1500 Albury Street, Key West - Easter Sunday Open House

If you are out and about this Sunday morning or early afternoon please stop by and see the beautiful new home located at 1500 Albury Street at the corner of Albury and Pearl Streets, just one block north of Bayview Park. Cory Held and I will be hosting an Open House from 11:00M until 2:00 PM.

Newly Constructed 2240 Sq Ft Single Family home on a large corner lot, fence lot with gated off street parking for two cars.

Heated 20 ft pool with waterfall, light show, outdoor shower, landscape lighting and irrigation system, Azec decking, and tropical landscaping.

This home surpasses any newly (or recently constructed) home in the Old Town area in construction features and amenities offered. Coffered ceiling, custom wainscoting, custom wood trim throughout, real hardwood doors throughout, Impact windows and doors throughout, Smarthome technology, Traverine flooring main floor.

Dramatic staircase and second floor landing, front and rear second floor balconies, very large master suite with vaulted ceiling, tons of closet space, dramatic en-suite marble bath, plus two large guest suites with shared Jack-and-Jill bath. Main floor guest room with private entry, extra large en-suite bath for the ultimate privacy of your guests.

Cory and I look forward to seeing you.

508 Grinnell Street, Key West - Gracious Old Town Residence

The listing Realtor describes the home at 508 Grinnell Street this way:

Elegance and Serenity will greet you as you walk through the doors of this Impeccably Restored Historic Home, located on the Coveted 500 block of Grinnell St., just a short stroll from the Historic Seaport. The living space flows flawlessly to the pool and pool house and combined with the lush landscaping and design, creates an Impressive entertaining area. Three Bedrooms and three full baths,

two of which are ensuite are all spacious with plenty of storage. The pool house is air conditioned and can be used as a fourth bedroom. Gorgeous Hard wood floors, Walls of windows, original Dade county Pine sporadically found in the perfect locations. All finishes are of the highest quality and tastefully appointed. Located in the x-zone and one off street parking spot. A beautiful Key West Gem for the Discerning Buyer.

This house first appeared in the 1889 Historic Sanborn Fire Map when it was numbered 231 Grinnell Street.  That means this house was built at least as of 1889. It could date back years earlier. The house numerator changed to 508 Grinnell Street in the 1892 map. The MAP shows  a large open area in the rear with numerous small cottages interspersed in a very large open area that identified as "Goats Retreat". Today that area has numerous small cottages that face onto Hibiscus Lane  which begins on Grinnell Street and ends a couple of hundred feet to the west where a private gate opens into a stunning Balinese retreat currently offered at over $6 million. The houses two doors to the right front onto Fleming Street and all are multi-million dollar homes. The quaint little houses of more than a hundred forty years ago have become pretty expensive homes in modern day Key West.

The black and white photo below shows 508 Grinnell Street as it appeared in 1965. If you compare the two photos you will see that the current house is much larger than the original house. Shed additions were added to both sides of the attic giving the second floor meaningful living space. (You cannot do that today. HARC won't allow it.) Today there are two bedrooms each with full baths on the second floor. Original metal louvers were replaced with glass windows and air conditioned interiors.
The 1950s vintage aluminum awnings shown below were removed. The old fashioned concrete base was removed and new wood columns added. The front entry was moved from the right side to the left side of the house.

The front door actually opens onto a covered portico that runs the length of the house. Thee sets of glass doors provide abundant light into the living room. There is an office located at the front (no photos).

I had to pause and touch the wood when I reached the staircase. Everything so was perfect. The original wood remains, distressed over the years just like any other old-timer. A bath is located at the right rear. There are numerous little cubby-hole closets and other places throughout the house. You will notice the continued theme of bright white set against warm wood.

The doors open out to the side and rear porch which leads to the pool, sunning area, and pool cottage. Everything here is pristine. Doors can remain opened throughout much of the winter while folks up north are wearing long johns and parks, folks down here can sit outside at night and have a pleasant dinner wearing the Tee shits and flip flops.

 The second floor hallway reminds me a small boutique hotel in the Cotswolds. Every things is done on point. Nothing amiss. The laundry is hidden behind one set of doors. There is more storage behind others.

