We've seen some expensive homes in the Hamptons but if there's anything I've learned in years of covering the high-end real estate market, it's that there is always another even bigger place around the corner. This home in Southampton Village has nine bedrooms, four floors and +13,500 sqft of living space. The home was the last project of renowned builder Kurt Andresson and famed New York Architects DAquino Monaco. It sits on approximately 11 acres of which six are Peconic Land Trust natural preserve lands with 1,000' oceanfront and 1000' pond front. On particularly winning detail is a two story enclosed gazebo with beautiful ocean views. The property also includes a sunken tennis court, gunite pool and Jacuzzi, pool house, two-car garage with h garden/potting area and second floor storage, private walkway to beach and pond with wooden dock. %Gallery-21723% | | |
Add another sports figure to the ranks of the celebrity foreclosed. Baseball player and controversial author Jose Canseco has in Encino, an area of Los Angeles. Canseco has said in an interview that it didn't make financial sense to keep paying the mortgage on a home that was "basically owned by someone else." Canseco cited his multiple divorces as another factor in his financial woes. It sounds like Canseco isn't facing the dire financial situation that some other people (Latrell Sprewell for example) have faced but merely opted out. His nonchalance seems a bit cavalier at a time when people are really agonizing over their homes but it seems in the interview that he is keenly aware that his situation is different from others who are struggling. %Gallery-9913% | | |
What else would you find on castle ridge road but a castle? This castle is located in Tuckasgee, North Carolina is a four-bedroom palace tucked in to the Smoky Mountains. The home has a great hall, chef's kitchen with butler's pantry, wine cellar, art studio, pub/movie room, office and a hidden, secret room. The four bedrooms are each suites with fireplaces, separate sitting areas, large bathrooms. and balconies. The home is on eight acres which includes English-style gardens and multiple outbuildings. Vintage style details include the turret tower, spiral staircase, handpainted murals, stained glass, vintage pine floors and a 400-year-old Normandy mantel. There is also an additional 43 acres with a horse barn and tack room available. One man's castle might be another man's white elephant but it's right for a knight.
When it comes to the South Carolina coastline, there are two cities that often come to mind for most people. There’s Myrtle Beach - an area known for its fun-loving atmosphere, theater and dining options, shopping and family friendly beach vacations - toward the northern end of the coast. Further to the south is Charleston where history and culture are wrapped together in a romantic and beautiful package. However, there’s plenty of coastline waiting to be discovered between the two cities, most notable in Georgetown where you will find the RiverHouse community.
Rentals in the Hamptons are already getting scarce but those with the money can buy this historic waterfront estate on Quantuck Bay and offer the perfect summer vacation for family and friends.
Henry Bacon, once with McKim, Mead & White, and best known for his design of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.,was commissioned to design this historic shingle-style manor. In an extensive three-year renovation in the mid 1990s, the architectural details, floors and fixtures were carefully restored and all the luxuries of modern-day living were added.
The 10.37 acre estate is completely private, bordered on the front by 64 century-old European pruned Catalpa trees. The back border stretches across more than 1,000 feet of waterfront, complete with deep-water dock.
The main residence is around 16,000 square feet on three floors with nine bedrooms, nine full and two half baths, six original fireplaces and 5,000 square feet of hand-pegged mahogany decks and brick & bluestone terraces. There are water views from 22 of the 24 rooms.
The grand entry foyer has a three-story hand carved staircase that leads through the reception gallery to a formal living room with a fireplace as well as a banquet-sized dining room with a fireplace and murals recreated from the works of William Merritt Chase and Childe Hassam, who painted in the area more than a hundred years ago.
Other living areas include a billiards room, a sunroom and a chef's kitchen with a large dining area surrounded on three sides by water views. The ground floor also has a pantry with espresso bar, an office, two powder rooms and a large laundry room. The downstairs cantina has a temperature & humidity controlled wine cellar.
In addition to the sprawling 1,000 square foot master suite, which has two large mahogany decks plus his & her baths and dressing rooms; the second floor has a center hall with adjacent office with covered mahogany deck, a living room and three bedrooms with baths.
