1213 Margaret Street - Old Town - Key West

The new listing at 1213 Margaret Street may look like a typical Key West renovation on the outside, but it is anything but typical on the inside. I dug into the old shoebox and found a photo taken of the house about fifty years ago. I doubt it got much better looking than that over the years. That is until the most thorough renovation of this absolutely charming home.  I took some photos to help illustrate the near ten years of work that resulted in what I will simply call a labor of love. The changes are amazing.

The above photo shows the Cuban Tile floor which can be seen in many old Key West homes that have not been all gentrified. This house retained the imprint of the family that lived in this house years ago. Underneath the new Hardiboard siding is all new 1/2 plywood sheathing and insulation, and Tyvek wrap that protest the house from the elements and makes it more economical to maintain.

The entry hall runs from the front of the house to mid point where the great room is located. You will  note the ceiling in the entry hall has a mini-vault between the side wall and the bedroom walls which are now clad with Dade County Pine reclaimed from a home previously owned by Hollywood actress Kelly McGillis and her husband. (That house was located on White Street near Truman Avenue.) There is a new roof over tongue and groove Dade County Pine decking. The bamboo floors were reclaimed from an NBA arena. They are remarkable in quality and hue.  Underneath the pretty floors you will find new piers, floor joints, and pressure treated framing. Electric, plumbing, and A/C have been replaced. Notice the addition of creative lighting throughout the house as well as ceiling fans.   A new "chase" runs through the interior bedroom walls to the great room which provides a conduit to add whatever electronic gizmos some toddler today may design tomorrow.

The front bedroom would probably be used as the master suite. The space is quite large. The vaulted ceiling certainly adds to the spacious feel, but the room actually is quite large. There is a walk-in cedar lined closet that even has some nifty built-ins. The bathroom is both spacious and bright. The windows above the mirror provide lots of free daytime illumination without having any peering eyes looking into the space.

The guest bedroom is as wide as but not as long as the master suite. The space is quite interesting in its own right. There is a "nautical" built-in ladder that leads to an upper level roost where the current owner has placed a desk. If I were a kid I'd love this space. But I'm not. So one trip was enough .If you have children on grand kids, they will love this room. It will give them years of memories. The laundry closet is located in the hallway under a portion of the roost. The bathroom takes up the remaining space. The bathroom vanities were handcrafted. Your friends and neighbors can't go to The Home Depot to buy one like it because these are one of a kind creations.

The great room offers abundant living space. If this is to be a vacation home, there is plenty of room for sitting and relaxing while your mate makes dinner and your in-laws eat your food and drink your booze. They will be impressed with the hand-made kitchen cabinets made from teak and an exotic wood called Woman's Tongue. Each beam in the great room ceiling has over eight pieces of teak wood.  CLICK HERE to view more photos of this home.

The listing Realtor says there is room for a pool at the rear of the house. The south side yard may be wide enough to permit a small backhoe entry to dig out a pool. The back porch is covered and provides an inviting place to dine or watch whatever happens in the spa at the rear.  The back door is wind impact resistant glass. All other windows have Dade County approved shutters which will make this home more affordable to insure.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet for 1213 Margaret Street which is offered at $969,000. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule an appointment to see this charmer. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

634 Louisa Street #5, Key West - An Affordable Home at Last!

Locals and maybe even buyers who are looking for an affordable retirement home in Key West ought to consider looking at 634 Louisa Street #5.  This is a two story town home built in 2007 with lots of money saving construction features that will save a potential new home owner money year after year.

Loyal readers know my penchant for searching through the old shoe box to find photos of old homes. Well, I found one for this property - sort of. The black and white photo was taken of 634 Louisa Street back in 1965.  It looks to me like the property in existence then had been converted to some sort of commercial use.  The black and white aerial photo taken in the 1920s shows the approximate location of the Louisa Street property back then. Note the old water tank located between Catherine and Louisa Streets. Most of that entire block is now the Suburban Propane property. And the half block just east of 634 Louisa Street is a trailer park today.  Times change and buildings and uses change. For now the propane facility and trailer park are the neighbors. This helps explain the affordable price on this very nice newer construction.

The listing Realtor describes 634 Louisa Street this way:

"Two bedroom one and half bath townhome located two blocks from Duval Street on quiet street. Stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, high efficiency washer and dryer. Located on X zone (no flood insurance necessary). Small HOA of only 5 units with very low association fees. 2007 construction."

634 Louisa Street is a 756 sq ft town home. As the owner you would be responsible for all insurance and maintenance on your home. This home was built with Hardiboard Siding. The windows are all wind impact resistant glass. That means your long term maintenance costs will be less as Hardoard holds up to our intense sun and water better than wood siding.  The impact windows qualify the home for substantial windstorm mitigation credits.  Flood insurance is not required. Homeowner insurance is just $461, and windstorm insurance is only $768.

 CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule your private showing of this affordable Key West home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

623 Petronia Street - Old Town - Key West

If you become the new owner of 623 Petronia Street you'll never have to buy flood insurance because this home sits at the top of Solares Hill, the highest point on the Island of Key West - 18 feet above sea level. This family home has been carefully maintained over the years. It is is move-in condition. The listing Realtor describes the home as being:

"Only two blocks from Duval Street, this 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom single level home with 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom accessory unit near the top of Solares Hill is within walking distance to all of Key West's best restaurants and attractions. X-Flood Zone! Addition and renovation in 2000 makes this 1,981 sq. ft. home stand out. An over sized lot for Old Town Key West, 6116 sq. ft., leaves room for a pool in addition to off street parking and a nicely landscaped yard!"

