By Gretchen A. Peck

Built in 1986, the three-bedroom home at 1749 Glasgo Road in Griswold was designed with an endearing architectural nod to a big red barn. But the oversized windows, skylights and the two decks hint to the contemporary interiors awaiting inside. The property, which includes a detached two-car garage, is newly listed for sale. Monica Obuchowski, a Realtor with Randall Realtors-Compass, is the sellers’ agent. The asking price is $460,000.

Christina Hekkert and her husband acquired the house less than a year ago, with the earnest intention of making it their “forever home.” But life and a new job opportunity in another state intervened.

When they bought the home, the Hekkerts began entertaining plans of how they might “make it their own,” redesigning the layout and flow. They consulted with an architect and considered moving the kitchen and dining area to the front of the house, shifting the living area to the back of the house, so that there’d be a nice flow out to the main-level deck overlooking the serene setting.

“It’s so beautiful, and we wanted to take advantage of the view,” Hekkert said. The buyer may find the floor plan perfectly laid out as it is; or, they might take the Hekkert’s idea and run with it.

The homeowners also considered adding new sliders to the walkout basement, and creating an outdoor living area there, possibly with an outdoor kitchen. The basement itself is quite large, nearly the run of the house, and it could be leveraged for additional living space. They used part of it for home gym equipment and workout space.

The home’s front door opens to an expansive living room, with a central hallway leading past two of the three bedrooms to the back of the home, where the kitchen and dining area are currently. The loft level on the second floor is where the primary bedroom suite is, with a dressing room, a private bath, and plenty of space for a sitting area or home-office desk.

With a cathedral ceiling, oversized windows and skylights, the home is filled with natural light, even on otherwise gloomy gray days. You can sit in the living room and gaze up at the moon, framed by one of the three prominent windows on the home’s front face.

The house is heated by a propane system the sellers installed, replacing an oil-burning furnace. And to keep the house extra cozy during the sometimes-harsh New England winters, they have a soapstone wood-burning stove in the main living area. They put in a new air conditioning system in the past year, as well.

The couple also had time to make some improvements to the landscaping, she explained. They trimmed back overgrowth and took down trees that had run their course, opening up the lot and creating more lawn area.

There are tall arborvitae at the back of the property, but from the elevated vantage point of the deck off the primary suite, the view looks out over them to Pachaug Pond. “We walk our dog down by the lake all the time,” she said.

“The trees are gorgeous, especially when the seasons change, with different colors. And the sunsets here are amazing to watch,” Hekkert attested. “As the year goes on, you see the pattern go from left to right, and even when the trees go bare in the dead of winter, you get the most amazing sunsets. I’m always out there on the deck taking photos.”

Asked about what it’s been like to live in Griswold, albeit for a brief time, Hekkert said, “I grew up in the military, and I’ve lived in other countries. I’ve lived in big cities and traveled all over. And what I loved about this location was that we felt we were out in the middle of nowhere, but you really aren’t. You’re within 30 minutes of everything. It’s only an hour and a half to Boston. You can take the train to New York City. We enjoy going to Stonington. And nothing requires a long drive. Here, it’s an adventurous drive, because you have these beautiful windy roads and foliage along the way.”

Property: 1749 Glasgo Rd., Griswold

Bedrooms: 3

Baths: 2

Square Footage: 1,950

Acreage: 1.5 acres

Asking Price: $460,000

Seller’s Agent: Monica Obuschowski, Randall Realtors-Compass; Mobile: (860) 334-7614; monica.obuchowski@compass.com