The first showings of 4 Meetinghouse Lane, Old Lyme, began this week. It's a three-bedroom 3,247-square-foot custom contemporary home, with detached garaging, on just over 2.5 acres of land near Old Lyme's village.

This House of the Week was designed and built by architect-owner Jeff Flower. He and his wife Caroline bought the lot in 1999 and embarked on building "a contemporary craftsman" home and a separate garage, Jeff Flower recalled. The couple and their children lived here for more than 20 years. Recently, they enlisted Realtor Terry Kemper of Coldwell Banker Realty to help sell the property. The asking price is $925,000.

"Contemporary homes are rare in New England and do really stand out as one-of-a-kind — and are sought-after by discriminating buyers," Kemper said.

When the homeowners purchased the 2.54-acre lot, they strategically cleared an area for the house and garage, for some lawn and landscaping elements. A circular drive, paved in natural stone, leads to the house, and a walkway guides guests to the main entrance.

"It is a very simple and desirable floor plan — one-floor open-living concept on the first floor," the sellers' agent described the house, which also has a second floor, with a family room and two of the three bedrooms.

The Flowers used the family room as a billiards room, but the architect said that it might also be reconfigured to add a fourth bedroom.

The primary suite — one of three bedrooms — is on the main level, just off the living room. It comprises a spacious private bath, a walk-in closet and a private office. It also has exterior access out to one of the patios.

"The house is flooded with light, due to the multitude of windows, paired with transom windows," the sellers' agent noted.

The kitchen feels seamlessly connected to the great room's living and dining areas. It has cabinetry crafted in cherry, with soapstone and stainless surfaces. Flower incorporated high-end appliances, like a gas-fired cooktop with a grill and griddle, a warming draw and a trash compactor.

The house is partially constructed using insulated concrete forms (ICF).

"Normally, when you see ICF houses, they're colonials and boxy. I wanted to show how you could create the opposite of that — beautiful, with an open plan," the architect explained.

The woodwork throughout the home is one of its outstanding features. Flower explained how he chose to incorporate cherry and maple hardwoods, mixing the types among the interiors.

Radiant-heat floors for both levels provide extra comfort during the winter months, and the house is equipped with a high-efficiency Viessmann-brand heating system.

Steps from the main house, the detached garage has two bays, plus additional space for lawn equipment and tools. The outbuilding has an unfinished second level, which affords storage space as is, but Flower said that it could be insulated, finished and leveraged as a private home office.

"This house is located a couple of homes away from the Old Lyme Country Club, (which) has a restaurant, a nine-hole golf course, tennis courts and an outdoor pool, a swim team for young people," Kemper noted. "It could not be more convenient. Just walk to the end of the street, at the corner of Johnnycake, and you are at the pool. You can see the golf course in one of the aerial photos.

"Hiking trails called 'Champlain South' are located on the other end of Meetinghouse Lane and access to hundreds of acres," she added.

The homeowner said the property has visits from a host of wildlife — birds, the occasional deer and turkeys passing through.

"It's within walking distance to town, and within two miles of an I-95 on-ramp. We're also halfway between New York and Boston," the seller pointed out. The property is also close to several local places of worship, the Florence Griswold Museum, and the Great Island Wildlife Management Area.

Property: 4 Meetinghouse Lane, Old Lyme

Bedrooms: 3

Baths: 3

Square Footage: 3,247

Acreage: 2.54 acres

Asking Price: $925,000

Seller's Agent: Terry Kemper, Coldwell Banker Realty; Mobile: (860) 908-7820; terry.kemper@cbmoves.com