Which of These Guitar Houses is Taking Care of Business?

By Mimi Perez
Special Contributor

I am a huge Elvis fan. The smoky voice, the cape draped in sequins, the black leather jumpsuits, and those oh-so-gyrating hips … ooohhhh baby, Elvis oozed a whole lot of hunka, hunka burnin’ love and people went crazy over him.

What made Elvis a megastar though, was his commitment to being Elvis. He was a man among men; he was the king. 

Now before you start thinking that CandysDirt.com has become the real estate version of Tiger Beat, allow me to explain. Theme-shaped homes need commitment in order for them to work. This is a tale of two very different homes that carry the description of being a “guitar house.”

Pretty, But Only Half-Way

Architect Bill Sheppard designed a majestic 66,000-square-foot mansion located at 7 Montagel Way, Birmingham, Alabama. This house sits on 27 acres, has 15 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms.

That’s all well and good if you like those things in abundance but it is only described as a “guitar house” because the landscaping as you enter the estate is in the shape of a guitar. Yeah, yeah, it’s lovely but where’s the commitment?

A Guitar House With Commitment

The true “guitar house” in this story is located in Fayetteville, Georgia. The house itself was built to look like a guitar. The way the old lady who lived in a shoe actually lived in a shoe, these folks are actually living in a guitar. Now that is commitment, people.

It took country singer Elvis Carden — yes his name is Elvis — 16 years to construct this home located at 115 Wilkins Road, Fayetteville, Georgia. Mr. Carden’s record label is named Guitar House Records. His back-up band is named Guitar House Band. One of his albums was named Living in an Old Guitar. Not only was this house his home, it was also his muse.

Find some other piece of real estate that worked as hard as this one. You could say this house was taking care of business.

Much like the king himself, the story of the guitar house doesn’t have a happy ending. When it sold in 2012, the sale price was $55,000. The guitar house is in need of a tune-up. One can hope that the new owners will show the guitar house some tender loving care. In the end, Mr. Carden is no Elvis, and the guitar house is no Graceland, but you have to appreciate the commitment to the guitar-themed home.

And with that ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building! 

For more photos of the guitar house, go here.