The house is located in an Old Town neighborhood of single family homes that have been owner occupied for generations and newer owners who have updated older homes. Some homes in the area are rented as vacation rentals. A small church is located next door to this home. Another church is located one block west at Simonton Street opposite a guest house. Some of the smaller cottage style homes on nearby Whitmarsh Lane are transiently rented. It's a tight little neighborhood with a darned good location within easy walking distance to most of Old Town.

This house has a traditional Key West layout with the living room located up front. A large bedroom with en-suite bath is located opposite the living room.

Bedroom number two is located just off the dining room. A set of French doors open out from the bedroom onto a private side terrace.  Another bedroom on the far side of the dining room has access to the private side terrace as well. There is a Jack-And-Jill bath located between the two bedrooms. A door from the dining room allows this bath be be used as a guest bath as well.

The rear addition which was built in 2000 includes a new master bedroom with en-suite bath, family room, and kitchen. French doors at the rear of the kitchen open out to the backyard. Another set of French doors in the master bedroom open out to the rear deck as well. The back yard is large enough to add a pool. The house is situated on a large lot that measures 59' wide by about 104' deep. A good landscape architect could create a mighty interesting rear garden and pool. 

 As if all the bedrooms, bathrooms, and living spaces in the main house isn't enough, there is also a small guest cottage. The space is a bit smallish, but provides a nice getaway for a teen poet or mother-in-law who wants her own space.

CLICK HERE to view more photos I took of the house and grounds. Look at the windows, all of which have approved shutters which will reduce windstorm insurance rates for you. I took several photos of the piers all of which look to be in superior condition which means you won't be spending money fixing the foundation because it does not need fixed. Most of all you will see a home that has been properly attended to over the years. Any changes a new owner makes will likely be cosmetic because the structure itself appears to be in very good condition. Cosmetic changes are the fun changes new owners like to make. They are changes where the new owners get to put their imprint on their new house. That's probably more fun than rebuilding a foundation or replacing rotting timbers.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos.  623 Olivia Street is offered at $949,000. Look at the photos and the mls. Consider what I wrote about the long term loving care given to this house. Consider what changes you might add to turn this home into your home. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642.  I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. This could be your Key West dream home next Christmas.

I took the logo photo below a two years ago. It is a dream home I sold to a couple who made this home their home. Isn't it just perfect!

723 Olivia Street - Old Town - Key West

The more than century old house at 723 Olivia Street in Key West is vacant and ready to be renovated. The 1912 sq ft house sits on a large corner lot at the intersection Olivia Street at Petronia Lane. Petronia Lane is identified at Passover Lane where it originates on Windsor Lane one block to the north and east. Passover Lane becomes Petronia Lane at Bill Bullock Park where it turns at a right angle and dead ends 250 feet later when it meets Olivia Street. The lot measures 46.25' X 78'. The west half of the lot sits vacant. A small portion of the rear lot is also vacant. Together, the vacant spaces give this old house immense potential for future development.

 The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"In a place with such little space sits a large, classic conch house with a large side yard full of tropical fruit trees, parking, a storage shed and plenty of room for a pool. This classic home features a very desirable 2 story architecture with a second floor front porch. The corner lot allows access to the rear as well as the front. Parking (a rarity on the island)is plentiful on the 3608 sq. ft. lot!"

If you have been searching to find a potential new home or maybe a "flipper", you already know there are few houses for sale in Old Town at any price and even fewer with enough land and size to create a decent sized house with a pool and parking. The house at 723 Olivia Street has (1) a good location, (2) a lot large enough to provide a pool and parking, and (3) room for limited expansion.

I fished around in the old shoebox and found the black and white photo of 723 Olivia that was taken about fifty years ago. Notice the concrete block base of the front porch. That base is not original to the house because they did not make concrete blocks like that in the late 1880s.  I am confident in saying that a new owner would be permitted to replace the non-original CBS porch with wood.

This house is very typical of many old houses that need renovation. It has multiple small, single purpose rooms. Key West has several very talented architects that tackle projects like this all the time. They understand how to rearrange rooms and to create spaces for the way we live today.  Key West also has several highly qualified general contractors that redo houses like this all the time. They know how to repair failing foundations, straighten tilting walls, install replacement windows, and restore decades old Dade County Pine walls.  Various subcontractors will replace all utilities including water, sewer, and electric supply. There is room to bury a propane tank so that the new owner can have the gas range many chefs prefer. The roof will get replaced and clips added to secure the roof to the house. New HVAC will be introduced to the house. There is room in the attic and under the house for duct work or piping to move cold air throughout both floors.

 The old windows will likely be replaced - perhaps adding wood impact windows. Impact windows are more expensive than regular casement windows but protect against windstorm damage up to 155 mph. Impact windows also provide superior noise reduction. Adding impact windows will provide significant windstorm insurance mitigation credits in the near term.
 which means lower insurance rates year over year. In the long term having impact windows will make re-sale easier because it will reduce the long term insurance costs for future owners making this home more attractive than a house with traditional casement windows and ugly corrugated steel shutters.

Door opens out to the second floor front porch overlooking Olivia Street

The photo third from the top shows a single story addition to the back of the house. I think a new owner might add a second level above that space which likely would become a part of a new master suite or maybe become a rooftop deck to over look the new pool to the west. Also notice the small cottage at the very back of the lot. This cottage might become a poolside cabana or bar. The vacant space behind the house is large enough to provide a parking spot. A new owner would need to decide whether to create parking in front or on the side. The good thing is there is room for parking at either location. CLICK HERE to view more photos I took. Sorry, they are not the best quality.  But they give you a rough idea of the current condition of the house. The future is in the hands of whoever buys it and tackles the renovation.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet and listing photos. After you have done your computer or ipad home study, please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of this property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. If you buy this home this year, you could be living in your newly renovated home next Christmas.