639 United Street, Old Town - Key West

The listing agent describes 639 United Street in Key West this way:

"This beautifully renovated cottage is ideally located in the historic district of Old Town just a short stroll to Higgs Beach and upper Duval Street. The main house has two bedrooms, two baths, high ceilings, and an expansive living, dining and kitchen area perfect for entertaining. For cooks there is a gourmet kitchen with beautiful granite countertops, center island and upgraded stainless steel appliances. French doors open from the living/dining area and kitchen to the very private rear yard, lovely heated pool and guest cottage. The guest cottage is one bedroom and a bath with vaulted ceilings and French doors opening onto the landscaped backyard as well. This home has all the features today's buyer desires."

 I scrounged around in my old shoe box and found a black and white photo of 639 United Street that was taken back in 1965.  If you compare the two above photos taken fifty years apart you will notice there is an addition on the left side of the house. No longer is the front porch used as the main entry to this home. Instead, you now enter the home midway down the left side of the house where you walk into the expansive living and dining area with vaulted ceiling.

The original cottage was expanded several years ago. The front part of the house is now where the two primary bedrooms and bathrooms are located. The new addition includes the living - dining area plus the kitchen bump out and entry way. A wonderful floor to ceiling bookcase provides wonderful space to display family photos or objet d'art or whatever.  This home is currently used as the primary residence of the seller. However, this house has features many second homeowners seek including a seductive guest cottage located poolside. The living and dining area could easily be decorated with furniture and fixtures which could make good use of the bookcase and other storage built into this home.

Two entry doors flank either side of the kitchen. The door to the left provides entry from the front sidewalk while the right door provides exit to the pool. These doors mean you won't have to walk through the main house to bring in groceries or go out to the poolside grill to flip the burgers or carry out Bloody Mary mix. These are little things, but little things help define the importance of the design and space in which you live. The design here is very well conceived and executed.

The original front house is now the bedroom and bathroom area. The "front" room is now a bedroom where the door opens out to provide outdoor seating area.  That room exists into the original main hallway. The second bedroom, shown above, is located adjacent. Both bedrooms have baths.

639 United Street could become a very popular vacation rental in my opinion. It has that very much sought after quintessential Key West cottage aura. The little guest cottage in the rear is just the icing on the cake. A new owner could add a few designer tweaks to make this already charming space just pop.  This home is located a little more than two blocks from South Beach, upper Duval Street, and easy walking distance to a lot of the very good and less expensive eateries including Banana Cafe.

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 639 United Street which is offered for sale at $865,000. Then please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this sweet property. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West. Let me help you find your place in Paradise.

1019 Simonton Street, Key West - The Southernmost Cabana Resort

The last time I wrote about Bert, pictured above, he was searching for his pal Ernie at the old Key West Trailer Court located at 1015 Simonton Street. This site is located near St. Mary's Basilica. The church and the adjacent neighborhood have grown and changed over the decades, but the highly desired Old Town location has remained constant. I dug down in my old shoe box and found an aerial photo that dates back almost one hundred years which shows the area as it then existed.

The white arrow indicates the site before a few cottages were torn down and replaced with trailers. The entire block from Virginia Street to the south and Truman Avenue to the north later became trailer lots with the exception of the corner of Truman which became the site of the original Duffy's Restaurant. About twenty years ago the northern trailer park was torn down and replaced with what is now Windward Park town homes. Duffy's and Pisces restaurants, small condo compound,  and a local real estate lawyer occupy the corner location.

The Key West Trailer Court was a bit of a Key West institution for years. It provided affordable housing for locals. I am sure there will be someone who reads today's blog who will bemoan the passing of this affordable living space and someone else who will lament the loss of the canopy trees that dotted this part of the island. I have been taking progress photos of the development site since ground was broken, the trees removed and other site work began. Interested readers may CLICK HERE to see progress photos. I will provide a sampling just below.

The old Key West Trailer Court is gone.  Bert and Ernie would not recognize the transformation into what is now known as the Southernmost Cabana Resort. The most recent evolution of this part of Old Town is nearly complete. Twenty-one new two story homes now occupy the same coveted location near Duval Street and within easy walking distance to South Beach. The listing Realtor describes this nearly finished project this way:

"Treat yourself to something special... a brand new home in Old Town Key West! This intimate 21 home enclave in the heart of the island is an opportunity not to be missed. Homes will range from 2 to 3 bedrooms, 1200 to 1500 square feet, all will feature high end finishing, impact glass & low maintenance fees. The homes will exceed building code requirements so owners can enjoy lower then average insurance and utility costs. The grounds include a community pool and each unit has parking. Only steps to the sights and amenities of Duval St. Get one before they are gone!"

The aerial perspective above shows the layout of this new development. The community pool is located to the far east side which abuts the gym at St. Mary's. All of the homes have either front or rear access onto the pathway that leads to the pool and the covered parking. Some homes have off street parking adjacent to the home. The development is being densely landscaped. I know from personal experience how quickly trees and foliage grow in our climate. This place is going to be a tropical paradise in a matter of months. It already looks great.

