“Little Castle” or “Tree House”? This coastal property forged of sticks and stones in Shoreacres is known by either name; it’s a 1932-built landmark near the Houston Yacht Club in La Porte. Thick, rough cut rocks clad much of the exterior, which comes with a chimney-hugging turret (top). Near its breeze-facing entry off a patio, 4 ‘faux bois’ pine trees — one of which looks a bit squirrely (above) — lend their support.

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A historic marker elsewhere on the 19,066-sq.-ft. lot provides the property’s pedigree. It was built as a “fish camp,” a weekend pad constructed for furniture retailer Isaiah P. Walker and family by son-in-law Preston Plumb Jr. (He and his father had developed an early section of West University.) The bayfront-ish home is cited as the only one in Harris County with embedded fake piney wood columns (‘ya think?) It was listed a week ago and bears a $500,000 price tag.

How’s this for rustic? Time and use have worn 2 types of cypress wood (pecky on the walls and Australian on the floors) and a smudged-up grand-scale fireplace. Nearby, a neo-medieval spiral staircase creeps up the turret’s interior:

Exposed beams overhead, meanwhile, shape a view-finder for a white-washed ceiling on the up and up:

The squirrel-graced wood-like column and its companions sprout on the edge of what was once a porch sited for the prevailing breeze. It has a side-winder view of the water. Currently used for dining, the pick-a-texture space appears to have been enclosed at some point:

It’s off the kitchen, which has a cabinet-framed service window that extends between the rooms, as well as French doors:

Countertops and appliances have been swapped out:

Seahorse hardware stands out against the steam-bent wood of a wine alcove seemingly entombed under a section of the circular staircase: 

The master bedroom is on the first floor. Dark trim outlines the room’s boundaries:

Its adjacent water park of a bathroom comes with a walk-in, down-a-step shower with dual shower heads . . .

some tile-style artwork . . .

a spa tub surrounded by privacy windows, jazzy floor tile, and a custom vanity of mahogany and zebrawood with glass vessel sink:

Plus, there’s another outcropping of rock wall here:

And then there’s the closet, accessed by either frosty-paneled door:

Custom light fixtures play off the designs in the pressed tin ceilings:

Finishes in rooms upstairs are as light as the the ground floor’s are moody. There’s a sitting room at the top of the stairs . . .

and some secondary bedrooms (the home has 3 to 5 total, depending how you count) . . .

Here’s the other full bathroom:

The half-bath’s sink motif burbles its fish camp connection:

Back at ground level, the end of an enclosed porch (aka the study) looks toward the bay . . .

and up the road to HYC and its marina. Absent from the listing photos is the vista slightly southwest of the property — in which the port-scale cranes working across the channel at the Bayport Container Terminal rise above the treeline.

Artistic flourishes trending toward seaside life continue outside. There’s a bright skies mural . . .

and a matching outdoor shower, with little fishy accent tiles:

The garage keeps it simple. It fits 2 cars, a golf cart, utility room, and space for a workshop, plus a 50-gal. recirculating water heater.

Upper Galveston Bay is right across the street. There’s a private fishing pier and boat launch within walking distance. The driveway extends past much of home on a lot that includes a narrow spur of wooded property connecting out back to one of the bayside neighborhood’s interior streets: Shadylawn. The community has a $65 annual maintenance fee.

• 3534 Miramar Dr. [HAR]