1114 Margaret Street, Key West - Innovative New Look in Old Town

When most people start to consider the purchase of a home in Key West, they invariably think of buying the quintessential Key West cottage with white picket fence and charm galore. The popularity of these cottages has driven the price up as the supply goes down. I recently showed a new listing in  Old Town which is the antithesis of the cottage homes which are so sought after. I think this particular house is well worth consideration.  The listing Realtor describes 1114 Margaret Street this way:

"Nationally renowned Architect/Owner created a magical, private hideaway in Old Town Key West. The home perfectly suits the Key West indoor/outdoor lifestyle. The 2013 living room addition at the front of the house is steel beam construction with floor-to-ceiling impact-resistant glass which opens completely to the lush outdoors. The stylish kitchen boasts stainless steel counter & refrigerator and a glass breakfast nook. The large outdoor area at the rear of the house contains a tea house for lounging, a dining area, outdoor kitchen, and bar all surrounding a visually amazing water feature with the sounds of a flowing stream. Ensuite master bedroom and guest room have a clever folding wall, so that they can be transformed into one space. On-street parking is a breeze in this residential area."

When I first stepped into this home I thought I must be walking into an Architectural Digest home because the entire place blended together so perfectly. Then the listing Realtor explained the owner is an architect and designed many of the pieces including artwork, light fixtures, and some furniture. Then it all made sense. 

The living room pictured above was added to this home in 2013. At first the space seems like a glass house but then becomes quite private as I look through the glass walls to see that inquiring eyes from without cannot see inside. The north glass wall uses design elements to provide the privacy whereas tropical foliage and a fence provide privacy on the right side. The sun filters through to illuminate the space during the daytime to create a dramatic living space.

As I scanned the room I saw how the the sharp lines were counter-balanced by the curved lines in various pieces of furnished and artwork. Now I realize every home has straight pieces and curved and rounded pieces, but they don't work together like this place. This place did not just happen. It was created. Take a look at the glass breakfast bar which separates the kitchen from the dining area. Notice the two petite curved gray steel chairs. The curves follow through with the plate on the breakfast bar itself and reappear in the dining room chairs and the oval table and wood light fixture above. I stated the obvious: the house is perfect. Then I asked the agent if the house could be purchased as is. It is not offered furnished. But you never know how deals end up getting done.

More clever design is revealed just after you enter the hallway. There is a newly added guest bath which has a tiny illuminated opaque glass sink. I have never seen anything like it. 

The guest bedroom is shown in the first picture above. The middle photo shows the master bedroom. The picture immediately above shows what is used as a sitting room off the bedroom. The wall between the master bedroom and sitting room can open to create a more open and fluid space. There is a little office tucked into the recess of the sitting area. 

An alcove off the master bedroom leads to the rear sanctuary where the owner created a tea house elevated above the spa. There is an outdoor kitchen and bar area plus a little dining area as well. This is truly one of the most amazing use of outdoor space I have seen in Key West. The space is covered so you can even use in on those few occasions it is raining. And like the living room, while the space is quite open to the external world, it is private. None of the neighboring homes have view into this sanctuary.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West MLS datasheet and listing photos for 1114 Margaret Street which is offered at $895,000.  Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642, to schedule a private showing of this stunning Old Town home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. The only gingerbread in this home will be the gingerbread man at Christmas.

845 Galveston Lane, Key West - Elegant Eyebrow Renovation

One Sunday morning in March of this year I was out taking photos of various renovation projects in Key West when I saw another large house being built a half a block away. This startled me because the house I was photographing at 723 Olivia Street is located on a one-way street. I had not seen any other construction on my way to the Olivia house. I walked back down Olivia to Galveston Lane, looked north, and saw huge old eyebrow house which was already well underway.

I immediately decided I would return to 845 Galveston Lane again and again and again to photograph the remaking of this old house. The three above photos told me a lot about this house even before I went in search of more info. First and foremost is that this home is an "eyebrow" house which is unique to Key West.

In his book The Houses of Key West  Alex Cammerer wrote about his first visit to Key West which turned into a love affair with the architecture of Old Town. He referred to eyebrow houses simply stating "with their front porch roofs extending demurely over the second-story windows, hence the term eyebrows. I have discovered that they are unique to Key West and are not found anywhere else in the country."

