1407 Petronia Street, Key West - Meadows Magical Makeover

I just saw 1407  Petronia Street for the very first time and was thoroughly amazed by the creativity employed in this home. When I got back to the office I dug into my old shoebox and found the black and white photo below which shows the same house in 1965. There are a couple of obvious differences including the replaced louvered entry door and removed shutters on either side of the front window. Otherwise, the vernacular house resembles a salt box laid on its side. The note on the back of the photo says the house was built in 1906.

1407 Petronia Street is  located in the Meadows Area of Key West. The new aerial photo shows no evidence of the onetime green pastures for which this area was named. The area is, however, still a quiet refuge from the busier happenings a few blocks to the west.

This early twentieth century American home has an early twenty first century European flair. The kitchen was the first major attention grabber. Three glass panel doors recess into the wall and allow you to walk directly out to the pool. This is such an important feature in any house in Key West. We spend so much of our lives outside.

The listing Realtor describes this property this way:

"This traditional Conch style home with an inviting wrap around porch and a cute guest cottage was renovated and redesigned to absolute perfection! The 3 bedroom / 2 baths main house sits on an over sized lot and is designed for entertaining and a relaxed island lifestyle, it features multiple entertaining spaces both inside and out that flow seamlessly together using open doorways, glass sliding doors, a soft cohesive color palate, and the same rich wood and floor materials throughout. Modern European flair awaits the new owner behind a traditional old town Key West facade in one of the most prestigious and peaceful neighborhoods in Old town, the Meadows. The designer Italian kitchen with German appliances is a chef's delight and the focal point in the house. The back patio and lap pool are surrounded by lush landscaping. Beautiful outdoor lighting adds to the relaxing atmosphere of the property. The separate cottage offers a cozy retreat for your guests with it's open living/ sleeping space, a kitchenette and a full bathroom. This is a perfect vacation home or family home with restaurants, schools, parks, tennis and basketball courts in walking/ biking distance. Get your fresh produce and more from the weekly farmer's market at Bayview Park close by. A must see for the discerning buyer."

 

The master bedroom is located opposite the living room. I walked inside and was completely taken by the European style portable closets. I had never seen anything like them. They work wonderfully and provide an immense amount of storage that would have been very expensive to build and which would have eaten a lot of interior living area. The adjacent master bath is quite spacious and has a large walk-in shower.  You will notice no curtains or interior window coverings. There are some exterior Bahama shutters. Trees and tropical foliage provide the rest of the privacy.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and about 44 incredible listing photos of 1407 Petronia Street. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this magical home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

621 Olivia Street,Key West - Elegant Eyebrow Home

Just Listed, but not by me, 621 Olivia Street, Key West. I got to preview this elegant eyebrow house during a broker open house a couple of weeks ago. If you watch Million Dollar Listing New York you are accustomed to seeing sharp dressing brokers who look more like models. While we have a few pretty sharp looking agents, most of our agents have gray hair and dress Key West casual. That was the case on the date we saw this house. We were all awed by the place.

I dug around in my old shoebox and found the above picture of 621 Olivia Street taken back in 1965. A note on the back says it was built circa 1889. The photo contrasts with the current photo above in many ways but it also shows us the basic structure remains intact. The front part is the actual eyebrow house. Note the roof line extends out over the front and rests on four columns. Three sets of windows are located on a higher plane over the first floor door and louver shutters. The second floor windows were designed to allow fresh air to flow into the house even during a rainstorm. A second part of the house can be seen at the rear. The connecting point the two sections is referred to as a sawtooth addition.

Even though there are more than fifty eyebrow homes in Key West, each one is different. Most of the eyebrows, like this one, have been renovated. This home has been thoroughly renovated, expanded, and now includes a separate guest cottage. Today the main house and guest cottage have 1794 square feet of living space under air conditioning plus additional covered porch and lounge areas. The home has four bedrooms and three baths. The front door opens into a central hallway which leads to the new great room at the rear. The first impression is this a very old and lovely home. The Dade County Pine walls suggest this is a very old house, but when we pass to the rear we see large contemporary great room with vaulted ceiling and lots of windows and doors with views of the incredible pool and rear grounds. 

The first floor wood floors are pickled which works well with the contemporary feel of this updated home. The main floor bedrooms have the historic character so many buyers desire. The second floor master suite is contemporary and includes a large en-suite bath. I saw this home around 5:00 PM just as our late summer sun started that long dance into twilight. Windows at the gable ends of the great room offer so many light possibilities throughout the day.  A skylight in the master bedroom brings additional light into that space apart from the eyebrow windows at floor level and the side windows in the bedroom and bath. The natural light in this home is especially keen.

When the first floor French doors are opened the lanai becomes a part of the indoor-outdoor living area. Imagine entertaining in this incredible environment.  The pool area includes a waterfall feature at the rear and a spa at the front.  I took a video of the pool which you may enjoy.

The stand alone guest cottage has a small kitchen and private bath. It has a vaulted ceiling and  multiple sets of French doors that make this space seem much larger than it is. This space would make a great writer's cottage. Are you a great writer?

The attention to detail evidenced in the main house continues into the guest cottage. Everything is perfect. The backyard and pool area are among the best I've seen in Key West. The other agents' eyes were agog when they looked at the pool. This is impressive!

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and more photos of 621 Olivia Street, Key West, offered at $2,475,000. Then 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.

