‘Grottos, waterfalls, dragons’: Chapel Hill home lists with quirky, ‘must-see’ garden
From the street, the newly listed 5,920-square-foot home at 107 Silo Drive looks like an ordinary, if large, red-brick, traditional house in Chapel Hill’s Cedar Hills subdivision.
That’s until you peek into the backyard. A “one-of-a-kind” garden features grottos, waterfalls and a giant, 30-foot stone dragon.
“Seriously. There’s no other garden like it!” said the listing’s agent Armand Lenchek, a Realtor with Chapel Hill-based EXP Realty. “This property must be seen to be believed.”
It’s even appeared on Zillow Gone Wild, the popular Instagram account that features the strangest and most eccentric homes on the real estate marketplace. Uploaded to its X account on Nov. 21, it’s already clocked over 219,000 views.
“This is a house, plus a business opportunity!” one commenter wrote. “You could rent the garden for events on weekends, easy.”
“Someone definitely sacrificed virgins here,” said another.
“I’m a dragon believer now,” said a third.
The late Dan Krebill, a retired Army colonel and West Point graduate, built the house on the one-acre lot in 1997. According to his June 18 obituary, he decided to put all his energy into creating the garden after a diving accident left him partially paralyzed years earlier.
Engaging a group of artists and designers, he turned “an acre of burdock into an oasis,” it said. He called it the “Uncommon Garden.”
“Filled with dragons, waterfalls, winding paths, 55 varieties of Japanese maples and other beautiful plants, the garden became a focal point for gatherings, events and tours to support nonprofit groups,” the obituary read.
In 2022, Floating Stone Productions released an award-winning documentary about the garden.
But the property doesn’t come cheap. The five-bedroom, six bathroom house is listed for $1.7 million, or about $287 per square foot.
That’s well-above the average. In ZIP code 27514, where the home is located, the median sale price (mid-point where half cost less and half cost more) of a single-family home was $825,000 in October, according to Redfin data.
Other notable amenities include an elevator, a three-car garage, second-floor in-law suite, chicken coop, gazebo and a “whole-house” generator.
In today’s market, is it worth the price? Take a look for yourself and decide.
Here’s a look at the interior.
This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 8:00 AM.