Cammerer then compared the eyebrow style to a salt box laid on its side with the roof line extended downwards to rest upon columns which creates a permanent awning that spans the entire width of the house sheltering the second floor windows from light, rain, and wind. Back in real old days  - the time before air conditioning and even before electricity - houses were cooled naturally using window placement for cross ventilation, shutters, awnings, scuttles, and trees. The eyebrow house provided a different manner to provide air circulation. And it did so with great style.

As I walked eastward on Olivia Street I noticed new construction at the rear of 845 Galveston Lane. Well, I saw it earlier but now I had a better view. A single story addition and pool were being added to the rear. The lot is quite large for Old Town - 50 foot by 100 foot deep or 5,000 square feet. I have never done a survey of lot sizes but know from experience the majority of lots are 2,500 square feet. That small size restricts so much of what a homeowner can do as a matter of right. Having trees and other buildings can restrict renovations even more. So the allure of this lot with expansion potential made it very desirable. Since the house is tucked away and off the beaten path, the location provides privacy many buyers covet. If you are really reading this blog and really looking at the photos you will have noticed the house next door to the north is a mobile home. That is not a construction trailer. That is an actual real life living space. There used to be more mobile homes in this area. This is the only current mobile home of which I am aware. At some time in the future it will go away. But until then the mobile home is part of the charm of this area.

During the course of a few months the original coral rock piers were replaced as were the columns, windows, siding, and roof. The old house almost started to look new.

845 Galveston Lane was co-listed for sale on June 29th for $2,400,000 by Roger Emmons (Truman & Company) and Doug Mayberry (Doug Mayberry Real Estate). It went under contract in a matter of days and closed on September 30th at $2,300,000. Selling agent was Jennifer Newman of Truman & Company. The listing agents described the property this way:

"Located on a secluded lane in the heart of Old Town, total renovation of an eyebrow home by renowned architect, Michael Ingram, features luxury finishes throughout, 28 x 10 foot swim-out pool and 3 off-street parking spaces. There are 2 bedrooms and 2.5 baths on the first floor and a grand master suite on the second floor with rooftop overlook and separate study. The doors and windows are impact rated and insulated. Floors are 8-inch-wide end matched hickory. Moldings are custom milled with 7.5 inch baseboards. The kitchen counters are Carrara marble and quartz with butcher block work surface, and there is a Viking refrigerator and 5 burner Jenn Air gas cooktop. The baths are Carrara marble floors and walls with Verde marble accents and the master has a Jacuzzi soaking tub."

Please CLICK HERE to view all the photos I took and couple of historic photos of this and others homes on Galveston Lane. If you are thinking of buying a home in Key West and are not working with a Realtor, please consider calling me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.  Let me help you find (or create) your home in Paradise. 

Key West Horror Story No. 5

A few years ago I represented a buyer who found me via my blog. He lived up north in New York City and was looking to buy a cute Key West cottage where he planned to move. He came to town on several visits to find that perfect place. This was during that terrible time soon after the Great Recession.  Many buyers lost faith in our economy and believed we would never be as good as we once were. I know he expected prices would be lower than they were. He quickly learned he couldn't afford as much house as he thought.

This particular buyer was self-employed. He lived from project to project. He would get paid a lot of money upon the completion of each project. But there was no steady income for the times in between. I hooked him up with a local lender who figured out a way to get him approved for a mortgage. We started looking in areas other than Old Town where prices were lower. We found such a place in Mid Town.

The particular house was an estate sale. The previous owner had passed away. The man was single and died alone except for his dog. His body wasn't discovered for quite some time. The body of his large dog was found as well. The dog apparently survived for a while after the owner passed. You can figure out what happened.

The deceased had two male siblings who lived in the northeast. They engaged a local real estate agent who was a stay-at-home-mom and part-time agent. She told me the place was a mess when she first saw it and offered to fix it up for the far-away brothers. She hired local contractors to do some repairs, install new bathrooms including plumbing and tile installation, painting, and so on. She purchased new kitchen cabinets, appliances, light fixtures, fans, etc. The place looked as next to new as a fifty year old house could look. She was a real estate agent mind you, not a licensed contractor. 

The finished house was priced the equivalent of a fixer house in Old Town except it was already fixed. My buyer was willing to forgo the cuteness in favor of the up to date renovation at an affordable price.  He made an offer. We negotiated the price a bit and put the place under contract.

I was a bit concerned that the agent had done a lot of work which may or may not have been permitted. I included a couple of safe guards in the contract which later proved useful when the renovations she  authorized did not pass final building inspection. The brothers had to come out of pocket to bring the sub-standard work up to meet building code. 

