Rustic country home on Delong Road a place of peace, healing

When you approach the lovely, semi-circular arched front door of 601 Delong Road, you feel as though you’re walking into a castle or a church.

It’s James Taylor’s castle, one he shares with his three teenage sons. It’s been a house of healing while his family battled a string of hardships.

About five years ago, Taylor had just returned from working in China when his wife told him about the house on Delong.

They went to check out the 5,600-square-foot home that sits back off the road, hidden by trees. He discovered a beautiful house with lots of garage space and a man cave, a burro named Churro and three fainting goats, and when he saw bamboo growing near the koi pond, he said it really had an impact on him as he follows Asian philosophies.

Not long after they purchased the home, his wife’s cancer returned, and it ultimately claimed her life. He stressed about having moved away from the Beaumont area, where he had close friends that could assist them while she battled it a second time.

“But it turned out, it was a really great place to live out her days,” he said.

His wife loved playing jigsaw puzzles in the enclosed porch. Taylor said he likes the transition from the house to that porch, which then leads out to the pool area.

The home feels very cozy and rustic with real wood beams on the ceilings throughout and exceptional light fixtures installed by the home’s previous owners. The huge fixture in the dining area once held candles but is now electric while maintaining that castle-like feel. There are dragons on the entryway light fixture and gargoyles on others.

The floors are made from reclaimed pine wood from a whiskey distillery. The fireplaces were built from dry stack rock to resemble Kentucky fences.

The master bathroom has heated tile floor, an effervescent jacuzzi tub and a steam shower.

“It turns into a sauna. I turn it on and fill the room so when I get out, I don’t get cold,” he said.

A door in the bathroom opens out into the Zen garden. There’s an outdoor shower, large rocks that appear to float in the pond and a sitting area.

“It’s a nice place to sit and listen to the sound of the waterfall. My wife spent time here between the pool and the koi pond,” he said. “The wisteria is just incredible. It’s so thick.”

The tranquility was momentarily broken when he yelled across the field to Churro, his donkey, who had a lot to say.

Most impressive was the home’s garages, built with longs rows of diamond plated cabinets, car lifts and enough room to hold 16 vehicles.

Sitting on 10 acres with two fenced-off fields for animals, a well in the back corner that pumps into the pond, large bass in the water, a playhouse, a front gate, beautiful landscaping and a rounded driveway, the home is also ideally located, Taylor said.

“We could be at the hospital in less than 10 minutes. That was nice,” he said. “Costco is 10 minutes away. We’re 15 minutes from downtown. We’re out in the country, but we’re just minutes from everything.”

Aside from the animals he owns on the property, Taylor said he walked out of the man cave one morning and he saw about 15 deer grazing very near the house. He said each winter, the deer sleep under the pine trees and you can see the spots in the snow where they laid. He also sees lots of wild turkey.

It’s been a peaceful place to live, he said, as they’ve made many lasting memories there of their wife and mother and healed from a medical scare a few years ago when his 9-year-old son suffered a heart attack (but he’s OK now).

“(The house has) turned out to be a blessing for my sons and wife. It’s served the perfect purpose,” he said.