The homes vary in size between 1200 to 1500 sq ft and are configured as two or three bedrooms. All homes have a full first floor bath which provides a full guest bath in the event an owner wants to provide additional sleeping on the sofa. A buyer of mine has one of these units under contract and ready to close in the next few weeks. I think this is a terrific project for owners who want a place they can occasionally rent as a vacation rental and still have a place they can stay and enjoy.  You cannot ask for a better location. The fact that they units are located in the X Zone for Flood Insurance purpose and have impact windows, Hardiboard siding, and new metal roofs mean the wind and fire insurances will be much lower than an old stick built house in Old Town. Serious buyers need to take a serious look at these new homes. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 1019 Simonton Street #103, Key West which is offered for sale at $934,600. Remember other units are priced as low as $759,375. Please contact 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.

628 Frances Street, Key West - Sweet Eyebrow Cottage

Just Listed by Preferred Properties Key West 628 Frances Street. This is a really sweet miniature eyebrow cottage complete with a white picket fence and garden. Some of the prettiest, and a couple of the most expensive, homes in town are located on this block which is within easy walking distance to the Historic Key West Seaport, Duval Street, and Sunset Celebration.

Before starting today's blog I checked the Historic Sanborn Fire Maps and learned that this home first appeared on the the 1899 map. (This entire block was omitted from the 1889 map which does not infer the houses were not built then.) I learned the house was previously numbered 626 Frances Street but appeared as 628 Frances St. on the map which suggests to me the house was around much earlier than 1899. I then got out my shoe box and found a photo of this property taken fifty years ago. If you compare it with the color photo above you will note several structural changes including replacement of the windows and door, addition of shutters,  replacement of porch columns and addition of railing, and the replacement of the picket fence with a minor increase in height. What has not changed is the salt box shape of this small house turned on its side. The eyebrow house though not unique to Key West is rare - especially in this smaller size. There are approximately 75 of these special houses on our island. At first glance you will note the individual metal roof shingles as they rise to the gable. Then you will may notice the sawtooth addition at the rear. If you stand at the front gate you will see the house has five bays - two windows down and three windows hidden below the steep sloping roof line which creates the extended porch. These upper windows were designed to permit the windows to be open to provide ventilation even during a rain storm.

The listing Realtor describes the property this way:

"Wonderfully maintained cottage in an absolutely superb location in Old Town. Move in ready with some nice upgrades; granite counters in kitchen, Pergo flooring on first floor, recently installed central A/C and washer and dryer. Some Dade county pine and great front porch. A well kept side yard and fencing all around. Move in now or renovate to your taste."

I had the opportunity to see the property late Friday afternoon - in the rain. I only had my Nikon pocket camera so the picture quality is not as good as I would like, but the photos I took are representative of what this home has to offer. When I stepped inside the front door the very first thing I noticed was the staircase in the left corner. The dark wood contrasted to the new blond Pergo floors. Then I noticed the compact size of the living room. I have been in many small homes before so I knew this place would not be large. The walls have wallpaper which tends to visually shrink the size of the room to the mind's eye. I am not being critical - just making an observation.

According to the listing Realtor this house has 1017 sq ft of living space which includes two bedrooms and one and one-half baths. The main floor bedroom is located just off the front entrance. A set of petite French doors provide entry to this space. You should notice that there is no closet in this bedroom. An armoire provides a place to hang one's clothes.

The second bedroom is located on the second floor. This room measures 24' X 18' from eave to eave - but not interior living space. The ceiling drops down to knee walls which provide a vertical space for placement of furniture. It appears to me that the wall unit air conditioner visible in the photo below is located in a space which most likely was a scuttle when this home was first built. A scuttle is an opening in the roof which allows hot air to rise through the house to the outdoors.

This is not the first time I have seen a toilet and sink in a place like this. A friend of mine who is a local designer totally changed a similar space and put in a real bath.

In his description of this property the listing Realtor said the house is move-in ready but opined a new owner might want to renovate. I am not being critical of this home which I think is really cute. I think it could be better. I think the Pergo floors ought to go away as should the wall paper. The enclosed porch on the side ought to be more fully integrated into the kitchen.The kitchen could be upgraded and reconfigured to provide more storage and utility. This might be accomplished by removing the half wall that separates the kitchen and dining area and creating a small island with a new quartz dining extension. The opening between living area and rear sawtooth addition might be expanded if a steel beam could be added to support the weight of the second floor. Finally, I'd try to enclose the second floor bath or remove it entirely and add a real closet in its place.

This house could work as a full time residence for a single person or couple who are minimalists. There just is not a lot storage space in this house so whoever lives here full time will need to be well organized. CLICK HERE to view more photos.

If renovated correctly, I think this place could look absolutely magical. I think it would definitely work as a monthly vacation rental. I think a lot of people revel in small and charming spaces. This is already cute. I think it could become even better. There is a large side yard that might provide enough space to add a swimming pool. Our Historic Architectural Review Commission and the City Planning Department would have to approve the addition of a pool to the lot. 

CLICK HERE to view the Key West mls datasheet on 628 Frances Street which is offered for sale at $899,000. Please call me, Gary Thomas, 305-766-2642 to schedule a private showing of this lovely eyebrow cottage. I am a buyers agent and a full time Realtor at Preferred Properties Key West.