Stephen Werner began helping his parents erect a castle on their property in Cloudland, Ga., 22 years ago. He screwed together custom cuts of metal siding, winched them up to stand 32 feet high. He built battlements on top and fastened concrete stones to the outside walls.
The construction halted about half a decade ago, though. Most of the castle's exterior is still uncovered metal, like a warehouse. Old photos and books sit haphazardly scattered in unfinished rooms that carry the steel and concrete radiance of prison cells. In the yard, weeds stand about waist-high.
In 2015, after their parents died, Werner and his siblings listed the 26,000-square-foot castle for $2.5 million. The property is still on the market, with the price tag now down to $999,999. Werner, 46, isn't sure what he will do next if a suitor buys the land. Also, he doesn't care.
"Pretty much spent most of my actual dang adult life in this place," he said. "I had all these other things I was going to do. And mom was like, 'Come help us.' It turned into this. My entire life was ruined in this place."
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Email Tyler Jett at tjett@timesfreepress.com.