412 Grinnell Street, Key West - Historic Eyebrow House Now Offered For Sale

Just Listed 412 Grinnell Street in Key West. I fell in love with this house the first time I stepped inside nearly two decades ago. I believe this was the first eyebrow house I got to see from the inside. The house was deliciously enchanting. That owner (Richard Sheldon) had renovated the  original house, built a new living room and kitchen addition, and added a pool. The home has changed ownership three times since then. The current owners purchased the house through me in 2012 and undertook a thorough renovation and small expansion of the property for which they were awarded the 2015 Historic Florida Keys Ceramic Star for excellence for preservation, restoration, rehabilitation and new construction. Now 412 Grinnell Street is offered for sale. The current owners feel the need to be near their toddler granddaughter and her soon to be sibling and for this reason this home is now offered for sale. 

Eyebrow houses are particularly unique to Key West. They are two story homes which vary in height, width, and size. These houses get the name "eyebrow" because the second floor windows are sheltered by the front roof eave which extends out over the house and supported by columns or posts.  Before electric fans and later air conditioning, shade and natural air flow cooled homes. The windows of an eyebrow house can be left open during rain storms which allows air to flow to cool the rooms.  412 Grinnell Street is one of the larger such homes on the island.

This home was built in the 1880s. It looks so cute and sweet from the outside. Then when you step inside you know the place is going to be even better than you imagined. Your eyes are immediately drawn past the entry hall and through the living room out to the pool. And what pool it is - a 30' X 10' pool and  a 6' X 6' spa. The rear side has a tall privacy fence with native trees and tropical foliage that has grown to adult height.  Later you will learn there are no neighbors to the immediate rear which is Fletchers Lane - a walking lane accessed off Eaton Street, about 100 feet to the north.

The owners did a bundle of projects during the renovation including replacing the metal roof; replacing piers where required; and installing heart pine floors (aged 200 to 500 years) which look absolutely perfect. All floors on both levels are flat and flawless. All of the HVAC is new.  The owner updated all of the interior spaces, renovated all bathrooms, added wind impact resistant windows and doors where permissible. Every town has a go-to local custom cabinet maker. Hansen & Bringle is that company in Key West. They installed new custom cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms and wainscoting in living and dining rooms.

The kitchen, while relatively recently new, was still renovated. An all too large bank of windows was removed and replaced with a single new window which permitted the installation of upper cabinets. The laundry closet became a pantry and the washer and dryer were placed under the kitchen peninsula. New SubZero, Wolf, and Miele appliances were added as were new granite counter-tops. One of the best features is the kitchen door which opens out to a little porch where there is an herb garden. The porch leads down to the brick paved driveway with electrically opening gate.

The owners took down the original guest cottage and built an entirely new 23' X 12' guest house. It is located in a separate building just off the covered rear deck. That deck will probably be the most used space in the house besides the bedroom. The guest cottage has a cathedral ceiling punctuated by a round impact glass window near the top of the gable, natural travertine marble floors, and a wet bar with under counter refrigerator. It has a full bath. This cottage and bath mean the entire home has four or five bedrooms (explained below) each with bath. The owner thinks the guest cottage could be used as a master suite.

The guest cottage is located next to the pool which has a gate that opens out to Fletchers Lane. Guests can return from a night out in Key West without disturbing the folks in the main house. The newly resurfaced and revamped pool includes a salt water filtration system, LED light show, and remote control programing. Travertine marble coping surrounds the pool and spa. All new Azec decks were installed including the covered rear lanai. The gardens were replanted with native foliage. The owners added an irrigation system to supplement Mother Nature.

Depending on your need, the main house has either four bedrooms and four baths or three bedrooms and a study.  The study or fourth bedroom is located at the right front of the home. It has two stained glass doors and panels. Everybody who sees it goes "Ooh and Aah". This space would inspire any would-be writer, artist, or thinker of great thoughts, or a grandmother who knits booties (do they still do that?) or a grandfather who smokes a pipe (do they still do that, either?). The room has a half bath that is illuminated by a Swarovski  crystal chandelier. The owners had a new stained glass window made with the house numerals which was place in the transom over the front door. The ceramic star is placed above the transom. Passersby at night admire the colors emanating from this room.

The owners use the main floor bedroom as their master. It is located at the front of the house opposite the study/bedroom. About half of the main floor Dade County Pine walls are natural and the remaining walls are painted. The master bedroom has Dade Pine and has a fairly good sized en-suite bath with large shower complete a marine porthole where you can look out to see tropical foliage and that can be opened for ventilation. I guarantee you will have a smile on your face every day if you use this shower and that's not a bad way to start your day any day.

There are two more bedrooms on the second floor. Notice the windows near floor level and look out to the street. You will then understand the eyebrow concept. The heart pine floors are gorgeous. Each bedroom has a brand new en-suite bath with shower. The rooms are not big, nor are they small. They are how people lived one hundred twenty five years ago except these rooms are air conditioned, have electricity, and have bathrooms.

CLICK HERE for a 3D Tour of the Main House and CLICK HERE for a 3D Tour of the Guest Cottage.

The owner traced the history of this home back to the beginning of the island. Every detail of  this old house has been committed to writing and detailed so that future generations may share in the history of this home. I think any potential buyer will appreciate the care that has been given not only to the preservation of the structure but also of the history of the house which the owners call "La Casa Ceja", The Eyebrow House. CLICK HERE to view an album of photos of this beautiful Old Town treasure that has been carefully and thoughtfully restored and made better than ever before. You won't have to do a thing except enjoy your home and make reservations for dinner.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet on 412 Grinnell Street offered at $1,999,000. The please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing. I am the listing agent on this very special property. You won't find anything comparable at this price. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.