712 Ashe Street, Key West - Present Perfect

I have written about the house at 712 Ashe Street in Key West a couple of times for over the past three years. I remember the day I first set foot in the original house. I almost dare not write about the place for fear of any reader thinking that any part of the old house remains except for a few, and I mean FEW, original boards remain, because what used to be belongs in a creepy TV show. The place was a mess from floor to ceiling, front to back, and all places in between. It was scary walking around inside because the floors were so damaged I could have stepped through them. Below are a couple of photos of what used to exist, but mind you and read on to understand, all that was is gone. What you see as of today is all new and very well done at that.

The rear of the original house was torn down. The backyard was cleared all a metal outbuilding and decades of dead foliage. The front part of the house had been modernized sometime in the 1950s or 1960s when the asbestos shingles and windows were added to enclose the original porch.

The house was re-built in a two part process. The new rear section was built first. Only a few boards from the old front porch remain. And when the "renovation" was nearly completed, the boards from the front porch were ripped off.  I took progress photos during the rebuilding. They appear below. You can see more photos if you CLICK HERE.

The previously enclosed front porch is now open and extends west down to the front door - about twenty feet from the front. The front door opens into a vaulted hallway that leads to the great room at the rear. As you near the great room you're gonna be amazed at the height and breadth of the space which now includes a rear wall of glass. The ceiling height is 14 feet.

While the house looks like it is old, it is anything but. The interiors are clean, white, and modern, The new home should appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers. The house has wind impact resistant windows and doors, Hardiboard siding, and all the other features you would expect in new construction including marble bathrooms, quartz counter tops in the kitchen, tongue in groove ceilings, and white ash solid wood floors. The pool is surrounded by Abaco decking and there is even an outdoor shower amid lush tropical landscaping. Finally, the house is located in X Zone so flood insurance is not required.

The new house has three bedrooms two of which share a Jack-and-Jill bath. There is also a guest bath located off the entry hall and adjacent to the laundry closet.

The listing Realtor is also a reader of my blog. He invited me over to see the house while construction was in process. As we stood in the front room before the drywall was installed, he described his vision of how the room would look. Remember I told you the old house was creepy. Below is a pic I took way back when. (I won't write why I called it creepy.) Remember as well the original house was taken down in sections. What you see in the two lower photos is all new construction from the ground up.

This house sits in a really great Old Town location. Ashe Street is a little known street that is tucked in between White Street to the east and Frances Street to the west. Frances is the east boundary for the Key West cemetery. White Street runs the distance between the Atlantic Ocean to Eaton Street. It provides quick access to any part of town to the east. Duval Street is a five to ten minute walk depending your pace. Ashe Street is more narrow than other streets and really does not lead anywhere except out. And because of this, there is not much traffic, no trolleys or conch trains, and few tourists. So a new owner can sit on the front porch and watch the world go by very slowly almost as if this house was sitting on one of the slow lanes of Key West. And remember this block has some of the prettiest little homes on the island. That is why I refer to 712 Ashe Street as being present perfect. If you are a cash buyer, this could be your home by Christmas.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet for 712 Ashe Street offered at $1,450,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to set up a private showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

712 Ashe Street, Key West Florida - All New Home in a Charming Old Town Location

712 Ashe Street in 1965

I have written a couple of blogs about the former house that used to sit at 712 Ashe Street in Key West. The old house was a tragic mess from front to back and side to side. The floors and ceiling were literally falling down. The place was not a safe place to live, but it was occupied until the very end when the sellers moved away. You can't tell it from the photos, but the old house is completely gone. The house could not be salvaged except for some members of the original porch which itself had been bastardized by the addition of siding and windows to create more interior living space.  The new owner kept the porch and built the new house in place retaining the porch element which will be restored as a porch.  The architectural rendering at the top shows the facade after it is completed.

