THEIR OWN GIRARD

Rob and Mary Lubera sensed something special from the listing for the single-story, post-and-beam structure in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, but they weren’t sure what. It was 2009, and Rob, an estate planning attorney, and Mary, a CPA, had spent more than two years looking for a new home in the affluent Detroit suburb. On a whim, they asked their realtor to add the property to their list, consisting otherwise of historic-style houses.

The distressed condition of the exterior suggested that it had been vacant for some time.