The woodwork is custom finished, with love

SELLERS: Herb and Sandy Doscher

ADDRESS: 4 Avon Lane, Westbury

ASKING PRICE: $649,000

THE COMPETITION: Similar size homes in the Westbury school district are priced between $259,000 and $649,000.

RECENT SALE IN THE AREA: A Colonial on Woods Road sold for $410,000.

TAXES: $10,281; additional village taxes, $1,064

TIME ON THE MARKET: Since last month

LISTING AGENT: Evelyn Wilkins, Evelyn Richards Inc., Glen Head, 516-313-0892

WHY IT'S FOR SALE: The retired couple is moving to Connecticut to be closer to their children and four granddaughters.

Almost 14 years ago, the Doschers distributed "house wanted" fliers to residents of Wheatley Villa. The exercise yielded results, as they received a tip that this house - a handyman's special - was available. Considering Herb, now 64, is a carpenter, the couple were up to the task. Sandy says Herb transformed the house - a six-room Cape - into a cozy cottage. Set on a 108-by-116-foot parcel, the house has two bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms. Sandy, 61, a retired scientific administrator at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, tells the story:

"The house needed to be totally renovated. When I brought my girlfriends over, they thought we were crazy. But my husband and I had a vision, and the house came out better than I expected. . . . Herb knocked down walls, replaced the windows and did all the woodwork, such as the doors, the cabinets, moldings and built-ins. The hutch in the dining room, the window seat in the living room and my desk are all hand made. Herb transformed the house into a cozy cottage. . . . The area we live in is part of the (former) Post estate. It's off the beaten path, so there's not a lot of traffic."