Metal shed at the back of the 93' deep lot was taken down and all the tropical rubbish removed

I was at the property last week and took some photos of the house and pool area as it exists.  Below are several photos which show the exterior as it exists today. The house had "Novelty Siding" which is a tongue and grove with a bevel to add a bit of drama to the clapboard. This siding appears on many of the homes in Old Town. That siding is still available today and will wrap the front and both sides of the master bedroom which is at the front of the new structure.  The new entry door will be located on the right side of the house about 20 ft from the front sidewalk. Hardiboard siding will wrap the remainder of the house. Hardiboard is a concrete based material that looks like traditional wood siding. It resists the sun, heat, humidity, and rain. It is said to be 99% fire resistant and it is termite resistant - what stupid termite would eat concrete?  New wind impact resistant windows and doors will be added throughout the house as well.

The new home will have 1325 square feet of living space. The master bedroom with ensuite bath is located at the front. That room has a vaulted wood ceiling which will add dimension and character to the space. Two guest bedrooms share a Jack-and-Jill bath. There is also a guest bath and laundry area. The balance of the home is located at the rear. That room will have a 14 foot vaulted ceiling which is fairly dramatic in itself, especially for Old Town. More dramatic is the new rear wall which will be all glass. Windows on either side of the living space will allow additional light.

The rear wall opens onto an Ipe deck and pool area which will be lushly landscaped for the new owner as part of the final property. This home is scheduled to be completed for move-in by November. The house is being painted white throughout. If it is purchase now, a new owner could have some choices in the final touches to be added to the property prior to completion.  CLICK HERE to view more photos of this property. Don't let the mess confuse you. This is a Class A project. it will look great when completed. The owner showed me this and I could see the pride in his eyes as he described how he planned this project and how it will function for the new homeowner.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 712 Ashe Street, Key West which is offered at $1,350,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a showing. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. 

712 Ashe Street, Old Town Key West - Room for Improvement

The house at 712 Ashe Street has been on the market 36 days as of October 30, 2015. It is located in the Old Town area of Key West. This is the area where most second home buyers want to locate.

The listing Realtor (not me) describes this property this way:

"This total renovation project or tear down home has been in the same family since it was built in 1933. Located in a fantastic area of million dollar plus homes in the X flood zone, where flood insurance is not required. The values in this neighborhood could support the types of improvements this home requires. Current home sits very far forward on the deep lot, giving it plenty of room in the rear for additions, pool, etc. Buyer to verify what can be done with the lot through HARC."

I looked through my old shoe box and found the above black and white photo of this property that was taken in 1965. I was intrigued by the old car which I recognized as a Nash Rambler. I found a photo of this same make which was manufactured in 1952. Then I found a recent color photo of the same make and age. It's remarkable how good a classic old car can look if properly maintained and or restored. The house at 712 Ashe Street hasn't fared that well, however.

I often tell buyers that houses are just boxes. Some "boxes" look a lot better than others. 711 Ashe Street sold earlier this year for $1,000,000 despite the fact that its view is of the rather run down 712 Ashe. The location is the same, however. Ashe Street runs three blocks beginning at Southard Street at the north to Olivia Street at the south. Most of the houses on this little block are in really good condition.  I believe this property is in such poor condition that a new owner will seek permission to raze the original house and to build a new structure. You normally can't tear down an old house and build new. I think this will easily qualify for demolition.

I checked the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and found this property first appearing on the 1892 map. The 1889 map blanked out a major portion of this area. No houses were shown. Since houses appeared on nearby blocks on that map, I assume this house probably existed at least three years or more earlier. It is unfortunate that this property was maintained as good as it should have. Other homes on this block have been successfully restored. I don't think there is much hope for this place. The important thing to remember is that the rest of the houses look so much better. This is an opportunity for a new owner to do something really creative.

The Monroe County Property Appraiser shows the lot as being 32' wide by 93' deep or 2930 sq ft. There is a small metal shed at the rear where the current owner has a laundry. This is good for a couple of reasons: first this building could remodeled as part a renovation of the existing house or the construction of a new house.The lot is large enough to allow a new house, a new pool, and renovate the rear building. Second, there is water, sewer, and electricity to this building. This will somewhat mitigate construction costs.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos on this property which is offered for sale at $550,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to discuss. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.