By Meg Barone,
Correspondent
Once one of the most recognizable homes in the Huntington section of Shelton, the stunning beige colonial at 51 Ripton Road now bears little resemblance to its original architecture, inside or out.
The dramatic transformation, which began in 2005, may now change it from one of the most recognizable to one of the most sought-after houses in Shelton, especially by those who have an eye for detail and an appreciation for craftsmanship.
It would make an ideal entertainment home or, with some minor rearrangement of furniture on the first floor, it could also make an ideal home for a large family. It has 3,800 square feet of living space and a full, unfinished walk-out basement with lots of potential.
Built in 1960, the house sits on a 1.33-acre level lot at the corner of Ripton Road and Brookfield Drive.
Both the front and back yards are open, spacious and can accommodate any number of ideas for usage, from gardens, to recreational activities to an in-ground pool.
The entrance to the long paved driveway, which is lined on both sides with Belgian block, is on Brookfield. It leads to the two-car attached, under-house garage with attractive carriage-like doors and black hardware reminiscent of an earlier period. From the garage there are stone paths, also lined in Belgian block, to the formal front entrance, the long covered front porch, and to the backyard and large deck.
During the extensive renovation project, the current owner covered the exterior of the house with a special pre-painted cedar shake siding that has a 15-year warrantee, and the ivory Azek trim never needs to be painted. The exterior portion of the first-floor windows is topped with crown molding. The base of the house has natural stone veneer and other architectural flourishes.
Several landscaped areas in front of the house are lined in Belgian block. The long, slate front porch that goes the length of the garage has four decorative columns and dentil molding. The base of the covered front porch of the formal entrance is also topped in slate.
This front entrance is framed in fluted, flat architectural detailing and crown and dentil molding. The front door and the sidelights have decorative leaded and beveled glass.
Above the front door is a large arched window, similar to a Palladian window, but the arch is not quite as rounded.
The door opens to a two-story foyer, which has a hardwood floor, as does almost the entire house.
Included in the foyer is a good-size powder room, which has a pocket door, Carrera marble floor, decorative white fixtures and deep crown molding.
To the left is a long hallway that leads to the long porch. Although it is only a hallway, it has deep and attractive crown molding, which is generally not seen in most hallways. It also has a coat closet with two bifold doors.
To the right is the dining room, which features a red distressed brick fireplace, the first of five fireplaces throughout the house.
The wood mantle is decorated with medallions and columns. As with the hallway and powder room, there is also deep crown molding in the dining room.
While the location of the dining room in this house might be disconcerting to some purists, who prefer or expect it to be next to the kitchen, the current owner arranged the rooms in such a way as to maximize its entertainment value. Before the renovation, this room was probably the living room and what was the dining room has been converted to a bar room. Anyone who purchases the house could easily rearrange the rooms. As it exists now, the bar room is on the back side of the dining room and opens to the spacious gourmet kitchen.
There are two sets of double French doors, one from the bar room and another from the dining room, that lead into the cavernous family room.
This room has a floor-to-ceiling flat stone fireplace that has an unusual and attractive finishing detail. The entire fireplace is framed in wood, painted white, and topped with its own crown molding. The fireplace has a yellow brick interior, a slate hearth and white wood mantle.
On either side of the fireplace are French doors that lead to a large wood deck on the side of the house. This room also has a cathedral ceiling, and numerous double-hung and crank-out windows.
The bar room has a floor-to-ceiling flat stone fireplace, although the ceiling is a standard height, as opposed to the soaring height of the family room. This fireplace also has the white wood framing, crown molding, slate hearth and white wood mantle. The deep crown molding is not just above the fireplace, but continues throughout the entire room. Bullet lights in the ceiling near the fireplace can be adjusted to illuminate artwork or other decorative flourishes.
Flanking the bar room fireplace are two large closets, one of which can be used as a walk-in pantry. The other is currently used to house the home’s entertainment system. Two French doors separate the bar room from the large all-season sunroom, which currently doubles as a game room.
This sunroom can also be accessed from the kitchen.
Anyone who enjoys cooking or baking or entertaining should enter the kitchen at their own peril, because chances are they will never want to leave. You know how everyone seems to congregate in the kitchen during a party, no matter how large the rest of the house is? Well, this kitchen is large enough to entertain many guests, while not sacrificing work space, and yet it is not so large that it seems institutional.
It is warm, inviting and attractive.
Perhaps its most unusual feature is a large flat fieldstone fireplace with a yellow brick interior, raised stone hearth and white wood mantle. The kitchen also features crown molding, a hardwood floor, an L-shaped counter topped in granite, and a tumbled marble backsplash. The white custommade cabinets are glazed and finished with decorative details.
One section of the counter creates a peninsula in which there are storage cabinets and drawers, including a pot and pan pantry. There is a deep and long stainless sink with four crank-out windows above it overlooking the backyard. Above the Fisher & Paykel range is a compass rose design in black and white mosaic tile. The Viking refrigerator and Bosch dishwasher are both covered in paneling that make them blend into the cabinets.
Off the kitchen is a laundry room that also provides access to the garage.
There is a utility closet and stacked Maytag Neptune washer and dryer in this area, which could also serve as a mudroom.
On the opposite side of the kitchen, along the wall closest to the bar room, is another granite-topped counter, and above it are more cabinets, these with glass front doors. From this area one can easily access the sunroom, which has an 18-by-18-inch ceramic tile floor, resembling stone, installed on a diagonal.
The sunroom has a cathedral ceiling, four skylights, 12 tall windows, a ceiling fan and two French doors to a deck in the back yard.
Access to the second floor is via the staircase in the foyer. Up here there are four bedrooms, all of which have hardwood floors. The hallway on this level has crown molding. The shared bath in this hallway has a 12-by-12-inch white ceramic tile floor, a decorative furniture-like vanity topped in marble and a combination tub and shower.
One of the bedrooms is being used as an office. It has a two-door closet. Another bedroom has access to the large walk-up attic that is ideal for storage.
There are three skylights in the attic.
The large master bedroom has a sitting area, two alcoves created by the dog house dormers, and a long window seat overlooking the backyard. There are his and her walk-in closets, both of which have skylights. In the master bath there are a number of luxurious features, including a long granitetopped counter with two sinks and a ceramic tile-surrounded Jacuzzi tub.
There is also a 12-by-12-inch ceramic tile floor and a walk-in shower with ceramic tiles on the floor, walls and ceiling.
The basement access is in the kitchen. It is a full, unfinished, walk-out basement with lots of potential. One large area has a fireplace with an interior of red brick and an exterior of stone.
For more information, or to set up a private appointment to see the house, call Chris Carey at 203-231-3416 or Steve Guarrera at 203-610-4295, both of Carey and Guarrera Real Estate.