I was in this home earlier this morning along with 50 other Realtors all of whom were making sounds like "Ooh" and "Aah" at every turn.  This is a truly great house with so many delightful little features that make this home a standout.  The house is showcased so well that it looks like a place you might see in Architectural Digest which is anther great feature as it is offered furnished.

508 Grinnell Street is offered for sale at $1,995,000. CLICK HERE to view th Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos. 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.

1500 Albury Street, Key West - Just Listed

1500 Albury Street is a brand new custom built home resembling the charming historic architecture of Old Town Key West.  While this home looks like a house of the past, it is very much a home of the future. Let's take a look at some of the features of this new 2240 square foot home.

The front entrance suggests there might be two residences here. There aren't, but the second door does lead to the main floor front bedroom which might be used as an owner's lockout or an in home office. The doors are custom made wind impact resistant as are all the doors and windows in this home. The shutters are for decorative purpose only. The siding in Hardy Plank, a man made siding created to withstand fire and pests and which stand up to the tropical climate in Key West. Hardy Plank will not need to be painted as often as regular wood siding. Not seen but forever present is the tough engineering behind this house and the superior materials used in framing the house which result in very affordable home, wind, and flood insurance premiums. The front doorbell has iPhone connectivity which allows an absentee owner to see who is at the front door from anyplace in the world. Old look yes, but this is a house of the future.

When you first enter this seemingly old fashioned home you see travertine marble floors, high baseboards, wainscoting, large crown molding, and coffered ceiling in the living area. The main floor bedroom (with en-suite) is on the right of the entry. A guest bath is on the left. The intricate stairway follows. As you walk toward the living area the kitchen and dining come into view. And you are awed by the beauty. 

The kitchen is the star in this open living area concept home. Custom cabinets are topped with KOSMOS granite. LED lights provide subtle illumination of the abundant work spaces. All appliances are Thermador stainless steel including the 36 inch duel fuel range. 

Unseen or barely noticeable features in the first floor bedroom but included in all other bedrooms include switched lights at bedside, lighted closets, home run wiring of all electric lines and cable/internet connectivity to a master panel. This allows an owner to turn on and off lights from in the room or any place in the world. This bedroom will provide a place for mom who may find climbing the stairs a challenge. 

Mahogany flooring was used on the second floor and the stairway. These floors ad a change in tone and texture to this private part of the home. Notice that the wainscoting continues up to the second floor hall landing. A door leads out to the covered second floor front porch which has exterior lighting, a fan, and AZEK decking.  There is a little seating area with in floor electric fixture. The stairwell is quite dramatic and is a feature I don't recall having seen in other Key West home. 

 The master bedroom has a vaulted ceiling which adds dimension to this part of the home. A sliding door opens out to the rear balcony that overlooks the pool area below. The master bath includes a large shower and bidet.

Guest bedrooms 3 and 4 share the Jack and Jill bath. Notice the crown molding and detailed wood trim continue in this space as well. All water lines have home runs to the water supply source. This means the new home owner will never have a change in water pressure while taking a shower. By the way I need to mention our water tastes good. 

The swimming pool includes a waterfall and LED light technology which provides endless underwater lighting possibilities. (The net around the pool  is a safety feature that may be removed after sale.) AZEK decking was used on all four porches and the pool deck area.  AZEK decking is a man made material that is resist scratches, stains, insects, moisture, mold, mildew, and fading. There is an outdoor shower tucked in the corner. Most locals use their outdoor shower all year long. You'll fall in love with it! Barely visible is the extensive outdoor lighting both on the building, hidden in the stairs, and throughout the yard which also includes a sprinkler system. A whole house generator with buried underground propane take is located adjacent to the two car driveway. 

 CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to show you this beautiful new luxury home that is a stunning addition to Key West. Cory Held and I are the co-listing agents on this property. We are both full time Realtors at Preferred Properties Key West. 1500 Albury Street will  be on OPEN HOUSE on Sunday January 22nd between 12:00 to 2:00 PM.