ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A REALLY UNIQUE HOME?

 UPSIDE DOWN HOUSE: Szymbark, Poland is the location for this two-story home, perfect for sailors, ship captains and other folks with a solid set of sea legs.  Limitless floor space with ceiling-mounted furniture and appliances.

POD HOUSE: Egg shaped, fully solar powered home in Beijing is perfect for the frugal individual under 6' tall.  Save 100% on your energy bill and your mortgage.  Close proximity to parking.

MUSHROOM HOUSE: Are you an environmentalist, a Smurf fan or fungi-lover?  Here is a one bedroom bungalow in Ohio with eye-catching additions composed of wood, colored glass, seashells and other organic materials.  This home makes an earth-friendly statement.  You could build one in the back yard for the kids to play in, and be environmentally correct.

TUMBLEWEED HOUSE: Do you like to move around from place to place easily?  This home will go anywhere there is an accessible road, providing all the comforts of home without geographic restrictions or foundation to worry about.  Perfect for traveling salespeople, oft-visiting mothers-in-law and nature lovers.

FOAM HOUSE: 1970'S chic, this polyurethane home is perfect for aspiring cave dwellers.  In rural Minnesota, its lack of right angles is perfect for admirers of the work of Antonio Gaudi in Barcelona. Square footage is hard to calculate in this curvilinear, two bedroom, three bath house.

FUTURO FLYING SAUCER HOUSE: Located in Texas, this sci-fi home is for those who are not comfortable on this planet but still love the earthly amenities.  Every room has a fireplace.  Another idea for a playhouse for the kids in your backyard.

LET US KNOW YOUR CHOICE...

BOCA RATON 1926 SPANISH COLONIAL MIZNER ESTATE FOR SALE

5 bedrooms, 5 1/2 baths, 5867 living sq ft 

in a tree-canopied tropical oasis

in sought after

OLD FLORESTA Historic District

Pecky Cypress, Dade County Pine, terra cotta, Chicago brick

casual rustic elegance

interweaving indoors and outdoors

on double lot

33'x16' pool

summer kitchen

separate guest cottage 

courtyard....

all this charm and elegance

 for

$2,175,000

RUMORS: THIS MAY BE THE OBAMA'S NEW HOME

Located in OAHU at 210 North Kalaheo is 1 1/2 acre home in an area called Beachpoint.  

Landscaping is magnificent with natural moss rock walls, African mahogany doors, hardwood flooring and slabs of Peruvian limestone flooring thruout including a cedar wood shingle roof with copper gutters.

There are 5 bedrooms, 5 full and 2 half baths; interior is 8419 sq ft with 55259 sq ft of lanai.  14 Parking Stalls.  The 1925 sq ft guest house has a 2-car garage, 3 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths.  

There is a 318 sq ft cabana and free form landscaped pool.

The estate was designed to replicate similar properties that were built in the early 1900's.  There is 240' of grass and the extensive landscaping provides privacy.  It originally was zoned for four homes.

 Virtual Tour

PAIR OF TREE HOUSES

After seeing these photos of a cool tree-house, said to be costing over $300,000, you will not be surprised to learn that two of these luxury tree houses are being built for Hogwart’s author, J.K. Rowling and her three children, ages 18, 9 and 7, in Edinburgh.

There are two giant 2-story tree houses with spiral staircases, turreted roofs, secret tunnels, trapdoors, nature boxes, fireman’s pole, spiral staircase, stainless steel slide, lanterns, cedar roofs and balconies.  The structures will be built on wooden stilts and will be connected by a rope bridge.  They will be 40’ high and cost just under a half million dollars.  On the exterior there will be a perch, perhaps for an owl and a “nature box” built into the cedar shingle covered roof for birds to nest in.

The timber used to build the tree houses will be built with timber from sustainably managed forests.  She has also gotten permission to build a summer house of stone, will add a greenhouse, summer cottage and “garden room” folly with 30’ conical tower and chimney.

Several trees have been removed, and a line of tall conifer trees will screen the house from the roadway.  Residents of the area have complained about the structure being out of character with and have a negative effect on the conservation area.  The multi-million dollar author purchased a one-million pound 1970’ style property next door so she could enlarge the garden.  She bought the 17^th C. mansion she lives in for about $2,500,000 two and a half years ago.

NEW TO MARKET:

Casa Reclinata in West Palm Beach lives like a glamorous new house although it is a meticulously restored 1920s house, updated to the very highest standards of 2012.   211 Dyer has been stylishly recreated to appeal to a buyer with youthful, sophisticated taste who enjoys historic yet comfortable living. 

This exceptional home has four bedrooms - three bedrooms and baths in the main house and a one bedroom one bath guesthouse, large living room and kitchenette. 

New wiring and plumbing throughout, new roof, impact windows and doors (except two small historic windows with shutters), sound system, three car garage, covered patio, new pool and beautiful tropical landscaping. 

Available fully furnished with designer furnishings for $2.3M or unfurnished for $2.2M.  Call Marilyn (561-302-3388) for a showing.

HIGHEST PRICE HISTORIC HOME SOLD IN BOCA SO FAR IN 2012

 

OLD FLORESTA is know as a historic neighborhood.  This past May, a 5 bedroom 4 full and 2 half bath home, 4088 living sq ft, was sold.  Built in 1925 by Addison Mizner, it included, wood ceiling, fireplace, arched windows, French Doors and other features typical of that period.  

The house was expanded to keep it's original character, in 1999.

The house sold for $1,999,973 after 251 days on the market.

"BUILDING A HEALTHIER GOOGLE INITIATIVE"

Artist Ian Ross was challenged by Google to create a mural bringing the outdoors in for Google's new Mountain View, CA office wing.  

His unique "organic style" brings into the office the tranquility of nature.  

As people view these images, the large deer looking directly at them and the smaller ones not aware anyone is there, onlookers realize that perhaps they are in no normal place. They have now entered into a space in which artists are at play and where anything can happen.

 

While this is not a Historic Home, it is inspiring to bring the outdoors in!

ONE OF THE LAST GREAT HOMES OF PALM BEACH IS FOR SALE

In 1919 Addison Mizner built the legendary landmarked Louwana estate at 473 N County Road in Palm Beach.  With 12 bedrooms, 12 full and 3 half baths, this magnificent estate, one of the Great Houses of Palm Beach, is on the waterfront.  This majestically picturesque  home is on a sprawling 1.5 acres has 11,074 living sq ft. and has four interior levels and elevator.  Staff quarters are included.

On the west side of the house there is a salt water pool set in a walled courtyard and floral and rose gardens.  A 2-story tower on the ocean has a living room, bedroom and ladies and men’s baths.  There are 150’ of beautiful direct private beachfront.

Living Room measures a sumptuous 36’ x 24’, has a fireplace and wood floor and ceiling.  Ocean views are spectacular.  Wood ceiling continues into the 32’x18’ dining room which has sets of French doors that open to patio, lawn and ocean.  Floor is tile.    Den also has fireplace, wood ceiling and windows on ocean.

Master bedroom, 30’x24’,with blue walls, has stunning parnoamic ocean view through a series of windows.   Kitchen is 16’x14’.  A guest house, pool house and cabana with a living room, bedroom and his ‘ hers bathrooms,  3-car garage, 4 fireplaces, a tennis court and elevator are also on the property.

Originally listed at $28MM in June 2011, the list price is now $26MM.  The house is an enduring legend of architectural and historic significance.  The home has remained in the possession of the family that originally built it.  

ALERT-MALWARE MAY KNOCK THOUSANDS OFF THE INTERNET ON MONDAY

Crain's NY and other publications are warning computer users that, according to the FBI, there are about 64,000 uses who may be affected.

To check your computer go to http://www.dcwg.org/ and that site can check your computer and supply a fix.

Check it out.

FIRST BOCA RATON MIZNER COTTAGE RECEIVES LANDMARK DESIGNATION

 

During the Florida land boom in 1925, Addison Mizner, famous for his opulent Palm Beach mansions, built a dozen “Mizner Cottages” for the middle class in Spanish Village, on NW 7^th and 8^th Streets between Boca Raton Boulevard and NW 3^rd Avenue.  Mizner had an incredible influence on Boca Raton architecture.

These houses are 850 sq ft while those built for the Mizner Development Corp. executives in Old Floresta, which was designated an historic district in 1990, were about 1200 sq.  

The Spanish Village homes were advertised for $7000 each, not an inexpensive amount by 1920’s standards.  These homes, often owned by professionals who worked for Mizner, repeated the details of the larger, more opulent homes.  Ceilings are pecky cypress, doorways are arched and roofs are barrel tile.

It took the owner of the newly designated landmark home in Spanish Village a year to go through the landmarking process.  They plan to add more modern conveniences to the interior.  Another owner said they were a challenge to maintain as there was no insulation, the foundation was aging and the electrical wiring was old.  Pretty wood floors indicate the foundation does not meet all the joists anymore.   

 Nevertheless, the love of living in a historic home continues.  It is possible that the 11 other Mizner Cottages could also get historic landmark status in time to come.

The Boca Raton Historical Society has information on Mizner’s architectural pursuits which changed the face of architecture in Boca Raton forever.  An interesting book about Addison Mizner is, “Boca Rococo: How Addison Mizner Invented Florida’s Gold Coast”.