To Mike, it seemed like one moment Vanessa was happily gardening in their spacious backyard, and the next she was gone. The couple and their two sons lived in a rambling Spanish-style house at the ...

A pool house, multiple-level patios and an outdoor barbecue area equipped with Viking appliances and granite countertops complete the scene. The house is a single level -- about 4,700 square feet ...

MICANOPY — Standing in the sandy clearing among live oaks, scrubby palm trees and azalea bushes, it’s easy to think not much has changed since the house was built roughly 100 years ago.

So they’re moving to their backyard. Last year, the Mihevcs erected a two-bedroom, 1,300-square-foot cottage in the grassy patch behind their house. The cost, which the family covered using a ...