Villages Tudor (and a Mountain of Pewabic Tile) List for $285K

This 6-bedroom, 3-bathroom house in the Joseph Berry Estates section of the Villages comes with an intriguing pedigree—it was designed by Robert O. Derrick, the prominent Detroit architect whose more famous works include the Henry Ford Museum and the Theodore J. Levin U.S. Courthouse. Much of the home's original 1922 Pewabic tile remains, including a solarium with a floor of irregularly shaped terra cotta squares and rectangles, a tiny indigo fountain, all the bathroom tiles and a fireplace surround.
The best and worst of a number of decades square off inside the house. The foyer boasts a sweeping staircase with a wrought iron railings, an original chandelier and curved archways with nicely detailed door frames, but also a view of the turquoise shag in the adjoining living room. The kitchen combines rustic ceiling beams with a semi-functional island and an 80s fab appliance garage. One bedroom has a newspaper collage mural on one wall, and an inexplicable patch of vinyl flooring abuts the room's original hardwoods in one peculiar corner. With over 5,000 square feet, there are many opportunities to remodel, but nearly as many charming features—including a Pewabic fireplace surround—to preserve. - Rebecca Golden

· 444 Lodge Drive [Trulia]