1309 Grinnell St - Freshly Renovated Casa Marina Area Home - Key West

Nine months ago I first wrote about 1309 Grinnell Street which is located in the tony Casa Marina Area of Key West when it was being offered as a fixer-upper. It went under contract the first week it was listed. The new owner is a local contractor that totally renovated this home which is now offered for sale at $1,599,000.  The listing Realtor describes the property as being a...

"Complete renovation in the Casa Marina! X zone.Beautiful large front covered porch poolside, with new pavers for zero maintenance. Decking off the kitchen to enjoy your meals cooked with new Kenmore Pro Series appliances.Downstairs Master bedroom and bath has new imported designer tile and vanity. Upstairs is a 2nd Master bedroom and bath,large walk in closet, and vaulted ceilings.New Oak flooring,drywall, and paint throughout. Custom built interior doors and wood work. Upstairs guest bedroom connects to a third bathroom, with a marble designer floor, new plumbing, fixtures,and a cast iron tub. High efficiency a/c, upstairs and down.There is a new metal roof, Miami Dade impact resistant doors and windows, electric service, wiring and lighting. House has new Hardi Backer siding, fascia, decking,fencing, and more. Off street parking too!"

When I passed through the entry gate I was immediately taken by the lagoon style pool and newly landscaped yard that gave the house a presence it previously did not have. The stage was set for something quite different than existed before. New slider doors open out to from the living area to the cool pool. Since most Key West houses are reversed with public rooms in the rear to provide pool views, it's appropriate that this home has its living area up front to look out at the pool located in the front yard.

This new house is anything but formal. The combined living, dining, and kitchen areas are designed and outfitted for Keys casual living. The living area has just a bit of separation from the dining and kitchen area. An extra wide opening from the kitchen allows the chef to be a part of whatever is going on inside this area as well as to provide a view out to the pool. The laundry area is located just off the kitchen. The guest bath is tucked away off to the side. Several rooms in the house have the sliding wood doors made especially for this home.

 

The master bedroom and en-suite bath are located at the rear of this home. Impact glass doors open out from each of these rooms to the south side deck that runs the length of this home. Similar doors open out from the dining area. The shower in the master bedroom provides a means of quick escape to get an all over Key West tan to the private outdoor area. I know a lot of my older customers favor first floor master bedrooms. This obviates the need to sell and buy a new place when climbing stairs becomes a chore. And when you're young, you can step out and take a skinny dip just before you hit the hay.

There are two bedrooms and two baths on the second floor plus an extra large second floor sitting area. I am sure you have noticed the new wood floors and sharp baseboards and trim evident throughout the house.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and to view more listing photos. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this lovely newly renovated Casa Marina Area home that is offered at $1,599,000 and partially furnished (as shown).  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

1309 Grinnell Street - The Casa Marina Area - Key West

JUST LISTED by Preferred Properties Key West, that's where I work but this is not my listing, 1309 Grinnell Street which is located in the Casa Marina Area. This 1724 sq ft home is hidden behind large privacy fence. When you open the gate, you are genuinely surprised to see a lagoon pool and tropical garden upon entering the property. A winding path leads through the bricked terrace and up the steps to the home.

I fished around in my old shoebox and found a photo taken of this house in 1965, see below.  I have included a new color photo that shows the house from about the same angle taken in 2015.  

The aerial photo above was taken in 1930.  I added a white arrow that indicates the location of 1309 Grinnell Street. The house was not built then, but its next door neighbor existed then. The Monroe County Property Appraiser website shows this house was built in 1958.  I think the actual construction may actually have been sometime earlier - probably right after World War II.  I believe the original house was a one story bungalow style house. There are many nearby bungalow style houses located in this immediate area. The second floor addition appears in the 1965 photo so we know it existed as of that date or earlier.

I often speculate about how a house might look like if a new owner did a few things to tweak the exterior a bit. While parts of the Casa Marina Area are now subject to review by our Historic Architectural Review Commission, this house might get a "pass" since it is not a contributing structure and since prior additions totally changed the original view.

I would suggest the creation of a new two story front porch that would overlook the pool. I would replace the T-111 siding with Novelty siding that already exists on the main floor. I would replace the aluminum windows with wood windows to give the house a more traditional home appearance. I would gut the first and second floor interiors and rearrange the room layouts and functionality. The living room, dining area, kitchen, laundry, and a bedroom and full bath are located on the main level.  I think the current configuration is both  dated and also no longer fits the way we live today. The second floor layout is equally outdated and impractical. The second floor landing is way too large. The spaces could be reconfigured to enlarge the bedrooms and perhaps add another bath. Another scenario would be to eliminate one of the existing three upper bedrooms and to reconfigure the space to have just one guest bedroom and to create a larger new master bedroom with en-suite, The new master bedroom would have French doors that open out to the second floor front porch which would overlook the pool. If you take down the existing walls, you can create any new space you want.

CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of the house and yard. According to the Monroe County Property Appraiser the yard is an irregular 4555 sq ft lot (about 43.25' X 92'5'). The house sits to the rear of the lot, and the pool is located up front. There is a good sized deck on the south side of the house. The north side lot is about six feet wide.

A new owner would not have to make any structural changes to this house. It needs existing carpet removed and replaced.  Interiors need to be cleaned and painted. My suggestions are offered only to spark the Reader's imagination as to what they might do if this house were theirs.  A 1960s vintage house located in the next block was a couple of years ago and was featured in Architectural Digest. It was a simple house before it became glamorous. It was recently offered for sale at $2,499,000. Our office sold a similar contemporary renovation in the same block in 2012 for $1,950,000. I think any money spent on this house will ultimately make the house worth much more. Most of the homes in  this area are priced over one million dollars and prices are trending much higher. The Atlantic Ocean and beaches are just a few blocks to the south. Duval Street is a five block walk to the west. Most of the gyms and yoga studios are located within a four block walk to the north or east. You can be in most places you want to go within a matter of minutes. I believe the current "condition" and location make this property worthy of serious consideration.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 1309 Grinnell Street that is offered for sale at $675,000. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.