Yellowing newspapers line the windows of the empty bungalow.
Its scale and location - in an idyllic spot on a lake's edge, are impressive - but the house, behind a rusting security fence, looks sad and weather-beaten.
For over twenty years this house has lain empty on the shore of Hollingworth Lake.
And now Rochdale council, who say it's spoiling the view, want to take it off its owners using a compulsory purchase order.
For owners Dr Stephen Watkins, 68, and his wife Elizabeth, 72, the house, at Lakeside, Littleborough, was supposed to be a peaceful spot to spend their final years after years 'working like dogs' in stressful occupations.
They won't say how much they spent on building it, but at one stage it had the potential to be a very impressive home. Bespoke features included a library, built for Dr Watkins hundreds of books.
And yet, 22 years after it first started, the project still remains unfinished - and its sad history has even been cited as Westminster as an example of what can go wrong for people who build their own homes.
For the Watkins the last two decades have been eaten up with disputes - first with the firm that built the property, and then a protracted battle with the National House Building Council (NHBC) with whom they had taken out a 'Buildmark' warranty and insurance policy.
The couple weren't happy with the workmanship - a structural engineer would find weaknesses in the roof - and so left the house in its unfinished state as 'evidence' to support their claim with their insurers, the NHBC.
But the claim, which began in 2001, after three years of wrangling with the builders, took over 15 years to settle.
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After all that back-and-forth, involving surveyors and the financial ombudsman, the Watkins were happy with the sum the NHBC finally paid out - which is big enough to complete the property.
But the Watkins' joy and relief was short-lived - December they learnt Rochdale council wanted to CPO the bungalow, which they say 'detracts from its surroundings and spoils the outlook’.
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“I thought it was cruel, just a week of two before Christmas", Elizabeth said.
Stephen, who will fully retire in April, added: "We were absolutely devastated. No discussion, no warning, no attempt to find any of the facts.
"It was totally unnecessary. They said we lacked the ability and the will to carry out the project. We don’t lack either. We have simply been obstructed by the dispute with the NHBC."
Rochdale council have refused the couple's plea to withdraw the CPO, instead saying it will be used as a 'fallback' in case development 'milestones' aren't met.
The couple resent this. They think it implies that the council think they've spent the last two decades being 'awkward', rather than fighting a legitimate case with their insurers.
“We have been consistent that we couldn’t do anything with the property until we had settled with NHBC and as soon as we settled we would complete the project", Stephen said.
"You would have to believe that this couple, 20 years ago, decided to have this beautiful house built, with all bespoke items made to put in it, and they refused to move into it because they were being awkward, and spinning things out - what advantage would that be?" Elizabeth added.
The bungalow is well known to those familiar with the area around Hollingworth Lake, and has been branded an 'eyesore' by some. Fans of eerie buildings have taken pictures and posted them online.
"I can hear people talk as they walk around the place and say ‘what a shame about that property’ and say it’s the nicest property on the whole row, I think they’re right, it’s got a lot of character. It’s a very beautiful property and very beautifully laid out inside," says Elizabeth.
The couple were even invited to address politicians on their predicament - the All Party Parliamentary Group for Excellence in the Built Environment in 2015 - after going to Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd for help.
Mr Lloyd described their treatment as a 'disgrace', and the couple accused the NHBC of being an organisation that 'stonewalls and delay as long as possible' when dealing with claims in the hearing.
Elizabeth is briefly overcome with emotion as she recounts how their dream died from their Oldham home.
When work on the bungalow began in 1997, Elizabeth - who worked as a nurse and health visitor - retired to oversee the project, dropping in regularly to check on the progress.
“I really retired to give us a better quality of life, because we both worked all days and evenings", she said. "A lot of my work was dealing with child protection. It was a treat, we had worked like dogs all our lives.
“We have a friend who flies aeroplanes, one who sails yachts, Stephen’s dream was to have a library overlooking a lake and it kept me going all that time, because I wanted him to have his dream, that kept me going for a long time.
“You can go and buy an aeroplane, or a boat if you want one. But I can’t buy a lake and that’s what we wanted - I wanted it for Stephen.”
In spite of that vision, the pair say they will now never be able to face moving into the property, saying it is become tarnished with too many painful memories.
"We built this house intending to move into it and we were looking ahead", Stephen adds. (But)I think the last few years have been particularly emotionally draining. We don’t intend to move into it now. We intend to finish it and sell it."
But while they feel 'cheated' of their dream' because of the negative emotions and memories the house now brings up, they say they are determined that it will not stand empty for ever - and that Rochdale council won't have to enforce that CPO.
"I’m sure we can move on from this, we will finish this project and put this behind us, certainly, " says Stephen.
"And be a lot wiser for it,"adds Elizabeth.
An NHBC spokesman said: "We are sorry that Dr and Mrs Watkins have had to wait so long.
This has proved to be a complex and protracted case but the claim has now been resolved for both the homeowners and NHBC.”
Rochdale Council said they had been in contact with the couple since 2007, but declined to comment further.
While the reasons why the bungalow at Lakeside has lain empty are complex, there is a wider issue across Greater Manchester with empty properties.
At least £3 billion worth of property across Greater Manchester is empty or barely used, analysis by our Data Unit has revealed.
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