The third floor has an oversized living room with a mahogany deck and vaulted ceiling, five bedrooms and four baths, an exercise room, a walk-in cedar closet and a laundry room.
There is also an original 2,000 square foot poolside carriage house covered in century-old grape vines that has been updated to include his & her baths and dressing rooms and a full service kitchen. Other buildings include an oak paneled guest cottage, oversized four car garage and a two-story three-bedroom and bath gardener's house with a separate driveway. The grounds include recreation and meditation areas, a Lord & Burnham greenhouse, a Har-Tru tennis court and a heated gunite pool with waterfall spa all set amidst acres of expansive lawns and gardens .
has used their matching function to find neighborhoods that are "we recently covered in our
The Neighborhood Scout sees the Wesley Heights area of Washington D.C. as an equivalent to the Lakeshore Drive area of Chicago. In that area of Chicago, the median house value is $1.955 million. Wesley Heights has a median of just $1.63 million. Both areas offer easy access to the heart of a city and are full of lovely traditional homes. Today's home has five bedrooms and a classic style that reminds me a little of the Chicago home we found . It has a graceful staircase, formal dining room, large shuttered windows and a big kitchen with adjoining eating area. The property includes gardens, outdoor entertaining area and a putting green.
Start with Virginia’s Smith Mountain Lake. Bring together some of the best developers in Central Virginia, and a plan to build a great community. But don’t think about communities that you’ve seen in the past: instead, focus on the possibilities of a development that follows the land and works with it rather than taking away from the natural beauty.
NeighborhoodScout.com has used their matching function to find neighborhoods that are we recently covered in our
The Neighborhood Scout chooses Breckridge, Colorado as a cheaper way to live the skiing life than Aspen, Colorado. In Apsen, the median house price is $1.6 million but in Breckenridge the median is just $618,892. Breckenridge is a ski resort that is rapidly growing in popularity and amenities. We recently covered the large condo complex planned for the area.
In Aspen we looked at a . Today's home is far more modest but has a lot to offer for the snow aficionado. This home is located in the Timber Trail ski in, ski out community. From this house you can ski straight to the Colorado or Rocky Mountain quad chairs. The home has seven bedrooms including three master suites and seperate kid's quarters with boys and girls bunk rooms, bathrooms and their own den. There is also an in-home cinema and the great room has massive full round log beams. Apres ski relaxing includes a spa room and a hot tub by the outside fireplace. This is the most expensive home currently on the market in Breckenridge a
has used their matching function to find neighborhoods that are s we recently covered in our The Neighborhood Scout chooses Southwest Harbor, Maine as a seaside equivalent to the pricier island of Nantucket. On Nantucket the median house value is $1.56 million but Southwest Harbor has a median house value of just $266,936. The two locations have much in common including a quaint New England charm and island beauty, you just trade in Nantucket for Mt. Desert Island. It's a little colder and doesn't have as much of a reputation as a summer getaway but it has some beautiful properties.
Today's home is actually on Greening's Island and has views of Mt. Desert Island. This shingle-style cottage was constructed in 1932 and sits on 9.75 acres of meadows and woods reaching all the way to the granite ledges. The property has western views of Southwest Harbor and Manset villages, and North to the views of Somes Sound and there is 1,544+/- feet of shore frontage. The property includes a shared dock and the "Captain's Cabin" a special retreat near the dock. A bargain compared to the shingled home we recently featured on Nantucket .
a Houston-based designer and one of Architectural Digest's top 100 designers, shares his knowledge and philosophy in 13 half-hour episodes of the new PBS series Presented nationally by WLIW New York, the series premiered nationwide this month (check local listings for your channel and broadcast time). Its is to make "the experience of luxury -- excellence, comfort and high quality -- accessible at any budget with transformational tips inspired by international locales and top experts. The website has lots to read, such as an a and of course, a so you can "create your own interaction with luxury." Don't we all want that? | | |