rich.

Load More Replies...
mph seti
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

McMansions are just big houses (cheaply and recently made) in suburbs/gated communities. Mansions are 100% bespoke, often old, and cost a lot more.

Carlos Espinosa
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

McMansion... You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.โ€ โ€“ Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride.

Demi Zwaan
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love it! Not the decorating, I'd have someone redo that, but the shape, the rooms, and the amazing basement, LOVE IT! That basement is ideal for parents with Alzheimer's btw.

comboplush
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! Came here to say that but couldn't find quite the right phrasing for "you could host dementia patients in your cellar!" though

Load More Replies...
Johnny
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm disappointed they didn't paint a fake sky and just left exposed beams. Otherwise I'd totally buy that place, it's a steal at only $4.5M since it includes an entire town in the basement.

Tabitha L
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What does "Walking from one room to another is a treatment on its own" mean?

Dilly Millandry
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nothing. I'd hazard a guess that someone who doesn't speak English as their first language wrote that. Maybe they meant that the 'window treatments' are lovely or that it is a real treat to walk from room to room. I suspect that they mashed the two together.

Load More Replies...
TheHerplover
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is great. I only wish it had water slides to each room. (I am an adult child, yes)

Laugh Fan
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am not at all a morning person but if I could get downstairs to the kitchen via a water slide every morning I would find it extremely easy to get up each day - water slides in homes should definitely be a thing!

Load More Replies...
Liz
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is my hometown. I did not grow up in a house like this, but I had "friends" who did. I can tell you that having that much money from a young age really messes with kids. Not that it's any news...just that I've seen it firsthand.

Katchen
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

$2-$2.5 Million could get you a nice (small) ranch house in some parts of Palo Alto/ Menlo Park.

Load More Replies...
pei meow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would love to live here! Decors a bit old fashioned tho...

Joeshar
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

$4.5 million looks like a cheap price for this huge mansion

Kaeden
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is SO cool! Definitely no mcmansion! That is a strait up mansion! Huge and awesome!

Hoppinger
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That basement was designed as one big playground for the owners children. I'm sure the idea that all the other kids would want to come over and play there, and that the other parents might get jealous over such an obvious show of ostentatiousness never crossed the owners mind...

Birb
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you live in the mansion and your friends come they can sleep in the fake inn if it has real beds and bathrooms

b l a n c
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

oh my gosh i am dying for the bookshelves!!! i'd spend 4.5 BILLION on this if i had the money and was legal age to buy a house lol

okpkpkp
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would not move from my home in northern California to Maryland. I'm a left-coast type of guy.

Deson
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm one of those semi Evil people who would put the words "Is The" on the movie sign. In small letters just to see if people catch on and what their reactions would be.

Richard Brier
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm fairly confident that the owner had visited the British Museum of Transportation in Glasgow, Scotland. The basement is a rough copy of the entrance.

Lisa Chambers
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Reminds me of the "towns" created for Senior citizens who may have memory problems or dementia. I wasnt thinking this was an at-scale town when I opened this.

CorgiGirl
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Except for the pool and the outside, this is just plain ugly. I sure would not want to live in a pretentious home like this. Not even remotely comfortable.

PaulV
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Here's a fun blog with a definition of "McMansion" that I'm going with. Explore and have a good laugh. Subscribe. Trust me. She runs a great blog. https://mcmansionhell.com/post/148605513816/mcmansions-101-what-makes-a-mcmansion-bad

Surya Amriza
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

With great luxury mansion, comes great maintenance, internet, water and electric bills.

Joshua Walters
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My first thought was that it was something for someone with Alzheimer's, like the things they have in certain countries and certain old folks' homes. It would be a safe environment for them to live what life they have left semi-normally.

Zelda Blue
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love it and would buy it in a heartbeat if I had the funds. What a gorgeous home with a bit of whimsy on the side.

Lola
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thatโ€™s something I would do if I had that kind of money.

Cori
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is a house to be looked at, not lived in. So many white carpets. And I agree with Velvet Hydrangea. Rich people DO do weird things with their money.

Dorothy Parker
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Something similar on Bravo, Real Housewives of New York City this season, (12,) episode 3.

Rebecca Schultz
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How did they get working cars into the basement? Disassembled and then reassembled in basement?

Geth
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The interior decoration hasn't been updated since the late '80s-early 90's. It's like a weird time capsule.

Max L.
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The massage parlor dude is quite creepy. The whole looks some psycopath dungeon.

Kenny Kulbiski
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The top half looks too uncomfortable to live in. Like for display purposes only. The village looks good but I'd think you'd get tired of it real quick. I think I've just talked myself out of buying it.

Lokiโ€™s Lil Butter Knife
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The facade of the mansion is actually quite nice- it reminds me of some of the older manor houses we have in the UK. Mind you the interior decorating tastes are definitely not my style, but it not nearly as garish or tacky as I thought it would be. This is most certainly not a Mcmansion.

Curry on...
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

Aunt Messy
Community Member
4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

That is a butt-ugly house. The exterior looks like someone tried to imitate a Victorian mental institution, the inside is both hideous and pretentious. What a cubic waste of money.

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