Children grown, couple finds it's time to leave dream house

When Jack Tumminello proposed to his girlfriend Kathleen 40 years ago in the apple orchards next to her parents' Chelmsford house, little did they know they'd one day build their own home on that property. That compact, L-shaped house served them well for a while, but in 1986 they renovated the home and added an in-ground pool. They hired landscape architect Peter Hornbeck and architect Livingston Elder to create a home that "blends indoor and outdoor space," said Jack Tumminello. The result is a beautifully designed home wrapped around the pool on this nearly 2-acre property.

The house has four bedrooms, including the first-floor master with a fireplace in a sitting alcove that leads to the pool outside, where there is also a patio, stone walls, and a large screened porch. The piece de resistance of this home is a magnificent octagonal post-and-beam great room with a 14-foot vaulted ceiling, wrap around sliding glass doors, and a fieldstone fireplace. The white kitchen has new granite countertops and stainless -steel appliances, and a serving window into the great room .

How can they part with the house built where he proposed? Their three children are grown and they have downsized to a loft in South Boston that reminds them of this great room. After trying to sell the home with a broker last year, they are now selling it by themselves through entryonly.com.

"This house is not for everyone, but it will be for someone who appreciates that it's a very distinctive home," said Tumminello.

MINDY POLLACK-FUSI