Above Par in Springfield for $549K

518 Flora Circle, Springfield, Pa. 19064 | TREND images via BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors

Whenever I go looking for homes to feature in the suburbs, my eyes tend to glaze over as I page through what seem to be endless center-hall Colonials or their McMansionized variants.

So when a home that breaks that mold turns up, I get all excited.

So it was with this one-of-a-kind custom-built home on a quiet private cul-de-sac that backs up onto the Rolling Green Golf Course in Springfield Township.

My initial reaction upon seeing the photos of this home was, “Wow!” Then, as I went through them again, I thought, “Wow.”

That’s “Wow!” as in, “This home has a really cool layout, some really great spaces and a number of elegant features.” And “Wow.” as in, “I’m running the numbers in my head on what it would cost to bring this place into the present.”

Living and dining rooms

Dining room

Those elegant features include the Italian marble floors, the dramatic full-height stone fireplace and the soaring vaulted ceiling in the open-plan living-dining room, which is one with the equally high-ceilinged foyer.

Then there are the classical details like the stair railings, chandeliers and woodwork throughout what’s basically a contemporary home. I usually like contemporary homes to behave the way they’re designed on the outside, but somehow, the Old Main Line and the 1980s manage to play nice with each other here.

Kitchen

Family room

And features like the abundance of cabinet space in the kitchen and the marble-surrounded tubs in the bathrooms (in the master, it’s a jetted tub) make me hesitant to tinker with this home. Especially since it seems to me that doing so would be a sign of disrespect to its current owners, who have clearly done right by this place in the maintenance department.

But if I were to buy this home, it would become my place then. And I’d want to update it badly.

Master bedroom

Master bathroom

Yes, everything’s in great shape. But it’s 2018, and this is That ’80s Home. It could benefit from some bolder color to match the boldness of the design. Those plentiful kitchen cabinets could be transformed into something sleeker that still keeps the contemporary feel. And I’d want to make it more frankly modernist throughout.

Backyard and golf course view

But that’s just me. The good news is, you don’t have to do any of this if you don’t want to, for this home is in move-in condition. But if you too think it could use some freshening up, just be prepared to live without some rooms for periods of time.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 3

BATHS: 3 full, 1 half

SQUARE FEET: 3,555

SALE PRICE: $549,000

518 Flora Circle, Springfield, Pa. 19064 [Gary Schievert | Gary Schievert & Associates | BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors]