Meg Barone

On a quiet cul-de-sac in the heart of the Hunt Club section of Westport is an attractive contemporary house that would be ideal for a gardener because of the lot size, landscaping and its greenhouse. The taupe colored cedar house at 5 Sprucewood Lane is almost like a private botanical paradise on a 1.23-acre parcel. The house is set well back from the road. Its paved driveway goes through a gate and up a slight incline to the two-car attached, under-house garage, passing along the way some beautiful shrubs and trees arranged in such a way that they provide a serene setting.

There is a beautiful view from almost every direction on the property and from inside the home looking out onto the grounds and surrounding neighborhood. This 4,153-square-foot house was built in 1945 and features four bedrooms, including a large first floor master bedroom suite with his and hers closets and baths. From the driveway there is a wide slate path lined in the field stone of the retaining wall that leads to the front entrance, which includes an attractive wood door with decorative carvings.

The door is flanked by tall single-pane sidelights that are more like atrium windows. Above them is a long horizontal window on the second floor level. To the left of the front entrance, as you face the house, is the greenhouse.

Inside, there is a sizable foyer with a forest-green ceramic tile floor, providing access to various sections of the house. Straight ahead is the spacious living room. To the left is the wing of the house which has an office and the master bedroom suite. To the right is the wing with the dining room and kitchen.

Also in the foyer is the second-floor staircase. The living room has a soaring vaulted ceiling, a hardwood floor, and a fireplace and a large rounded bay area including eight tall, single pane windows atop an arched ledge that creates display shelving for artifacts or plants. The fireplace has a brick interior and green ceramic tile hearth. In keep ing with the contemporary design of the house, there is no mantle. More of the tall single-pane windows on another wall and a skylight help to bring lots of natural light into the room.

The living room leads into the family room, which features a slate floor, numer ous wood built-ins and a fireplace with a brick interior and exterior surround. There is a raised brick hearth topped in slate and a mantle.

The wood paneled wall, brick around the fireplace and the hearth are painted green.

Accessed from the family room are the garage and a large three-season porch, which has a white ceramic tile floor, about a dozen tall, single-pane windows, and a large bay area almost identi cal to the one in the living room.

Compared to the other rooms, the kitchen is on the smaller side, and yet it is just the right size for daily food preparation and entertaining. It has the same green ceramic tile floor of the foyer, white cabinets, two counter areas with deep pink Formica counter tops, and wallpaper in a contemporary swirl of pink, purple, blue, green and white. Appliances include a Sub-Zero refrigerator, Bosch dishwasher, Thermador double wall-mounted ovens, and a Thermador range top on the counter.

The dining room has a hardwood floor, purple walls, two corner cabinets with two upper glass-front doors, and chair railing. There are four tall windows on the wall that overlooks the front yard of the property and above those windows is a semicircle cut into the ceiling to reveal a large window over them.

At the opposite end of the house, on the other side of the foyer, is a long hallway with green ceramic tile flooring. The office is accessed from this hallway. It has built-in bookshelves and an entrance into the green house.

At the end of the hall there is a full bath with a blue ceramic tile floor, natural wood vanity, papered walls, and a walk-in shower with various sizes of blue ceramic tile on the floor and walls.

This is the “his” bath that goes with the master bed room suite. It sits just outside the suite itself. In the suite there is a large bedroom with a hardwood floor, a six-door tall storage closet area, his and hers closets and the “hers” full bath, which features a purple ceramic tile floor, papered walls in a lavender, purple and off-white art nouveau pattern, and a white commode and separate bidet. The sink is white with an attractive hand-painted floral pattern encased in the purple Formica counter top.

This bath also features a large, circular jetted tub on a ceramic tile base with a decorative tile border. Up stairs, the landing is open, providing an “aerial” view into the living room. There are three bedrooms on this level, two of which have wall to- wall carpeting and one with hardwood floor. All three have built-in book shelves. The full bath on this level is unique. It is separated into two side-by-side rooms; one is like a large water closet with a blue ceramic tile floor, and one has a combination tub and shower, as well as a vanity and sink.

For more information, or to set up a private appointment to see the house, call Judy Michaelis of Coldwell Banker Real Estate at 203-247-5000 or e-mail her at judym@optonline.net.

Meg Barone

On a quiet cul-de-sac in the heart of the Hunt Club section of Westport is an attractive contemporary house that would be ideal for a gardener because of the lot size, landscaping and its greenhouse. The taupe colored cedar house at 5 Sprucewood Lane is almost like a private botanical paradise on a 1.23-acre parcel. The house is set well back from the road. Its paved driveway goes through a gate and up a slight incline to the two-car attached, under-house garage, passing along the way some beautiful shrubs and trees arranged in such a way that they provide a serene setting.

There is a beautiful view from almost every direction on the property and from inside the home looking out onto the grounds and surrounding neighborhood. This 4,153-square-foot house was built in 1945 and features four bedrooms, including a large first floor master bedroom suite with his and hers closets and baths. From the driveway there is a wide slate path lined in the field stone of the retaining wall that leads to the front entrance, which includes an attractive wood door with decorative carvings.

The door is flanked by tall single-pane sidelights that are more like atrium windows. Above them is a long horizontal window on the second floor level. To the left of the front entrance, as you face the house, is the greenhouse.

Inside, there is a sizable foyer with a forest-green ceramic tile floor, providing access to various sections of the house. Straight ahead is the spacious living room. To the left is the wing of the house which has an office and the master bedroom suite. To the right is the wing with the dining room and kitchen.

Also in the foyer is the second-floor staircase. The living room has a soaring vaulted ceiling, a hardwood floor, and a fireplace and a large rounded bay area including eight tall, single pane windows atop an arched ledge that creates display shelving for artifacts or plants. The fireplace has a brick interior and green ceramic tile hearth. In keep ing with the contemporary design of the house, there is no mantle. More of the tall single-pane windows on another wall and a skylight help to bring lots of natural light into the room.

The living room leads into the family room, which features a slate floor, numer ous wood built-ins and a fireplace with a brick interior and exterior surround. There is a raised brick hearth topped in slate and a mantle.

The wood paneled wall, brick around the fireplace and the hearth are painted green.

Accessed from the family room are the garage and a large three-season porch, which has a white ceramic tile floor, about a dozen tall, single-pane windows, and a large bay area almost identi cal to the one in the living room.

Compared to the other rooms, the kitchen is on the smaller side, and yet it is just the right size for daily food preparation and entertaining. It has the same green ceramic tile floor of the foyer, white cabinets, two counter areas with deep pink Formica counter tops, and wallpaper in a contemporary swirl of pink, purple, blue, green and white. Appliances include a Sub-Zero refrigerator, Bosch dishwasher, Thermador double wall-mounted ovens, and a Thermador range top on the counter.

The dining room has a hardwood floor, purple walls, two corner cabinets with two upper glass-front doors, and chair railing. There are four tall windows on the wall that overlooks the front yard of the property and above those windows is a semicircle cut into the ceiling to reveal a large window over them.

At the opposite end of the house, on the other side of the foyer, is a long hallway with green ceramic tile flooring. The office is accessed from this hallway. It has built-in bookshelves and an entrance into the green house.

At the end of the hall there is a full bath with a blue ceramic tile floor, natural wood vanity, papered walls, and a walk-in shower with various sizes of blue ceramic tile on the floor and walls.

This is the “his” bath that goes with the master bed room suite. It sits just outside the suite itself. In the suite there is a large bedroom with a hardwood floor, a six-door tall storage closet area, his and hers closets and the “hers” full bath, which features a purple ceramic tile floor, papered walls in a lavender, purple and off-white art nouveau pattern, and a white commode and separate bidet. The sink is white with an attractive hand-painted floral pattern encased in the purple Formica counter top.

This bath also features a large, circular jetted tub on a ceramic tile base with a decorative tile border. Up stairs, the landing is open, providing an “aerial” view into the living room. There are three bedrooms on this level, two of which have wall to- wall carpeting and one with hardwood floor. All three have built-in book shelves. The full bath on this level is unique. It is separated into two side-by-side rooms; one is like a large water closet with a blue ceramic tile floor, and one has a combination tub and shower, as well as a vanity and sink.

For more information, or to set up a private appointment to see the house, call Judy Mi chaelis of Coldwell Banker Real Estate at 203-247-5000 or e-mail her at judym@optonline.net.

By Meg Barone

Correspondent
A stately piece of equine history was transformed into an even more stately home at 280 Judd Road in Easton.

Although the date of the original structure’s construction seems un­known, there is no question that the house is a converted barn that has been renovated and modernized to satisfy even the most discerning family.

The barn originally contained the stables for the nearby Sunshine Estate.

Some printed material suggests the barn was built in 1955, but the current owner said there is a photograph at Easton Town Hall of the barn, dating back about 100 years.

Disputed dates aside, this is one magnificent house inside and out, with layers of interest and architectural detail. The barn was gutted down to the studs in 1999 and the existing house was rebuilt by Renaissance Millwork using the barn’s original footprint.

Its exterior hints at a combination of styles, including the agricultural barn, colonial, Cape and cottage. It may have a hint of a cottage in some of its architecture, but there is nothing cottage-like about this house, other than its homey appeal.

The house has 4,300 square feet of living space and sits on a three-acre parcel that is largely open meadow. It has a gray cedar shingle exterior with white trim and it is topped with several Along the front of the property is a traditional New England fieldstone wall with a gate near the formal front entrance of the house, and a stand of evergreens. Two stone columns mark the entrance of the long paved driveway, which is lined in Belgian block in the area near the oversized and heated two­car attached under-house garage. There is ample parking for several vehicles and a slate path installed in a pattern to the front door.

The custom-made front door is solid mahogany and has rustic-looking hardware that replicates an earlier time period. Above the door is an eight-by-five-foot picture window. The soaring foyer has the first of the towers, and it has the same reclaimed, re­milled oak barn boards and exposed barn beams as most of the rest of the house. The boards and beams were all hand-picked for use in the construction of the house.

They are not original to the barn.

There is a living room just off the foyer that has a real sliding barn door. This room is being used by the current family as an exercise space be­cause they spend most of their time in the great room at the opposite end of the house.

They call it the “jaw-drop room,” and that is a fairly accurate description. Spacious doesn’t begin to describe this 24-by-38-foot room, in which there were country dances and game dinners in decades past, held by the roaring fire. “There’s lots of history here. Every­body has a story to tell about this property,” one of the current owners said.

The oversized fireplace, original to the barn, is an unusual and attractive patchwork of fieldstone and red brick. It has a huge raised hearth of unpolished granite and a natural wood mantle. It has vents on the side which help to heat the room. To one side of the fireplace is a feature that, at first glance, looks like a window seat. It is actually a large wood box with an exterior door to load it from outside.

Lots of natural light floods into this room from the four sets of two double-hung windows along the back wall, four crank-out windows along the front wall, a French door to the long, thin covered porch with six columns, patio and backyard, and from the windows in the large tower in the center of the ceiling.

The double-hung windows are interesting and different, with six panes in the upper window and one solid pane below. This room also has crown molding, exposed beams, a cathedral ceiling and a large TV cabinet.

The gourmet kitchen is in the center of the house and is open to the great room. The two rooms are separated only by a generously sized center island — 74-by-52-inches, which has a black, honed granite counter top, numer­ous storage drawers and cabinets, and a breakfast bar that seats three.

The kitchen has a U­shaped counter topped in the same granite as the island, wainscoting on some walls, and off-white cabinets – some with glass-front doors, and recessed paneling on the end cabinets. Two cabinet doors have a chicken-wire grill over the glass, enhancing the rustic feel. The cabinets are topped in crown molding. The drawers have dovetail con­struction and one-inch fronts. The GE Monogram refrigera­tor and dishwasher are encased in the same wood of the cabinets.

On the wall behind the Viking range is a tumbled marble backsplash with a marble border and mosaic tile inserts. Above the range is a mantle-like shelf with decora­tive flourishes. The light fixtures are of wrought iron, bronzed, and with seeded or bubble glass. There is a long, deep stainless sink.

Off the kitchen there is a powder room with a barrel ceiling, crown molding, wainscoting on the lower walls, a tall four-door linen closet and medicine cabinet.

At the back end of the kitchen there is a sunroom that was part of the barn’s water tower. It has a rough-hewn cedar ceiling, exposed beams, wall­to- wall carpeting and nine double-hung windows and transoms above each of three panes each. The current family uses this as a projec­tion room and it does have a large, retractable screen.

In the kitchen, near the sunroom, there is a French door to the porch, patio and yard. The kitchen, great room and outdoor patio are wired for sound.

Between the kitchen and the entrance foyer is a long hallway off of which there are two rooms and access to another hallway at the back of the house with access to the garage and a French door to the backyard. The two rooms have wall-to-wall carpeting, crown molding and built-in bookshelves. The room at the back of the house has a door into a full bath, which can also be accessed from the back hall.

The bath has a tumbled marble floor, walk-in shower with tumbled marble floor and walls in a variety of tile sizes, wainscoting on the lower walls, crown molding, and a second area separated by a door featuring a vanity with marble counter and porcelain sink and a detailed mosaic on the floor of several fish.

The back hall itself is worth mentioning. It has detailed millwork, built-in cabinets, and a large two-door coat closet with organizers.

There is another two-door coat closet in the foyer.

At the top of the second­floor stairs there is a real working telephone booth with a heater, light and fan that came from the former Beverly Theater in Bridgeport. The master bedroom suite is separate from the rest of the upper level, allowing for privacy. It is enormous and has several rooms inside the suite including a laundry room, with a Maytag washer and Whirlpool dryer, dressing room, storage area, bedroom and bath.

The bedroom is built in the upper portion of the barn’s old water tower. It has the six­over- one double-hung win­dows with transoms, hard­wood floor, two French doors to a Romeo and Juliet balcony, three barn-like windows above the bed, a built-in bookshelf, and a cupola The master bath has a hardwood floor, a polished granite counter with two porcelain sinks, a soaking tub, two built­in medicine cabinets with beveled mirrors, an over-sized walk-in shower with subway tiles on the walls and ceiling, tumbled Carrera marble tile on the floor and a frameless glass door.

There are three other bedrooms, all with dormers.

One has a vaulted ceiling and exposed barn beams. Another has a cupola. In the hallway there is a giant toy closet for the kids, a linen closet and a full bath with a tumbled marble floor, long vanity with a marble counter and two sinks.

Outside, there are perenni­al gardens, rock gardens, and a saltbox-shaped shed in the backyard made of wood from the interior of the original barn. The yard has ample room for an in-ground pool and tennis courts or to restore it to its origins as a horse property with a barn and corals.

 For more information, or to set up a private appointment to see the house, call Jonathan Deak of Prudential Real Estate at 203-­257-4374 or e-mail him at jdeak@prudentialct.com.

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.

By Meg Barone,
Correspondent

The house was built in 1989 on a 3.68­acre parcel that includes a steep incline for the front yard and a large level backyard that is great for entertaining and solitude. The current owner says it is the best of both worlds. “I have the romance of a house on a hill and level grounds for entertaining.” The house itself is set far back from the main road behind another house that cannot even be seen through the thick stand of trees that surrounds the home. Despite the number of trees, the property gets a real mix of sun and shade. above the entrance. The door opens to a two-story foyer, which has one flight of stairs to the main living quarters and a flight down to the lower level.The unique contemporary at 520 Judd Road in Easton calls for a unique owner who will love its quirkiness and its many special qualities as much as its current owner.

At 2,823 square feet, the house might seem small by today’s standards, at least to anyone who has not walked through it. But the house is actually quite spa­cious, and its numerous tiered decks and balconies extend the indoor living into the great outdoors.

The current owner is an artist and that person’s sense of style is certainly reflected in this unique house, which has dark purple wall-to-wall carpeting and lighter purple walls in some rooms on the main level. The lower level has wall-to-wall carpeting in a neutral, soft ochre color.

Let the current owner’s taste influ­ence the décor or create your own inspiration after moving in.

Gravel is the composition of the entire driveway, and it is lined in Bel­gian block. It has ample room for the parking of at least a half dozen cars. It leads to the two-car attached, under­house garage with lots of room for storage, and to the tiered wooden deck that runs almost the whole length of the front of the house to the front door. Each tier has two steps up to the next tier, and along the way there are built-in flower boxes about four feet long and two feet tall.

On the house’s exterior there is beige clapboard installed in some areas on the diagonal and in other sections installed vertically. The front door features sidelights and a large picture window

Upstairs, the open and bright living room has a white-washed red brick fireplace with a white wood mantle and a raised brick hearth topped in slate.

This room has a vaulted ceiling and one large skylight. There are two sets of atrium windows and doors, one to the front of the house and a balcony over­looking the front yard, and another to a two-tiered deck in the backyard.

The upper deck by the living room has a pergola and could easily become a screened-in three-season porch. There are two steps down to the second tier, this deck accessed from the dining room. From the living room, there is access to the kitchen and a long hallway to the four bedrooms and two of the house’s three full baths. The kitchen has a highly polished ceramic tile floor that gives it the appearance of marble. There is also a tall tube-like structure leading to a skylight in the ceiling.

Its U-shaped counters are topped in three-by-three-inch white ceramic tile.

The backsplash is of the same tile. Also found in this kitchen are light-colored wood cabinets and drawers, deep double sinks, and two crank-out windows.

Appliances include a Whirlpool range, KitchenAid refrigerator, Maytag dish­washer and Magic Chef compactor.

The dining room has the same purple wall-to-wall carpeting of the living room and most of the upper floor, a ceiling fan and atrium windows and door to the deck.

The master bedroom is at the far end of the house.

Between it and the dining room are two more bed­rooms and a full bath with a 12-by-12-inch ceramic tile floor, gray sink in a natural wood vanity topped with the same tile of the kitchen counters and backsplash.

The gray commode is in a separate area that resem­bles a water closet, although there is no door; and there is a combination tub and shower. In the hallway there is a laundry area with two bi-fold doors and a linen closet.

The master bedroom has a skylight and its own balcony, accessed by a sliding atrium door. This room also features a vaulted ceiling, sitting area, ceiling fan and walk-in closet. The master bath has a ceramic tile floor that resembles Carerra marble. It has rose­colored fixtures, walk-in shower, jetted tub in a recessed paneled wood base, and a long natural wood vanity with a counter of white ceramic tiles. The lower level of the house could serve as an in­law or au pair or guest suite. It has a bedroom, family room area, full bath, and large walk-in closet under the stairs. In the lower-level family room there are two atrium windows flanking an atrium door to the gravel “patio” or terrace overlooking the sloping front yard and its many trees that provide a private oasis. The bath on this lower level has a six-by MB fabulous MB,­six- inch ceramic tile floor, white vanity, white fixtures and a walk-in shower. also has a mudroom area.For more information, or to set up a private appointment to see the house, call Marje Tracy of Nicholas H. Fingel­ly Real Estate at 203-339­1034.

Access to the garage is from this lower level, which

By MEG BARONE

Correspondent

The lessons of $4 per gallon gas a year ago and the current recession could not be clearer: it’s always a great idea to look for ways to save money.

Purchasing the colonial at 12 Adley Road in Fairfield will not only save money for its next owner, it will allow that individual or family a chance to contribute to the well­being of the environment with its myriad energy-saving features. It is an Energy Star home, which is more energy efficient than standard or code-compliant homes.

Built in 2008, this 3,850-square­foot house was constructed accord­ing to energy guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and it exceeds the government Energy Star standards by 35 percent. The builder’s work was verified by an independent third party. A verification report from EcoLogic Energy Solutions is available to prospective home­buyers upon request. The current owner, who is also the builder, is also willing to share a month-by­month accounting of the home’s energy costs to show the savings.

According to the U.S. Depart­ment of Energy, “By purchasing an Energy Star-qualified home, you can have all the features you desire in a new home, plus better perfor­mance and lower utility bills — all while helping to prevent green­house gas emissions.” Energy Star homes are characterized by tight construction and ducts, including the use of advanced techniques to reduce drafts, moisture, pollen, dust, pests and noise. They have properly installed insulation in floors, walls and attics. They have energy-efficient windows, and efficient heating and cooling sys­tems that reduce utility bills.

The house sits on a hill on an almost half-acre corner lot at the intersection of Adley and More­house, only steps from hiking trails on a 170-acre open space sanctuary and Lake Mohegan, which allows swimming. The architecture in­cludes a turret, of sorts, and a long,
wrap-around front porch punctuat­ed by tall white columns. The tan cedar shingled exterior is trimmed in white and even the chimney features shingles rather than usual bricks or stone.

The long, paved driveway lined on both sides in Belgian block passes the front of the house and its stone walls and attractive landscap­ing, concluding on the Morehouse side of the house, where there is a generously sized parking area and access to the two-car attached under house garage.

A wide slate path leads to the wide slate-topped stone steps to the front porch, which is made of composite decking material. At the foot of the steps are two stone pillars, each topped with slate and a lantern with beveled glass. Near the front door there is a sitting area.

The porch has a paneled wood ceiling and there is deep crown molding around its entire perime­ter.

The fir wood front door has three elongated windows in the upper portion and it is flanked by side­lights of one long pane in each. The door opens into a spacious two­story foyer with a dramatic light fixture, very deep-set and attractive crown molding, picture-frame paneling on the lower walls with a chair rail ledge, a coat closet and access to the basement. The panel­ing continues up the formal stair­case.

Off the foyer is a powder room with a hardwood floor, wainscoting on the lower walls, white fixtures, a pedestal sink and crown molding.

To the right is the living room which has a coffered ceiling, to the left is the formal dining room, and straight ahead to the back of the house is a mudroom with doors to the back yard and to the garage.

The mudroom has an 18-by-18­inch porcelain tile floor installed on a diagonal with inlays of mosaic tiles, wainscoting on the walls and crown molding that is not as deep as in the rest of the first floor, but certainly deeper than that of most houses. In fact, few houses have mudrooms with crown molding at all.

It also has a deep, double-door coat closet that is large enough to accommodate a washer and dryer, were the next owner interested in having a first- rather than a second­floor laundry room. Between the foyer and mudroom is a large walk­in pantry with built-in shelves and a hardwood floor.

The dining room has angled walls, picture-frame paneling on the lower walls, crown molding, and just as in the living room, the hardwood floor has a border of mahogany. Between the dining room and kitchen there is a butler’s pantry. It has a granite counter top, crown molding, cabinets — some with glass front doors, a stainless wet bar sink, GE Profile beverage refrigerator, a decorative backs­plash with a mix of 3- by- 3-inch tumbled marble tiles and miniature subway tiles.

On the other side of the dining room is a large family room that goes from the front to the back of the house. This room has a field­stone fireplace flanked by two sets of two double-hung windows. The fireplace has a white wood mantle and a slightly raised slate hearth with a border of wood.

In the eat-in portion of the family room there is an atrium window and door to a slate patio in the spacious and level side yard that is perfect for child’s play or enter­taining family and friends.

The kitchen can be accessed from the hall off the foyer, from the dining room through the butler’s pantry or from the family room. It has a hardwood floor and an enor­mous granite-topped center island of 4.5 by 9-feet with a breakfast bar that has room for four people comfortably. The counter is L­shaped with the same granite of the island, and it houses two stainless sinks.

Appliances include a GE Profile dishwasher and double wall-mount­ed ovens, a GE Monogram refriger­ator. The GE Profile range is in­stalled in the island.

Upstairs there are four bed­rooms, all with hardwood floors.

Two of them share a full bath, which has a stone tile floor, a granite-topped vanity, two sinks, and crown molding.

A second common full bath also has a stone tile floor, granite coun­ter and crown molding. The large laundry room has the same tile floor and a Maytag washer and dryer.

The master bedroom suite has his and hers walk-in closets with organizers, another closet with double doors, and a sitting area. The master bath has a tumbled marble floor, a wood base of recessed paneling topped in tumbled marble for the Whirlpool tub, crown mold­ing, and a long wood vanity topped in marble with double sinks.

The walk-in shower has various sizes of tumbled marble tile cover­ing the floor, walls and ceiling. The separate water closet also has crown molding.

For more information, or to set up a private appointment to see the house, call Jeffrey Clonts of Pruden­tial Connecticut Realty at 203-814­7900 or e-mail him at askjeff@prudentialct.com.

By Meg Barone

CORRESPONDENT

Walk in the footsteps of history in this antique colonial saltbox at 1 Jeremiah Road in Newtown and enjoy its graceful grounds of fieldstone walls, terraces, open lawn and perennial gardens.

This house was built around 1795 and offers a real sense of the past, although it has been renovated to include many modern conveniences, notably an updated kitchen. The ceilings are not as low as in many houses from this era, so the rooms, while on the small side by today’s standards, do not feel claustrophobic. In fact, they are sun-filled, warm and inviting.

The gray clapboard house with white trim and dark green doors sits in the Sandy Hook section of Newtown in a quiet, private setting, and yet it is only a mile or so from the conveniences of retail stores and schools, and traveling to and from the home is quite easy with I-84 and Route 34 nearby.

The next owner not only gets a charming 1,724-square-foot house and beautiful 1.14-acre grounds, but also a sizable renovated barn that the current owner calls “the party barn.” It is perfectly suited for entertaining, but could also serve a more serious purpose as an office, art studio or storage facility.

From the street there is a wide apron of Belgian block and a long gravel driveway, which is lined on one side with a fieldstone wall and on the side closest to the house in Belgian block. The driveway leads to the barn and to the stone steps that go down to a stone path that goes past the kitchen entrance, through a garden gate and arched trellis covered in roses to the Jeremiah Road side of the house.

stand of evergreen trees behind a long fieldstone wall hides the original front door on this side of the house. Two concrete pillars on either side of a small wood gate interrupt the stone wall and mark the beginning of the slate path to the original entrance, which includes a huge slate slab. This door, were it still in use as it was centuries ago, would lead into the dining room.

The area closest to the kitchen is enclosed, appearing almost like a sunken, secret English country garden. It has upper and lower tiers of stone walls and fences providing privacy. In this garden area there is a door that serves as the “main” entrance to the house, which leads into the kitchen.

There is a third door. This one faces Pole Bridge Road, although the road itself is at the very far end of the property and there is no pathway to the door. It is impractical to use even from the driveway, as residents and visitors would have to traverse half the house to get to that door.

This door is wider than the standard door and it comprises horizontal panels of wide-planked wood. It has the original decorative knocker, hardware latch and a decorative wood brace on the interior side into which is carved “c 1750.” The c stands for circa, meaning the door and possibly the house were built in 1750. The door is flanked by sidelights with 12 panes of glass in each.

This door opens into the foyer, which, like the rest of the house, has a wide-planked hardwood floor. The foyer contains the staircase to the second floor. To the left of the foyer is a sitting room or parlor or living room. Straight ahead is the dining room.

In the parlor is the first of four fireplaces in the main house. There is a fifth fireplace in the barn. The fireplace in this room has a slate hearth and an ivory-colored mantle with dentil molding. It also has a parsons’ cabinet, which was used to store liquor in colonial times. This room leads into the family room, which has a fireplace with a wood mantle and a slightly raised red brick hearth. It also has a parsons’ cabinet.

The dining room can be accessed from the family room, the kitchen or the foyer. It has an enormous fireplace, which would lead one to believe this room may have served as the kitchen when the house was first built, and this is where all the meals were prepared. This fireplace has a large wood mantle and a door to an opening where, presumably, wood was stored. Above that is a beehive brick oven.

There is a door in the dining room to the outside/Jeremiah Road side of house … The windows in this room are double-hungs with 12-over¬six panes, whereas most of the rest of the house has 12-over-12 doublehung windows.

The kitchen is in a newer section of the house. It has a vaulted ceiling, exposed beams, wide-planked wood floor, recessed lighting, two counter areas topped with honed granite, and white Legacy cabinets and drawers.

One counter area, which houses the deep porcelain sink, overlooks the beautiful English country garden.

Appliances include a Jenn-Air range, refrigerator and dishwasher.

The double-hung windows in this room are six-over-six panes. There is an eat-in section of this kitchen that provides a place to sit, relax and enjoy the garden just outside the door.

Off the kitchen is a full bath and laundry closet. The bath has wainscoting on the lower walls, white fixtures, a pedestal sink and two sets of bi-fold doors, behind which are the walk-in shower and the stackable laundry appliances; a Frigidaire washer and dryer.

On the second floor, there are three bedrooms, a sitting area that could be used as an office or library, and a full bath. The bath has white fixtures, exposed beams, and a combination tub and shower with subway tiles.

One of the bedrooms has a red brick fireplace with a terra cotta hearth and ivory wood mantle.

Three of the four corners in this room have ivory-colored columns.

There is also a pass-through from this room into another bedroom, which is being used as a large walk¬in closet.

Outside, there is a covered porch, which cannot be accessed from inside the house. It has exposed beams, a ceiling fan, wood floor and stone steps down to a red brick patio with a hot tub. The yard is largely level except for the tiered areas by the driveway. It is mostly open lawn bordered with trees, shrubs and perennial flower beds.

The “party” barn has upper and lower levels. The lower part can be used as a one-car garage or for storage. The upper part is spacious inside with three rooms, the largest of which has a fieldstone fireplace, beam mantle and huge slate hearth.

The barn has wide-planked wood floors, exposed beams, a loft and several different and interesting kinds of windows. In this main area there is an atrium window and a sliding atrium door a patterned red brick patio.

A sliding barn door separates the main room from another area with a small room and a second kitchenette area, which does not currently have functional plumbing, though it once did and probably can be restored.

The small room has a sloped roof, skylight, and exposed beams.

For more information, or to set up a private appointment to see the house, call Chris Fairchild of Coldwell Banker Real Estate at 203-470-0489.

Black Rock Colonial

By Meg Barone
Correspondent

The charm of living at a simpler time when people lounged on oversized porches and strolled estate grounds enjoying well­established flower beds and shrubbery awaits the next residents of the stately colonial house at 166 Grovers Ave. in Bridgeport.
Built in 1906, the house sits on a parcel of about two-thirds of an acre — a good-sized lot in a city setting, allowing for recreational activities, easy entertaining, and gardening.
It is, in fact, a gardener’s paradise.
Best of all are the water views that come

with living in a water community. This house is in the city’s Black Rock section and is within walking distance of the beach. There are spectacular views of Black Rock Harbor year round from the living room, dining room, large screened-in porch and second floor bedrooms. Fayerweather Lighthouse is also visible in winter months when there is no foliage to block it from view.
As one travels down Seaside Avenue, the house is straight ahead, although it is not visible because of the six-foot tall boxwood hedges that run the entire length of the front of the property, providing privacy. The house is also set back from the road beyond the

large, open front lawn that is dotted with a variety of mature trees, shrubs, perennial flower beds and a huge forsythia bush and a full rose bush, both of which are about 80 years old and thriving.
In the front yard there is also a flower bed strictly dedicated to 20 varieties of beautiful day lilies that begin blooming at the end of June and continue through August. There are huge and healthy lilac bushes that bloom bountifully in the spring along with daffodils, hyacinths and poppies. Belgian block outlines the flower beds along the front of the house.
A paved, semi-circular driveway passes all of this lush vegetation and continues to the graceful front entrance and the two-car attached garage. By the garage there is a slate path lined in Belgian block that leads past a lattice work trellis to side entrances, one into the house and one into the garage.
The 3,443-square-foot house has an exterior of pale green shingles, white trim and dark green shutters. On both sides of the covered front porch with two white columns are professionally designed and landscaped areas, including unusual hostas with variegated, platter-sized leaves and large well established ferns, along with boxwood and a dogwood tree.
The front door is an oversized Dutch door with dentil molding and 12 panes of glass in the upper portion. It is flanked by sidelights of eight glass panes each. There are hardwood floors throughout the house.

The living room goes the entire length of the house from front to back and has harbor views and it has two French doors accessing the large screened in porch overlooking the backyard and the harbor. The porch goes the length of the back of the house and can also be accessed from the dining room.

There is a recessed wall in the living room with five double hung windows, three of which are side by side by side. Each one has a full pane of glass in the lower portion and nine panes in the upper part. This area resembles a bay area except the walls have straight lines rather than being angled. Two large double hung windows, one on either side of the French doors, create more opportunity to enjoy the water view.

To the left is the formal front staircase to the second floor. There is also a rear staircase. An odd-shaped door with recessed panels leads to the under-the-front­stairs closet. Just beyond that is a sitting room or den, which is directly across from the formal dining room. The dining room has angled walls with wide chair railing, a decorative medallion in the ceiling, and three side-by-side -by-side double-hung windows overlooking the porch.
Just off the dining room is a powder room with a tile floor that resembles tumbled marble or Travertine, white fixtures, and a trellis effect on the ceiling.
The kitchen has a hardwood floor, wet bar, a center island, numerous cabinets – some with glass front doors, and two counter areas topped in earth tone colored tile installed on a diagonal with decorative inserts of smaller tiles with leaf designs. One counter houses the double stainless sink with a six-paned crank­out window above it. There is also a built-in desk area.
Appliances include a Jenn-Air dual convection range, GE Monogram refrigerator and Maytag dishwasher. The center island is two-tiered and houses the range. It also has an overhang creating a breakfast bar with room to accommodate at least two and possibly three stools.
Open to the kitchen is a

newer addition containing the family room and eat-in section of the kitchen, which has a bump-out bay area with three windows overlooking the back yard. This area provides access to the full, unfinished basement, which has a laundry area, and to the rear stairs.
On the second floor there are five bedrooms. Some have wall-to-wall carpeting but there is hardwood underneath. One bedroom has a built-in desk area.
The master bedroom has a sitting area overlooking the

harbor, and his and hers walk-in closets. The master bath has pink and white mosaic tile, white fixtures, 3 x 3-inch pink ceramic tile on the lower portion of the walls and wallpaper on the rest, and a combination tub and shower.
In the hallway, the common bath has a mosaic tile floor in various shades of green, 3 x 3-inch tiles on the lower walls. The upper portion is painted. There is also a combo tub and shower and linen closet.
The last of the bedrooms is a former porch that was enclosed. The walls comprise the shingles of the house exterior, there is Wainscoting on the ceiling and there are five double hung windows.
With the amounts of natural light that comes into this room it would make a perfect art studio.
There is also a third floor walk-up unfinished attic that could be finished to create another room.

Outside, four perennial flower beds are in the side yard divided by a flagstone walkway. The backyard has huge butterfly bushes and a new vegetable and herb garden located in a perfect spot with lots of sun.

ABOUT THIS HOUSE
TYPE OF HOUSE: Colonial

ADDRESS: 166 Grovers Ave.

PRICE: $799,900

NUMBER OF ROOMS: 10

AMENITIES: year round water views, walk to beach, large screened in back porch, attractive landscaped grounds, two-thirds of an acre parcel, sizeable front and back yards, flower and vegetable gardens, circular driveway, wet bar, front and rear staircases, walk-up attic, newer kitchen, tall ceilings, children’s play area OTHER INFORMATION: five bedrooms, 2.5 baths, hardwood floors, two car garage, radiator oil steam heat, full unfinished basement, asphalt roof, sewer system, city water SCHOOLS: Elementary: Black Rock Middle: Longfellow High: Bassick ASSESSMENT: $501, 150

TAX RATE: 38.74 mills

TAXES: $19,414
For more information, or to set up a private appointment to see the house, call John Kleps of William Pitt Sothe­by’s Real Estate at 203-258-8733.