Teed up for fun, a Washington state mansion with a putt-putt course has hit the market for $5.69 million.
Retired builder Don Gockel and his wife, Diane, founder of the Sammamish Animal Sanctuary, listed their 5.78-acre estate at 20727 SE 27th St. in Sammamish, Washington, last week. They bought the property nearly three decades ago, replacing the prior single-family home on the site with a 6,550-square-foot house in 2005. Their house has five bedrooms, five bathrooms and unique amenities.
The house has a playground, a heated pool and ranch where Diane Gockel launched her sanctuary for abandoned, abused or elderly animals. A range of animals, including alpacas, ducks, horses and llamas, call the sanctuary home. It kept their four kids — and their friends — at home.
The sanctuary served as inspiration for their nine-hole putt-putt course, nicknamed the "Backyard Barn Golf." Ten years ago, the Gockel family spent $50,000 on their animal-themed course, adorned with concrete statues — picture bunnies, cats, dogs, horses and goats — and figurines purchased from local antique shops and garage sales. The couple's grandkids were often the most frequent players on a weekly basis.
“It's a fantastic place to have fun,” Don Gockel said, noting that it's also quiet and private.
Already having moved to the Suncadia resort community in nearby Cle Elum, the couple wants to downsize. Their flock left the nest and so have the animals; they have been relocated to another sanctuary. While the home is ideal to host their four grandkids and counting, Don Gockel said he and his wife want less square footage in exchange for more freedom and flexibility.
The heated lap pool — the spot he and his wife gravitated to for exercise and to talk about parenting throughout the years — will be the area he misses the most, Don said. The yardwork and upkeep for the entire residence? Not so much. The new buyer will also have to deal with the annual pressure washes needed to maintain the putt-putt course.
Already, listing agent Maria Danieli with Windermere Real Estate said prospective buyers have been primarily attracted to the property's size and the ranch. The ranch came with the property when the Gockel family bought it and continues to be a selling point for families looking to house horses or other animals.
“It's a lifestyle property," Danieli said, "it's not just a house."