When Patricia and Kim Baker began thinking about building a new home for just the two of them, they were thinking big--very big. For 13 years they had been ensconced in a 3,500-sq.-ft. contemporary-style home--which was plenty of room until they brought in their expanding businesses. Soon the rooms felt crowded and confined.
Patricia, 48, had always longed for a large house and an expansive plot of land, and Kim was a NASCAR driver and race-car builder who needed an oversize garage for his projects. So when they reaped a windfall after selling their home in 2004, they decided to build...