I totally sympathized with the situation those brothers went through. Losing a family member is never easy. Losing a family member in such a harsh way is awful. But then having to pay for something twice compounds the loss even more.

909 Eaton Street, Key West

The listing Realtor describes 909 Eaton Street in Key West this way:

"Isola Bella is where the Mediterranean meets the Caribbean. Gated and private, this historic Key West home is reminiscent of a Sicilian Villa. The spacious front yard and patio dining area are relaxing spaces adorned by Italian Cypress trees and statues fit for a Roman piazza. Ionic columns frame the welcoming front porch, leading to an interior masterpiece of original Cuban tile floors and custom built cabinetry. The open living area flows into a colorful breakfast nook, where French doors open to the inviting pool and patio. 2 BD/2BA main house with 1 BD/1BA guest quarters, off-street parking and walking distance to the Historic Seaport, White Street, and Duval Street. Featured on the 2009 OIRF Historic Homes tour, this unique property is your chance to experience Old Town Key West with a twist of Sicilian flair. Priced below recent appraised value!"

This is an Old Town home unlike any you have seen before in this blog or in person, of that I am sure. It is definitely worth a look if you are a buyer seeking a really nice home in a good location with a pool and off street parking which is offered at a reasonably affordable price. The house itself was built new in 1958 and later renovated to its current state. It is a CBS house with stucco finish with 1312 sq ft of air conditioned living space situated on a 50' X 106' lot (5326 sq ft) - that is equivalent to a standard lot in Casa Marina or twice the size of a standard Old Town lot.

Although the house has been updated, some original features such as the Cuban tile floors remain to add character to this home. In fact the first thing I noticed when I entered this home was the floors which are in impeccable condition. The living room alcove is to the left of the front entry. The bedrooms are located to the right. As you pass through the dining area French doors come into view and after that the covered patio and pool emerge.

The kitchen provides all the necessities in a colorful and compact environment. The pool area has both covered and sunny spaces. As much as you will want a sunny pool, you will quickly realize you need shade as well.  CLICK HERE to view more photos of this ingenious property.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet. 909 Eaton Street is offered at $1,170,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a showing of this home. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.

Knowing the Value of Money

I was in New York City a few weeks ago during a truly unbearable hot spell. I had no idea how hot the city gets in the summer. I know now and won't repeat my mistake. I made my way to China Town for Dim Sum then walked around in Little Italy wishing I had gone there instead. Later I found my way over near the Flatirons Building when I passed the ancient ATM machine pictured above.  It looked like a cousin of R2D2 or some patron of the STAR WARS bar. And that reminded me of a dinner in I had in Key West a year earlier. 

In February 2015 I  had dinner with a couple of New Yorkers who were friends of a friend before the four of us went to see NEXT FALL at the Waterfront Theater. I had not met this gay couple before that night, but after listening to them speak for a short time I assumed they are among the 1%. If they aren't, they are pretty close. One is a writer and the other is a really Big Shot at one of the big three television networks. I remember asking the TV executive about the cost of living in the city. I referenced BRAVO's Million Dollar Listing New York and asked what regular people had to pay for housing. He said a million dollars minimum. I tried to clarify my question by referring to busboys, bartenders, sales clerks at Macy's, and people that work for tips or an hourly wage. He restated his answer:  a million dollars. I said that can't be right. He insisted it was.

Now I know busboys and shoe salesmen at Macy's can't afford to pay a million dollars for a place to live. I am sure they rent - I just don't know where or how much they pay. But that's not the point. I wondered what kind of reality must these two men live in to not understand that real people can't afford to live in a million dollar universe.

I have had the same feeling about most of those yo-yos in congress and candidates who think there is no need to raise the minimum wage. I haven't been paid an hourly wage since my third year in college - that was a very long time ago. I still remember making decisions on what I could afford to buy to eat based on how long I had to work to pay for it.  I can't imagine how difficult it is for people who work for $7 or $8 per hour to pay for a place to live and feed their children.  In Key West you'll have to pay $3.99 for a loaf of bread and about $4.50 for a gallon of milk. That's more than a sales clerk on Duval Street makes after W2 deductions. I just don't get how people who have so much can have so little understanding of people who have have so little. It's as if the 1% live in an alternate reality not unlike the patrons of the STAR WARS bar.

If you are thinking of buying a place in Key West, please consider working with me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642. I am a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. I am grounded in reality and know the value and limitations of money.